An international initiative that allowed Medical Representatives and Area Managers of the Menarini Group to propose new innovative solutions and services in the area of digital technologies: this was the essence of the first edition of the Field Force Digital Innovation Award, presented at the Menarini Awards 2022, an absolute novelty in the Menarini Awards landscape. 

The 450 digital projects nominated for the award, proposed by scientific information professionals from around the world and from all the Group’s business divisions, conveyed the intention to evolve the way of working towards an increasingly smart and multimedia dimension.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made necessary a structural change in working methods and in patient-physician/hospital/pharmacist relations, with the adoption of new digital technologies.

This change has also affected the pharmaceutical world, which had to make an effort to find new solutions and respond to the needs of everyone involved in healthcare. 

Digital transformation is already underway within Menarini, embracing both new tools and multichannels.

The first purpose of this shift is undoubtedly to evolve skills, but the ultimate goal is to change mindset through a bottom-up approach. And this is where the contribution of Group employees becomes essential, with the central goal of making digitization a collaborative and proactive process aimed at identifying new ways of working for the future. 

For this reason, Pharmaceutical Medical Representatives and Area Managers were called to participate in the first edition of the Field Force Digital Innovation Award, which saw an enthusiastic and active participation with projects and ideas coming from people who experience their roles as Pharmaceutical Medical Representatives and Area Managers directly in the field. Hundreds of people of different nationalities got involved, suggesting ideas for business improvement and proposing to change through technology the way they interact with their stakeholders every day.

The themes chosen for the Field Force Digital Innovation Award aimed to identify areas of improvement and innovative digital solutions that would address different types of critical issues and unmet needs.

Each participant was able to nominate their idea, choosing from three categories:

• HCP/HCO Centricity, to address the needs of primary care physicians, specialists and pharmacists in their communication with the patient: from diagnosis to treatment, without neglecting the focus on quality of life and access to care. Another area that has often been the topic of the proposed projects has been continuous medical education, which has always been the trademark and a constant commitment of Menarini.
• FF Operational Excellence, to support the activities of the Field Forces themselves and find innovative solutions to the needs encountered, trying to pay special attention to approaches that can be adopted in the widest geographical contexts possible.
• Patient Centricity to address the needs encountered in communication with healthcare professionals (GPs, specialists, pharmacists), but also in innovative relationships with healthcare entities (e.g., local organizations and institutes). Another aspect frequently proposed in the projects is supporting health education of patients to gain greater awareness about lifestyles and behaviors that promote better health.

The ten finalist projects went through a multi-stage selection, evaluated internally by the business areas involved in the process, and were then presented at the Menarini Awards ceremony, during a dedicated moment that saw Egypt win the HCP/HCO Centricity category, Greece win the FF Operational Excellence category, and Hong Kong win the Patient Centricity category.

The Awards were presented by Elcin Barker Ergun, CEO of Menarini Group.

The first edition of the Field Force Digital Innovation Award made the values of active participation, creativity, innovation, and collaboration shine through, inevitably leading to the question: can the Field Force Digital Innovation Award become an active part of an ongoing digital transformation and innovation process?

The answer comes directly from Marco Vanoli, Head of Global Field Force Operational Excellence, who said, “First of all, we must recognize the value of digital transformation that can bring additional ways of engaging our customers, together with the traditional face to face.

The Field Force is a key asset in Menarini’s business strategies, and our networks of Med Reps and Area Managers need to become multi-channel players. Current and future upskilling projects are tasked with elevating their skills in this regard, and we also need to keep a high level of internal and external communication to accelerate the adoption of the right mindset.

Looking ahead, we hope for an even more substantial next Digital Innovation Award where we hope to see more projects proposed, showing further proactive involvement of our Field Forces and indicative of a complete awareness about the importance of offering a higher level of satisfaction to our customers.“