Tablet PCs in Pharmaceutical Sales Demands placed upon today’s pharmaceutical sales reps are many and intensifying—know your products, industry guidelines and federal regulations, and make an impact big enough to close a sale in 5 minutes or less. Tablet PCs are helping reps make face-time with clients more productive, while reducing back-end administrative burdens. Executive Summary Pharmaceutical sales is a challenging, high-reward occupation with a compressed selling process that demands maximally efficient communication between the salesperson and the medical professional. The salesperson must make presentations, provide information, access pricing and order history information, produce all necessary forms, and get approvals with signatures during time-constrained meetings. It’s a sales job like no other. The pharmaceutical sales representatives must be knowledgeable in the applications and indications of their products, and the contraindications and interactions with other drugs. And they must be willing to comply with the industry’s self-imposed guidelines, follow federal regulations and to stay on top of current events. To give reps an edge, pharmaceutical companies have made heavy investments in sales force automation and customer relationship management tools. Still, computing devices such as handhelds, wireless e-mail devices, and conventional notebook computers have had limited success in the field attacking the fundamental tasks of high-quality presentation, easy data entry and access, and frictionless handling of forms and approvals. The Tablet PC uniquely addresses all these needs in a single device. Convertible models that combine a keyboard with a bright, pen-based display that can operate in slate mode hold particular promise. An advanced model such as the Toshiba Portégé M400 www.toshibabusiness.com running Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition offers the additional benefit of being an attention-getting, high-tech device that keeps the conversation focused on the products and the process of delivering the latest pharmaceuticals to physicians and other health-care providers. Because the Toshiba Portégé M400 remains at the center of presentations to physicians, sales reps are able to keep all of their relevant materials in one place, thereby eliminating their traditional paper-based collection. Market Climate The United States comprises 45 percent of the worldwide market for pharmaceutical sales, which has grown increasingly competitive as new drugs come online and where the opportunity to recoup huge de- Pharmaceutical Sales at a Glance Approximate umber of U.S. sales reps 100,000 Ratio of U.S. sales reps/physicians 1 to 1.2 Average meeting time with physicians 5 minutes or less Average number of sales calls per day, per sales rep 8 to 10 Sources: Yankee Group, AAAS Science Careers velopment costs is short. Despite other ways of creating demand, the physician is the major determinant of how often a drug is prescribed for a given condition. Most drugs usually compete with other, similar medications, and physicians want the best outcomes for their patients. The onus is on the salesperson to present each drug in its most beneficial light. Competition is intense for physician face-to-face time, which has decreased dramatically in recent years as the number of reps has jumped to between 90,000 and 100,000. Meanwhile, the 120,000 or so U.S. physicians are themselves pressured to see increasing numbers of patients. So the 15 to 20 minutes formerly allocated to sales visits are often cut to five minutes or less. With the clock always ticking, reps must be able to present data quickly and accurately on both their company’s products as well as competitors’ products. At the same time, they must establish good working relationships and provide timely, trust- Tablet PC Benefits for Pharmaceutical Sales Tablet PC Feature Benefits in Pharmaceutical Sales Lightweight and portable •Augments or replaces handhelds, wireless e-mail devices, and conventional notebook computers with a single device Clear, multifunction display •High-resolution screen well suited for desktop presentations •Convertible screen design operates with both pen and keyboard input • Capture signatures as well as keystrokes Real-time access to e-mail and CRM software •Reps are always armed with the latest customer information through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless connections •Corporate managers have more accurate and up-todate sales information for planning On-screen forms • Accurate, single point of data entry •Automates formerly slow paper processes such as collecting physician signatures to receive drug samples Captures text, pictures and sound •Helps reps create, edit, organize and search through handwritten notes •Handwriting and speech recognition capabilities automate translation to digital text Secure •Secure Web and e-mail using industry-standard encryption methods •Toshiba Portégé M400 includes a fingerprint reader for added device security Digital ink capability • Facilitates easy annotation of documents •All Microsoft Office 2003 applications support digital ink Enhanced version of Microsoft Windows • Short learning curve • As easy to use as desktop or notebook computers worthy information. And to succeed long-term, each rep must glean instances of successful outcomes from physicians’ prescribing of their products. In addition to doctor visits, reps also call on pharmacists, hospitals, practitioners