In a recent workshop, we had the opportunity to delve into the Time off Territory (ToT) reasons set up within a customer’s CRM. Among the valid options like training and internal meetings, we encountered a notable inclusion: ‘Congress’. While not uncommon, its presence sparked a discussion on its relevance to off-territory activities.
Upon closer examination, we questioned whether a congress truly constituted time spent off-field. Typically, congresses are anything but that. The only plausible rationale for including ‘Congress’ seemed to be to communicate to booking agents the unavailability of reps and KAMs for regular calls on those days.
However, to serve this purpose, ‘Medical Events’ proved more fitting. By categorizing congresses under ‘Medical Events’ and listing healthcare professionals (HCPs) attending the congress as participants, the calendar effectively communicates the unavailability of reps for calls during such events.
Moreover, categorizing congresses as ToT risks polluting the CRM calendar. Calls registered alongside ToT congresses raise ambiguity: were they made during the congress or before/after? This practice also skews field days calculation, as congresses often involve customer engagement.
Reflecting on the reasons for opting for ToT over Medical Events, we found a key factor: a lack of familiarity with Veeva CRM’s built-in functionality. To address this, we’ve scheduled training sessions to ensure reps and KAMs are proficient in basic CRM functions. Establishing sound processes from the outset mitigates data pollution, yielding a clean dataset for analysis.
In conclusion, this case study underscores the importance of aligning CRM setup with business objectives and leveraging built-in functionalities effectively. By adopting best practices and embracing training opportunities, organisations can enhance data integrity and glean valuable insights from their CRM systems.
Would you like to delve deeper into this topic? Feel free to reach out to schedule a meeting or explore Veeva’s Event Management capabilities via the provided link.
