Pharma Omnichannel and Human Insight: The Missing Multiplier 

Pharma keeps investing in omnichannel and digital transformation, yet healthcare professionals (HCPs) often remain disengaged and dissatisfied. The missing multiplier in pharma omnichannel is human insight: the problem isn’t a lack of automation or digital tools, but the neglect of what HCPs actually need as individuals. 

Key takeaways 

• HCP satisfaction with biopharma’s digital engagement has never crossed 50%, despite record digital spend. 

• Human insight rests on three pillars: content, message and channel excellence. 

• Mental availability, measured through HCP surveys, goes beyond clicks and opens. 

• In Asia-Pacific, combining digital and in-person engagement increased meeting duration by 30–105%. 

Why Are HCPs Still Dissatisfied With Pharma Omnichannel? 

Because more money and more automation have not translated into more relevance for HCPs. HCP satisfaction with biopharma’s digital engagement has never crossed the 50% mark, and in 2023 only around one in four HCPs said they were satisfied with pharma’s omnichannel experience² – even as digital’s share of marketing spend hit an all-time high. 

DeltaMV’s Managing Director, Dr Neil Doyle, addressed this gap in an article published with Marketing TNT and MMA APAC, “Automated, But Not Understood”¹. 

What Does Human Insight Add to Pharma Omnichannel? 

Human insight re-centres omnichannel strategy on the HCP as an individual, rather than on system-generated metrics. That data-driven approach often fails to foster genuine engagement. True pharma omnichannel success hinges on three pillars: 

• Content excellence: content built around what an HCP actually needs – drug efficacy, therapeutic guidance and professional pressures – rather than a product-centric pitch. 

• Message excellence: messages that connect emotionally, combining emotional benefit, rational proof and language tailored to the individual HCP. 

• Channel excellence: channels that respect HCPs’ time and context – see why it’s time to consider more than just detailing. 

How Do You Measure Human Insight in Omnichannel? 

Go beyond clicks and opens toward metrics grounded in primary research with HCPs. ‘Mental availability’ – a concept from Byron Sharp and the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute – describes how readily a brand comes to mind in relevant buying situations³. It’s measured through category entry point surveys rather than campaign analytics. Related reading: why consumers liking your brand is not enough. 

The ‘Nett Value Score’ is presented in Doyle’s framework as a bespoke measure of the value an HCP perceives from an engagement – a proprietary lens, not a peer-reviewed metric, so teams should validate it against their own data. 

What Do HCPs in Asia-Pacific Want From Engagement? 

• Context: analysis of more than 600 million annual HCP interactions in Asia-Pacific. 

• Finding: around 80% of accessible HCPs limit meetings to three companies or fewer, roughly half see only one company a month, and in-person visits still made up 77% of interactions, against 18% digital. 

• Result: combining digital and in-person engagement raised average meeting duration by 30% in Australia, 57% in Singapore and 105% in South Korea⁴. 

• Lesson for practice: HCP time is scarce, so blend channels around each HCP’s preferences. 

Is your omnichannel plan built around what HCPs value? DeltaMV’s Healthcare Behavioural Strategy team can help you find out. 

How to Build Human Insight Into Your Omnichannel Strategy: 4 Steps 

1. Map what each HCP segment needs – efficacy, therapeutic guidance and the professional pressures they face. 

2. Tailor the message – combine emotional benefit, rational proof and individual language instead of a single generic script. 

3. Match and blend channels – reach HCPs how, where and when they want, combining digital with in-person engagement. 

4. Measure beyond clicks – track mental availability and validate any bespoke metric. 

What Role Should AI Play in Pharma Omnichannel? 

AI should serve as a powerful partner, guided by human insight, rather than the sole decision-maker. Without human guidance, AI risks scaling irrelevance rather than relevance. We explore this further in AI-powered, human-driven: the future of healthcare strategy. 

What Are the Limitations of This Approach? 

• Bespoke metrics need validation: the Nett Value Score is not a peer-reviewed metric. 

• Meeting duration is not an outcome: longer meetings don’t necessarily change prescribing. 

• Primary research takes effort: mental availability relies on HCP surveys, not CRM data. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is human insight in pharma omnichannel? 

Building omnichannel strategy around what HCPs need and value as individuals, rather than around automation alone. 

Why are HCPs dissatisfied with pharma omnichannel? 

Because rising digital investment has not been matched by relevance: in 2023 only around one in four HCPs were satisfied². 

What is mental availability? 

How readily a brand comes to mind in relevant buying situations, measured through category entry point surveys. 

Do HCPs in Asia-Pacific prefer digital or in-person engagement? 

Both. Combining the two increased meeting duration by 30% to 105% across Australia, Singapore and South Korea⁴. 

Next Steps: Turn Human Insight Into Omnichannel Impact 

By prioritising human insight, pharma can move beyond automation to build genuinely satisfying omnichannel experiences for HCPs. DeltaMV’s OmniCompass™ approach extends behavioural insight into content, brand and channel optimisation, tracked against metrics like Touchpoint Equivalence Score and Effective Share of Voice. 

Want to bring human insight back into your pharma omnichannel strategy? Get in touch with DeltaMV’s Healthcare Behavioural Strategy team. 

References 

1. Doyle, N. (2025, May 30). Automated, but not understood: Why human insight is the missing multiplier in pharma omnichannel success. Marketing TNT. https://marketingtnt.org/automated-but-not-understood-why-human-insight-is-the-missing-multiplier-in-pharma-omnichannel-success/ 

2. Precision AQ. (2024). 2024 global trends report: The state of omnichannel customer engagement in biopharma. https://www.precisionaq.com/en-gb/2024-state-of-omnichannel-customer-engagement-biopharma 

3. Sharp, B. (2010). How brands grow: What marketers don’t know. Oxford University Press. 

4. Veeva Systems. (2022, December 7). Veeva Pulse shows digitally enabled field teams are using HCP time more effectively in Asia Pacific [Press release]. https://www.veeva.com/resources/veeva-pulse-shows-digitally-enabled-field-teams-are-using-hcp-time-more-effectively-in-asia-pacific/