at managed-care facilities, and other health-care–related personnel within their territory. The actual calls made may number 8 to 10 per day. Business Challenges Pharmaceutical sales reps need to be constantly engaged with the health-care providers in their territories, continually balancing orders, presentations, meeting schedules, information sharing and networking. They must also maintain contact with the office, keep up their own training and product information, and stay up-to-date on pricing, incentives and other marketing and promotional efforts. Despite the emphasis on calling and contact, some sources estimate that the paperwork load can consume as much as 20 to 25 percent of a rep’s available time. “Time is money” applies to almost any aspect of business, but seldom is it more pertinent than in the life of a pharmaceutical sales rep. Paperwork is anathema to every salesperson, but it is especially vital here because of the need to keep pharmacies and dispensaries supplied, and to close the sale in the limited time available with an approval signature. From the corporation’s point of view, the remote/ on-the-road nature of the sales rep’s position creates information flow problems in both directions: in updating the sales rep’s marketing materials, pricing guides and promotional schedules, and in logging sales. Solution: Tablet PCs with Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Pharmaceutical sales performance is greatly benefited by an infusion of technology. All of the usual tools—handhelds, notebooks, wireless e-mail devices—can help, but none provides a complete solution. Field operatives need a single device that covers every aspect of their job: presentations, communication with the office, forms, e-mail, various forms of input, and even signature capture. Hardware advantages. The convertible Tablet PC meets all of the pharmaceutical sales rep’s needs, and provides them in a package that’s attractive and engaging, helping to identify the salesperson as a skilled professional, part of a high-performance team. The Toshiba Portégé M400 is a prime example, fully functional as both a Tablet PC and conven- www.toshibabusiness.com tional notebook, with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a high-resolution screen well suited for desktop presentations. The modular drive bay accepts an optical drive (handy for running corporate video presentations) and the large hard disk provides fast access to a territory’s worth of records, contacts, presentations and more. When equipped with available wireless broadband services, the convertible Tablet PC is in constant contact with the office, enabling the rep to receive realtime updates of pricing and promotions, check availability and inventory levels, track existing orders, get approval of quotes, transmit approved orders from the provider’s office, and receive instant acknowledgement. Web and e-mail communications are secure, using industry-standard encryption methods. The Portégé M400 also has a fingerprint reader to further ensure end-to-end security. Presentation advantages. The convertible tablet’s ability to move seamlessly from keyboard to stylus gives it a unique advantage over all other PCs, since it can capture signatures as well as keystrokes. By using the Tablet PC’s gesture recognition capability—for example, a quick up or down flick of the pen—the sales rep can page through presentations without the visual interruption of reaching for a key. The Portégé M400’s unique zoom capability allows the rep to zoom in on a specific area and then zoom out again, with a single button. Forms that were formerly constrained to paper can be displayed onscreen, and they can be filled out as if they were paper documents with the stylus or with a keyboard. Reps can present contracts such as drug sample agreements to doctors, who may sign them on the spot. Software advantages. The Tablet PC runs an enhanced version of Microsoft Windows XP, which fully harnesses its capabilities. This familiar environment provides ease of use and little to no training time. Pharmaceutical-specific applications use common Windows metaphors and can therefore be used with the keyboard or the stylus. The entire suite of Windows productivity software is available with pen support, including Microsoft Office 2003. The representative can use familiar word processing, spreadsheet, e-mail, database and presentation tools, as well as Microsoft OneNote, which is specially adapted to the Tablet PC. OneNote is included with all Toshiba Tablet PC models and is the ideal vehicle for taking notes on a new prospect, for example. It allows the rep to move seamlessly from Selecting the Right Hardware The Toshiba Portégé M400 contains several features that are particularly well suited to the demands of pharmaceutical sales. ■Bright, high-resolution 1400 x 1050 color display ■Rugged hinge allows convertible display to quickly transform from notebook to Tablet PC ■Docking feature for quick office “ins and outs” ■Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections ■Long battery life ■ Microsoft OneNote application included ■ Intel Centrino dual-core processor option typing to diagrams such as organization charts and building layouts, to handwritten notes using digital ink. It can convert handwriting to text and can even incorporate voice dictation or recorded conversations into a given prospect’s or customer’s record. And using speech recognition, reps can dictate notes