We are excited to interview Michal Myszkowski, CEO of Life Sciences – Capptoo Group, to gain insights into the challenges and solutions in digital transformation and omnichannel engagement in the Life Sciences industry. With his extensive experience in digital strategy and customer experience, Michal brings valuable perspectives on leveraging advanced technologies to drive growth and improve operational efficiency. This interview will explore key pain points and emerging trends, providing actionable advice for industry leaders seeking to enhance their digital initiatives.
Karsten: Thank you for taking the time for this interview. Jumping to a key question right away, what are from your perspective the biggest challenges pharmaceutical and medtech companies face in integrating digital innovations into their marketing strategies?
Michal: Thank you for having me, Karsten. Before I dive into the questions, I’d like to clarify my perspective. When I mention "digital," I’m referring to how digital tools and strategies can enhance the real world. In my view, the line between digital and non-digital has blurred—they are no longer separate entities. "Innovation" means finding new ways to reach business goals, provide value to healthcare professionals (HCPs), or improve patient outcomes. "Marketing strategies" involve people, content, channels, data, and tools to reach and communicate with the right audiences.
The biggest challenge is not just innovating in these areas individually but orchestrating them all to achieve measurable results—this is what we call omnichannel marketing.
The challenge is building internal systems that ensure regulatory compliance, data security, and integrating new technologies with existing systems. Developing these capabilities often slows down the adoption of new digital solutions, and companies need to continuously adapt their culture to embrace digital transformation.
Karsten: How do you see the role of leadership evolving in facilitating digital transformation within these companies?
Michal: Leaders need to recognize they aren’t always the experts in new digital technologies, and their key role is to coach and bring in fresh perspectives—through workshops, new hires, or external partners.
It’s also important to consider hiring outside industry experts who can offer new viewpoints. Leaders should embrace a culture of "unlearning," challenging long-standing practices and focusing on practical action rather than just presentations.
While there's a growing emphasis on taking risks, leaders must truly commit to experimentation. Staying grounded is essential, leaders should focus on practical applications that drive measurable outcomes, and make decisions based on a mix of intuition, expert insights, and data.
Karsten: What strategies can companies employ to identify and improve pain points in their customer journeys?
Michal: Companies should use data analytics to understand customer behaviour and preferences, and regularly conduct feedback surveys to validate what they find. Building cross-functional teams to manage marketing activities is important. A practical step is to map the entire customer journey and then keep improving it based on key performance indicators (KPIs) until you see measurable results.
Karsten: What are some common pitfalls companies should avoid when analyzing customer feedback?
Michal: A common mistake is collecting too much data without a plan for using it, feedback must be actionable, or it’s just noise.
Another pitfall is analyzing feedback in isolation; it’s vital to consider it within the broader context, such as the customer journey or specific business units. Not all feedback is equally valuable, so focus on insights that align with business goals.
The key to a true feedback loop is taking actions and communicating those actions back to customers, which encourages further feedback and improves customer experience long term.
I also suggest using an intuitive tool for easy feedback capturing across channels, fully integrated with all channels and correlating feedback with other data like Google Analytics or CRM metrics to understand its full context.
Karsten: How can the Life Sciences industry effectively implement omnichannel engagement to improve customer experiences?
Michal: Omnichannel engagement starts with understanding the needs of HCPs and patients. It requires smooth interactions across digital platforms, ensuring that messaging is consistent at every point of contact. Tools like CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce or Veeva) and marketing automation can help deliver personalized interactions. Companies also need to train their teams, bring in industry experts, or use external suppliers to make the most of these tools, and they should always adapt based on customer feedback.
Karsten: What are specific challenges medical teams face in digital transformation, and how can these be addressed?
Michal: Medical teams can benefit from working more closely with marketing or digital teams. Although there are compliance challenges, closer collaboration could improve patient data privacy and enhance interactions with HCPs. Involving medical professionals early in the process helps reduce resistance and allows them to provide more value, so feedback is also a key element for medical teams.
Illustration of key aspects to consider for successful digital transformation in Life Sciences
Karsten: What concrete steps can be taken to foster better collaboration between medical and digital teams?
