How pharmas can turn AI-enabled CRM to their strategic advantage

<p><b>We’ve uncovered five ways pharmas can realize the full value of their AI-driven CRM.</b></p>

<p>For pharmaceuticals companies, few events have done more to raise the profile of customer relationship management (CRM) systems than the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.cognizant.com/emea/en/cmp/future-of-pharma-crm" target="_blank">Veeva–Salesforce split</a>. Long viewed as an operational system, these platforms are now positioned as a key enabler within life sciences’ clinical and commercial strategy, with their ability to use AI to engage stakeholders, activate data, orchestrate teams and drive growth.<br> <br> As the 2030 deadline approaches for migrating to one or the other system, many leaders are viewing their transition through this lens, rethinking the role of CRM and how to draw greater value from their platform.</p> <p>I spoke with life sciences leaders on this topic in <a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://events.reutersevents.com/beyond\_the\_tech?utm\_term=6903splashwebinar1form\_sse\_20oct25\_0010x000049ivzz\_email\_1" target="_blank">our recent Reuters webinar</a>, “Beyond the tech: Aligning your strategy and teams for CRM transformation<b>.”<i> </i></b>Here are five takeaways from the webinar, in which we discussed how modern pharma organizations are using advanced data and AI capabilities within the CRM to tackle their biggest challenges and unlock new ways of working.</p> <h4>Five pharma challenges solved by an AI-enabled CRM</h4> <h5><span class="text-bold-italic">1.</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; Bringing teams together to drive outcomes</h5> <p>The real power of an AI-enabled CRM is the system’s ability to collect cross-organizational data and apply it intelligently across functions to uncover new patterns and insights.</p> <p>For example, patient recruitment for clinical trials is often one of the biggest bottlenecks in drug development. A connected CRM can link site data, real-world evidence, physician engagement history and eligibility criteria to surface high-potential trial sites and patient populations earlier. When these capabilities are embedded across both commercial and medical functions, previously disconnected teams can collaborate with a view of the bigger picture, which can help the organization reduce recruitment cycles, improve enrollment accuracy and accelerate study start times.</p> <p>Further, by positioning AI agents as intelligent new team members, organizations can create a knowledgeable liaison between two or more distinct functions, regions or units.</p> <p>For example, if a clinical trial support agent identifies a site with high patient potential but low enrollment, it can bridge the gap between the clinical team and medical affairs, prompting the latter to reach out to relevant physicians. The agent could also engage the marketing team to gather, develop or personalize outreach and education materials.</p> <h5><span class="text-bold-italic">2.</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; Providing personalized support and communications at scale</h5> <p>As therapies, channels and stakeholder expectations become more individualized, broad segmentation is no longer enough to drive meaningful engagement. AI-powered CRM enables organizations to create more personalized interactions.</p> <p>For example, as personalized medicine advances, patient support must evolve in parallel. An AI-powered CRM, coupled with human-in-the-loop review and approval, could deliver tailored guidance on dosage and timing, as well as monitor progress and adapt the treatment plan. Providing this level of patient support at scale is simply not possible without AI-powered personalization.</p> <p>Personalization also extends to other stakeholder groups. For example, when it comes to routine marketing outreach, healthcare providers and patients expect their channel and timing preferences to be met and that the content reflects both past interactions and future needs.&nbsp;</p> <p>With AI embedded, CRM can continuously learn and refine these interactions, enabling personalization at scale and using it to create value.</p> <h5><span class="text-bold-italic">&nbsp;3.</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; Avoiding long lag times in realizing value</h5> <p>The speed at which AI is evolving creates a structural risk for pharma organizations: Long implementation cycles can result in solutions that are outdated upon delivery.</p> <p>Organizations can ensure they’re using the latest, most powerful AI capabilities by leaning into the features that already exist within their CRM platform. This not only reduces complexity for IT and development teams but also drives faster adoption by making AI tools more intuitive for users.</p> <p>For example, Veeva’s<b> </b><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.veeva.com/resources/media-agent-in-vault-crm/" target="_blank">Media Agent</a> provides sales reps with instantaneous, accurate and compliant answers during live meetings with healthcare practitioners. The agent scans approved materials, selects the correct protocol and supporting data, and provides the rep with the option of presenting the information on screen. With this capability, the sales rep avoids the dreaded “I’ll get back to you,” as does the IT team when asked to build a similar tool from scratch.</p> <p>Too often, these advanced AI capabilities go unused despite being readily available in modern CRM platforms, resulting in pharmas failing to realize the full value of their investment.</p> <h5><span class="text-bold-italic">4.</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; Maximizing employee productivity and engagement</h5> <p>The biggest driver of CRM value is not necessarily a capability or technology—it’s user adoption. The rationale here is simple: An unused solution cannot deliver real value.</p> <p>During our discussion, our panelists highlighted how organizations could improve CRM adoption and engagement, particularly as it relates to AI features, by focusing on the direct value they create. To build engagement, leaders need to demonstrate that value in real terms, not just for the business but also for the user.</p> <p>For example, when team leaders promote CRM AI features, such as automatically summarizing past interactions into a concise briefing, the real question for the sales rep is simpler: <i>How does this help me sell better?</i></p> <p><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.salesforce.com/sales/ai/guide/" target="_blank">Data</a> from Salesforce&nbsp;provides a clear answer: Salesforce reports that teams using Agentforce experienced a 10% increase in win rates, doubled pipeline coverage, and realized 70% quota attainment. Companies need to make these benefits part of the rollout process, communicating their value to employees and incentivizing engagement.</p> <h5><span class="text-bold-italic">5.</span>&nbsp; &nbsp; Finding the right metrics to prove success</h5> <p>ROI is sometimes seen as the be-all, end-all for every program, investment or campaign. However, it can also be a lagging and imprecise indicator. This is because while it reflects the financial outcome, it doesn’t necessarily capture the behaviors, interventions or operational changes that actually drove that result.</p> <p>AI can help companies achieve a deeper understanding of success by enabling continuous, real-time measurement within the CRM. By analyzing engagement patterns, behavior shifts and campaign performance across teams and customer groups, AI can surface early indicators of value—long before financial results are visible.</p> <p>For example, AI can track how healthcare practitioner engagement evolves in response to different interactions, identify which messages drive action and highlight where additional support or follow-up is needed. It can also monitor adoption and usage patterns, which can help organizations understand not just whether tools are being used but also whether they are delivering meaningful impact.</p> <p>Ultimately, these early metrics are the key to maximizing ROI, as they help businesses zero in on what’s working and give the organization an opportunity to improve well before the bottom line is impacted.</p> <h4>The future of pharma CRM</h4> <p>As the Veeva-Salesforce split prompts many life sciences companies to reevaluate their CRM vendor, leaders must remember that value will come not from their platform selection or even the tech capabilities within it, but from how they use the system to solve real business challenges.</p> <p>To do that, organizations must reposition the CRM as a bridge between issues and outcomes. They need to use the system to surface insights, embed intelligence into workflows and enable more coordinated, outcome-driven engagement across the launch lifecycle.</p> <p>Because ultimately, the modern CRM shouldn’t be a system of record but a system of action.</p> <p><i>For more on this topic, listen to our webinar, </i><a rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://events.reutersevents.com/beyond\_the\_tech?utm\_term=6903splashwebinar1form\_sse\_20oct25\_0010x000049ivzz\_email\_1" target="_blank"><i>Beyond the Tech: Aligning Your Strategy and Teams for CRM Transformation</i></a><i>.</i></p>