directly into the Tablet PC, save the notes and make them available later in digital format. E-mail gains new capabilities with Tablet PCs, too. For example, reps can, if they prefer, handwrite and send e-mail messages through the Microsoft Outlook e-mail client. Pharmaceutical Sales-Specific Benefits The convertible Tablet PC allows applications to be built that eliminate paper documents and reduce the amount of clerical back-office support. Using Microsoft Office InfoPath 2003, developers can quickly create or customize a wide variety of electronic forms that in turn are integrated with other Microsoft applications (such as Excel for calculations). Available application software can even convert existing paper forms into data-entry screens that can accept handwritten or typed input. The most visible aspects of sales force automation via the Tablet PC—reduced paperwork, full availability of order history and notes from previous meetings—are timesavers that will make the sales rep more productive. But the Tablet PC is also the front end to far more extensive customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities. Beyond the traditional analysis of past buying trends to predict future pur- www.toshibabusiness.com 600 700 800 chases, CRM can incorporate regional demographic trends, aggregated patient information, and other factors to increase the accuracy of predictions and tailor purchase recommendations and stocking levels. With the Tablet PC’s wireless “always on” capability (within wireless coverage area) and CRM, reps can attend meetings armed with the latest customer information and managers back at headquarters can view and act on accurate, up-to-date information. Reps can incorporate trend information into individually tailored presentations for each provider, stressing the benefits most appropriate to physicians, hospital dispensaries and pharmacists. They can then harness the Tablet PC’s presentation capabilities to convey their recommendations. The importance of tailored presentations cannot be overstated. A 2004 study from the Yankee Group found that face time with doctors doubled when reps used visual aid materials integrated with clinical information, managed care information and signature capture. The Tablet PC facilitates a more demand-driven business model, allowing the rep to transmit trends, ordering levels and inventory levels back to the corporation so that manufacturing levels can be adjusted to demand. This approach makes the rep more of a consultative partner to health-care providers rather than a mere salesperson driven by monetary incentives to push the available production. Sales reps are on the front lines, constantly in the field, but when equipped with convertible Tablet PCs and wide-area broadband connectivity, they can drive CRM systems directly and transparently, while reaping full benefits of market intelligence. A More Productive Tomorrow A convertible Tablet PC such as the Toshiba Portégé M400 is powerful platform, available with a single- or dual-core processor. It is equal to any computing task, such as multimedia editing and production, as well as the full array of presentation, communication, retrieval and data-crunching tasks it is likely to encoun- © 2006 Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. All product, service and company names are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of their respective owners. Information including without limitation product prices, specifications, availability, content of services, and contact information is subject to change without notice. About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. (TAIS) Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications. CRM and Tablet PCs: Made for Each Other Pharmaceutical sales success depends on powerful customer relationship management software that goes beyond traditional order history and reorder projections. CRM is rapidly approaching a real-time system that keeps field reps continually apprised of inventory levels, competitive pricing, incentives and promotions, while funneling orders into predictive software that drives manufacturing. Pharmaceutical company spending on CRM is scheduled to grow dramatically in the next several years: 2003 $455 million 2008 $625 million 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 Source: Global Information, Inc. ter on a daily basis. It is more than a mobile office; it is an extension of the office and an extension of the corporation’s considerable IT infrastructure, bringing all of its power to bear on simplifying the pharmaceutical rep’s life while enhancing productivity. The days of the leisurely office visit are fast disappearing, replaced by tightly scheduled meetings where business is done quickly, with high-bandwidth, dense, useful information, and frictionless contractual work and approvals, so that sales can be closed on the spot. No other mobile technology, or even a combination of technologies, can provide the breadth of capabilities necessary to support the unique requirements of pharmaceutical sales. ■ TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba has worldwide sales of over $54 billion and approximately 300 subsidiaries and affiliates worldwide. For more information visit the company’s Web site at www.toshiba.com. About Microsoft Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential. Microsoft and Windows are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. www.toshibabusiness.com 800