Michal: To improve collaboration between medical and digital teams, companies should ensure these teams work together from the start of any project. Early involvement of medical professionals in digital initiatives helps align compliance needs with innovative approaches.
Regular communication channels, such as joint meetings or shared platforms, can facilitate ongoing dialogue. Cross-training is also valuable, helping digital teams understand medical regulations and medical teams become familiar with digital tools.
Working on an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) or a clickable prototype can help both teams better visualize solutions for HCPs or patients. Design thinking workshops are another effective way to brainstorm and develop new ideas together. Finally, leadership should promote a culture of teamwork, viewing medical and digital teams as partners with shared goals rather than separate entities.
Karsten: How can marketing automation tools like Salesforce Marketing Cloud or others be optimized to enhance operational efficiency in Life Sciences companies?
Michal: To truly optimize digital tools like Salesforce Marketing Cloud in the Life Sciences sector, it's essential to customize them to meet the specific needs of your business. This includes setting up tailored dashboards, automating routine processes, and ensuring seamless integration with existing workflows. Continuous monitoring and refinement based on key performance metrics are vital for ongoing improvement. However, the foundation of optimization lies in fully understanding the tool's core features and capabilities. Mastering these tools and aligning them with your business goals is the critical first step toward enhancing operational efficiency.
Karsten: How can feedback management solutions be seamlessly integrated into customer engagement journeys?
Michal: Integrating feedback management solutions requires embedding feedback collection points throughout the full customer journey. Using tools like Screver for real-time data collection and analysis is an effective way. The key is ensuring that feedback is actionable and drives change. Start with key performance indicators like Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), and Customer Effort Score (CES), scale up to gather significant volume of feedback, derive insights, and then drill down into specifics and new KPIs, such as channel-specific satisfaction scores.
Karsten: Can you share examples of effective digital marketing campaigns in the Life Sciences sector that addressed significant pain points?
Michal: Certainly. One notable example involved a vaccines campaign where we developed 3,000 personalized content assets, rapidly securing approval from medical teams across multiple countries within just 2-3 weeks. The campaign was then successfully launched across various channels in under 9 weeks. This approach led to significant engagement with both healthcare professionals and patients, ultimately delivering measurable business impact. While cutting-edge campaigns using VR or advertising automation can be impressive, it's important to remember that even straightforward campaigns can be highly effective when executed with precision—success truly lies in the details.
Karsten: What future trends in digital transformation should Life Sciences companies prepare for, and how can they stay ahead of the curve?
Michal: The journey of digital transformation in Life Sciences is undoubtedly challenging but also immensely rewarding. Looking ahead, the focus will increasingly revolve around people, data, tools, and content. I anticipate a stronger emphasis on feedback-driven personalization, as well as the growing adoption of AI, machine learning, predictive analytics, and blockchain technologies. However, the key to success lies in distinguishing between buzzwords and actionable strategies. Companies must commit to continuous learning, foster a culture of innovation, and stay at the forefront of technological advancements. Effective collaboration with partners, suppliers, and across organizational silos will be crucial in accelerating the delivery of value to healthcare professionals and patients.
Karsten: Thank you, Michal, for sharing your valuable insights, which will undoubtedly help our readers navigate the complexities of digital transformation in the Life Sciences industry.
In summary, we can say that integrating tools and data to create seamless, measurable marketing outcomes in the Life Sciences industryis of strategic importance. Leaders should focus on practical actions, embrace new perspectives, and foster a culture of "unlearning" to drive digital transformation. Continuous improvement of customer experiences through data-driven insights and actionable feedback is essential. Additionally, aligning medical and digital teams early enhances both compliance and innovation. Looking ahead, companies should prepare for AI, machine learning, and prioritize practical, effective digital strategies.
Xeleratio Consulting GmbH
We help Life Sciences executives improve sales performance with innovative best-in-class Business Excellence tools and methodologies . Expertise in Business Excellence has been gained with over 12 years of working in different global and regional roles in the Life Sciences industry.
Feel free to reach out if you'd like to discuss this or any other topics related to Commercial Excellence. See all articles on Xeleratio Consulting Blog
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