Explore the Advantages of Workflow Automation in Pharma Industry

The pharmaceutical industry has seen many developments recently. You might be aware of the increase in the use of Automation in pharma industry based on AI and ML, which is shaping the future of it. The adoption of digital compliance tools has become essential for pharmaceutical manufacturers, too.

Every now and then, new licensing updates are being introduced for pharmacies and wholesale drug distributors. This has a direct impact on sales. How do you plan to comply with all these government measures? Manually or assign a team and bear their costs?

FDA is emphasizing monitoring data accuracy and transparency in product lifecycle management. European Medicines Agency (EMA) has emphasized environmental risk assessments for medicinal products. These are only a fraction of the changes we are talking about. Keeping your system updated with all these is not easy. Hence, automation in the whole pharmaceutical manufacturing industry is required.

But how can these systems help? Do we even know if they are useful? We will look at the benefits in this blog and also look at a case study to get a proper idea of these systems and how they can help your organization.

Utilization of Automation in Pharma Industry:  

1. Eliminate Low-value work

One of the major advantages of implementing automation in the pharma industry is that you don’t have to do repetitive tasks or worry about human errors. In this way, the low-value work is eliminated and you can shift your focus to sales and marketing, or any other segment that requires more human intervention.

Automation will keep track of tasks and the process will be taken to the next step. These decisions are triggered automatically and process automation can be customized. Giving basic information to the vendors can also be automated with the help of AI.

Note: According to a report, over 60% of jobs could see more than 30% of their fundamental tasks automated.

2. High priority- Customer Engagement!

A simple rule to make customers feel special and give them a comfort zone to have a conversation with you is to focus on personalization. Pharmaceutical automation analyzes vast amounts of customer data, including preferences, behaviors, and interactions. These data can be used to tailor marketing strategies.

This level of personalization has been shown to lead to a 20-30% increase in engagement rates, as recipients are more likely to respond positively to communications that feel relevant and timely.

Automated follow-ups and reminders will enable Healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients to be informed about what’s going on. Hence building their relationship stronger.

3. Increase your sales Faster.

Pharmaceutical sales are on a path of revolution because of automation. There has been a significant improvement in productivity. From automation lead assignments and scheduling based on real-time demand, sales reps can work more accurately.

This automation results in a 25% reduction in time spent on administrative tasks, freeing up valuable hours that can be redirected toward building and nurturing relationships with healthcare professionals (HCPs).

This results in having meaningful conversations with clients that focus directly on their needs. In the last decade, the whole dynamics of the pharma industry have changed and this has led to a shift in the sales strategy that leads to revenue growth.

4. Reduce Cost and stay under budget!

Automation in pharma industry leads to major cost savings by reducing time and resources spent on manual tasks such packaging processes such as data entry, lead management, and reporting.

Data analytics leads to effective marketing campaigns so companies can achieve better targeting and higher conversion rates. Your campaigns run under budget and give you high ROI. The costs related to clinical trials and patient recruitment are also reduced. Adopting advanced data analytics and digital tools across operations can improve efficiency, transparency, and decision-making related to COGS (Cost of Goods Sold).

One of the key factors in the pharma industry process is inventory management and it is complex too. CRM in pharma Industry will further enhance efficiency in inventory management through real-time tracking and demand forecasting so that holding costs are reduced.

5. Rely on Data rather than on theories!

The biggest mistake that pharma companies can make is to stick to plan only, rather than being dependent on data and changing the plans. Automation in the pharmaceutical industry collects data and studies them using advanced CRM systems.

Market trends, customer behaviors, and everything else are considered to align the strategies with customer demand. Sale numbers are increasing and there is a potential improvement of 15-20%.

Understanding which products resonate most with the specific demographics so the sales team can focus their efforts on high-potential leads and improvise their strategies. Automated reporting tools allow tracking, and teams can quickly assess the impact of their initiatives and make necessary adjustments.

6. Regulatory Compliance

Pharmaceutical companies operate in a highly regulated environment, facing strict requirements that are critical to ensuring patient safety and product success. Automation in pharma industry plays an important role in helping these organizations meet compliance with regulatory standards, such as HIPAA.

