Thought leader relationship management

Objectives:

• Provide a mechanism for the brand team to profile its global thought leaders while also tracking their contracts, activities and performance
• Turn a typically ad hoc "process" involving multiple internal and external parties into a streamlined, manageable program
• Provide global thought leaders with instant access to studies/research, slide presentations and virtual workgroups
• Gather systematic, qualitative feedback from specific thought leaders regarding product development issues, brand strategy and positioning
• Facilitate communication and collaboration between thought leaders through online discussion tools

Cadient’s Role:

Cadient developed an interactive strategy to optimize the brand's global thought leader program online via a multi-tiered communications platform. Leveraging our KOL relationship management system, a core component of the Collaborative Solutions suite, we implemented a custom thought leader management solution that enabled the brand team to track and profile its top advisors across multiple countries and initiatives while communicating externally in a secure Web-based environment.

The Global Advisors Network functions as a central communications hub that connects the brand with its most important product advocates, regardless of their geographic location or time zone. While it is not intended to replace face-to-face communication, it has enabled the team to better prepare its advisors for meetings, respond to requests for information in a fraction of the time and build stronger relationships through more frequent and targeted communication.

The solution is powered by a sophisticated user and content management system that enables stakeholders from the clinical, marketing and medical affairs groups to share information with tiers of thought leaders based on their geographical location, specialty and role, or to create ad hoc groups for specific occasions. Cadient also works with the team to provide its thought leaders with timely access to clinical research reports, slide presentations, and training modules while leveraging the robust survey engine to solicit feedback on the most pressing product development issues affecting the brand. Moreover, a reporting module enables the brand to track utilization, activities and performance in real-time.

Results:

• Improved communications between the brand and its top advisors across ten countries
• Facilitated communication and collaboration between members across fifteen virtual workgroups
• Trained and certified 500 US speakers online
• Developed a comprehensive database that tracks thought leader activities across the globe
• Expanded thought leaders' sphere of influence through timely access to information and resources online