From Push to Pull: Astellas Boosts Engagement With 47% HCP-Led Chats

As healthcare professionals (HCPs) increasingly adopt new communication channels like instant messaging, biopharmas seek to integrate them into their omnichannel strategies to deliver on customer experience expectations while ensuring regulatory compliance.

Astellas needed to launch a product in a new therapeutic area in Italy, addressing local needs within a global engagement strategy. With limited field force capacity and a highly competitive market, timely HCP conversations and cross-team coordination were crucial.

Implementing the connect capabilities of Veeva Vault CRM Engage provided Astellas with a compliant channel offering chat with content-sharing capabilities, aligning with HCPs’ preferences and improving the agility of field teams in the region.

Scaling operations for product launch with limited field capacity

In Italy, Astellas faced a dual challenge of covering its existing nephrology line alongside a new therapeutic area with a limited capacity of field reps. The competitive environment further complicated interactions with HCPs. Antonio di Biasio, senior manager of business solution and operational effectiveness at Astellas, explains, “As newcomers in a highly crowded therapeutic area, we needed to differentiate ourselves and ensure our field force operated effectively to maximize our product launch. But, facing capacity issues, we would not have been able to cover the whole target, especially not with the desired frequency.”

Evolving HCP engagement expectations also played a key role in redefining a new interaction model in the region. “We asked our field and medical teams what changes were needed, and it became clear that HCPs wanted to initiate conversations and easily reach out for samples or product information when needed,” says di Biasio. This situation also presented an opportunity to improve the connection between sales reps and medical science liaisons (MSLs). “Previously, when an HCP needed to interact with our MSL, we lacked a direct bridge. We aimed to accelerate our reps’ responses to HCP requests while staying compliant,” adds di Biasio.

At the same time, reps expressed some concerns about adopting a new channel. “Reps feared another app and more notification emails. They also worried HCPs would struggle with the registration process, limiting digital connections,” notes di Biasio. A smooth technical setup and effective change management were essential to ensure scalability. “Our team focused on establishing solutions that are future-proof and adaptable to accommodate regional differences while allowing rapid deployment,” says di Biasio.

Meeting HCPs at their point of need through two-way communication

To streamline communication across the customer journey, Astellas brought together its local stakeholders, marketing, brand, compliance, and regulatory teams. By soliciting their input on how to address HCP engagement issues, Astellas avoided a top-down approach and fostered a sense of ownership and collaboration. Instead of directly presenting the new solution and mandating its adoption, they took an indirect approach, focusing on the benefits and how it could solve reps’ pain points. “We asked the teams how they would change the way they interact with HCPs. The idea of implementing a new pull channel to communicate with HCPs that they couldn’t visit regularly was very well received. We rapidly decided that this was not going to be just a pilot, but a deliberate decision to integrate a new channel in our practice,” explains di Biasio.

Astellas implemented the connect capabilities of Engage (Engage Connect) to extend HCP connections with reps beyond face-to-face meetings. Astellas sees the potential for Engage Connect to amplify the impact of every interaction by bridging physical and digital interactions within a unified platform. All while staying audit-ready with traceable content links, trackable chat messaging, and text monitoring options.

Engage Connect seamlessly integrates with Astellas’ Veeva Vault CRM, minimizing disruption and maximizing the return on their previous investment. This existing infrastructure made it possible to implement compliant free-text messaging and deliver two-way communication at scale. With additional capabilities to provide content on demand, capture signatures, and schedule meetings, Astellas created more meaningful experiences and allowed a complete view of customer engagement history. The solution was powered by the customer data and insights Astellas gained from Veeva Network and Veeva OpenData, providing a 360-degree customer view.

Recognizing the importance of a phased but rapid implementation, Astellas collaborated closely with Veeva’s services team to develop a playbook based on the Italian experience. “The playbook helps us apply the learnings from Italy’s launch to address local needs while scaling up to other markets with speed,” explains Johan Brus, global CRM activation lead at Astellas.

HCP connectivity and engagement is now a click away

The introduction of a new, bidirectional channel proved highly effective for both Astellas’ field force and HCPs. The immediate communication capabilities fostered more dynamic interactions, making connections just a click away.

The easy HCP registration via QR code facilitated rapid adoption. “We observed that 24% of overall connections originated on the first visit with new HCP targets, and they took less than a minute,” reports di Biasio. He adds, “Today, the connection rate is up to 70% when reps and HCPs have an established in-person relationship. This highlights the interest from HCPs in connecting with the industry.”

Vault CRM Engage provides a single access point for all HCP needs. Three main use cases demonstrated how the solution is transforming Astellas’s relationships with HCPs.

• First, it laid a foundation for sustained engagement after in-person visits. Astellas observed that most HCPs (70%) are keen to connect over a face-to-face interaction, providing a direct and personal starting point for continued dialogue. This initial connection seamlessly evolved into a chat-based follow-up. “After the meeting, reps can follow up to provide additional information or support sample requests, following Italian regulatory processes,” explains di Biasio. Sharing compliant content and patient resources on the same platform offers a significant advantage, ensuring HCPs always access the latest version through shared links to the pre-approved content library.
• Second, Astellas field teams transitioned from a reactive to a proactive, pull-based approach through the bidirectional channel. “We are consistently available to HCPs through the Engage Connect platform. Whether they need materials, clarification of drug dosage, or wish to book an appointment, we are readily accessible,” says di Biasio. HCPs can reach out to reps through fully compliant instant messaging, and the Astellas team responds quickly to inbound requests. Notably, almost half of the chat interactions (47%) were initiated by HCPs.
• Third, Astellas improved customer service despite limited field capacity. “Facing the challenge of launching a product without the capacity to cover all our targets, we decided to centralize requests. A virtual team managed HCP requests and directed them to the appropriate rep for their geography,” explains di Biasio.

Astellas plans to expand Engage Connect to other therapeutic areas such as oncology and other regions beyond Italy, applying key learnings and effective change management. Brus concludes, “We see the significant benefit in the scalability of deploying this solution in other markets. Given that Engage Connect can be the single channel for HCPs to communicate with the entire industry, we aim to encourage other organizations to join us in advancing digital engagement, demonstrating that the industry has listened to HCPs’ needs and responded.”

Learn how the connect capabilities of Vault CRM Engage deepens HCP relationships with a global platform to meet, connect, and share.