By maintaining accurate records and audit trails, these systems ensure that all activities are documented and easily accessible for regulatory review. In fact, studies indicate that implementing automated CRM solutions can reduce compliance-related risks by up to 40%.

What if someone tries to log in unethically or someone hacks into your system? Well, CRM software has real-time monitoring and alerts for any potential compliance issues. This pushes up the company’s commitment to ethical practices and quality control and assurance.

7. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

It is one of the crucial pharma industry processes for more success rates. These tools can automate and process control the tracking of product performance throughout its lifecycle, from initial development to market launch. You can quickly get market feedback and make informed adjustments to products.

Effective PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) ensures that all stages of a product’s lifecycle are managed efficiently, which includes concept development, manufacturing process regulatory compliance, and marketing strategies. The medical CRM software is capable of analyzing trends and customer preferences, enabling businesses to align their offerings with market demands more accurately.

Everyone involved in the product development process is informed and aligned. Hence, collaboration among cross-functional teams is facilitated by pharmaceutical manufacturing automation. This improves the overall product quality. You can navigate the complexities of product management effectively with pharmaceutical automation.

8. Patient Safety- First!

Proactive pharmacovigilance is specifically for patient safety and adverse event monitoring of pharmaceutical products. Automation in the pharma industry gathers adverse event reports from healthcare providers and patients, which can be monitored easily.

Data collection allows tracking and analysis of such events which are crucial for timely interventions. With automated systems in place, response times to safety issues can improve by up to 50%.

This allows us to address potential safety issues before they become major problems and protect patient health. It also reduces the chance of human error in manual reporting processes.

9. Improved Inventory Management

With pharmaceutical automation solutions, you can easily manage inventory. Demand forecasting helps companies maintain stock levels, reduce the risk of stock-outs, and minimize inventory costs. Research indicates that implementing the best automated CRM solutions can lead to a reduction in inventory-related expenses by approximately 30%.

With automation in pharma, you can reduce manual entry errors so your staff can be more efficient. This spares you the time of routine inventory checks and updates. Under the regulatory complaint, batch control, tracking expiration dates, and maintaining accurate records of product distribution is also involved.

Automated CRMs facilitate smoother order processing by integrating inventory management with sales functions. This integration ensures that orders are fulfilled accurately and promptly, improving customer satisfaction.

10. Expansion

With CRM deployed, progress is complimentary. These systems are designed to manage growing volumes of data and interactions without compromising service quality. You can quickly adapt to market changes and customer demands. Companies that adopt scalable CRM solutions report a growth rate of up to 20% higher than those relying on traditional methods.

The flexibility allows you to customize systems according to specific operational needs, increasing productivity and operational costs. You can not only manage their current workload more effectively but also scale operations seamlessly as they grow.

Case Study: Pfizer’s Automation with CRM

One of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer, implemented CRM to drive sales and marketing in Malaysia and Singapore. Accurate and synced customer data was key to the sales process.

Challenge:

Pfizer had outdated customer records and product team alignment issues. The sales team was struggling to keep information up to date across multiple platforms and it was causing inefficiencies and miscommunication.

Solution:

To solve these issues they implemented an automated system focusing on Customer Master Data Management (CDM). This system consolidated customer data from multiple sources into one application and allowed better information sharing across departments. A mobile sales force automation tool called Sales-Data-on-The-Go! (SDOTG) was also developed to give sales reps real-time access to critical data on their mobile devices.

Results:

With the CRM system in place, Pfizer saw significant operational efficiency gains. Duplicate customer records were reduced and product team alignment improved. Sales reps had immediate access to sales figures, targets, product info, and appointment scheduling which streamlined their daily activities and increased overall productivity.

Conclusion:

Automation in pharmaceutical manufacturing and the pharma industry has become significant in determining their growth.  Relying on manual tasks will never bring the desired results because it is too time-consuming and improper use of resources.

There has been a notable change in the pharmaceutical production process development, leading to better working efficiency of companies.

Reduce cost and increase productivity, this can be done with the help of various automation systems. In 2025, it’s going to be a game changer. A diversified mindset can take your organization ahead of other companies in a way that opens wider opportunities for future planning.