22 TD | December 2015

case in pointSALES ENABLEMENT

Pfizer is among the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in India and con-tinues to grow rapidly in a competitive market. This growth is fueled by an enthusiastic team of 2,500 medical representatives who communi-

cate Pfizer’s value proposition to healthcare professionals. In early 2015, Pfizer’s global commercial operations unit (known as GCO) launched Roket, an innova-tive mobile learning app that uses social learning, mobility, analytics, and the cloud to build the sales proficiency of the medical reps in the India market.

From Idle Time to Time to LearnBY SUNDER RAMACHANDRAN

A pharmaceutical firm’s mobile learning app enables sales representatives to learn any time, any place.

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December 2015 | TD 23

The opportunityEach of the 2,500 medical reps in India uses an iPad as a single device for com-municating with the customer and for performance reporting. This presented an opportunity to use this system for learning as well. Like in any field-based sales job, there also was a need to con-vert some of sales reps’ “idle time” (for example, time spent waiting for the customer) into “time to learn.” Pfizer’s large Millennial workforce was another compelling reason to consider a mobile app as a way to engage reps and build sales proficiency.

The solutionBefore embarking on the design pro-cess for the Roket app, the training team initiated a series of discussions with business unit managers using Pfizer’s method of consultative part-nering. This enabled the training team to understand what “sales proficiency” meant to these units. The business units expected a clear integration be-tween the knowledge acquired and skills demonstrated by a medical rep in the field. The sales proficiency score was defined as knowledge score (40 percent weightage) plus applica-tion score (60 percent weightage).

It was agreed that the knowledge scores would be tested via mobile quiz-zes, while application scores would be based on the coaching form filled out by the reps’ managers. The sales reps could be badged as “learner,” “compe-tent,” “advanced,” and “master” based on their proficiency scores.

A comprehensive learner survey was launched to gather insights on sales reps’ preferred ways of learn-ing. The learners rated manager-led coaching, video content, and ease of access as their top drivers of learning.

There were two key components to the app architecture design. First, it has a native app platform. For this,

the training team partnered with an external supplier that provided the flexibility to build an enterprise app quickly and use native app function-alities such as push notifications, a content management system, and the ability to download content for offline consumption.

Second, it has custom specs such as mobile quizzing, built-in coach-ing forms, leaderboards, and analytics based on proficiency scores. These were built on a cloud platform with back-end integration to the app. The following are Roket’s key features.Quizzes. The reps have three attempts at each quiz and their best score is treated as their final score. This helps shift the focus from completion to mastery. There also is a leaderboard that ranks the reps based on their scores. Learners have the ability to challenge each other asynchronously and play the quiz against each other. These game mechanics add to overall learner engagement.Coaching forms. Managers can access the app and fill out the coaching form at the end of a joint field trip with their reps. Salespeople are notified of their coaching reports and scores via notifications, thereby eliminating the need for follow-ups and missed reporting.Leaderboard. Reps are ranked on the leaderboard based on their quiz scores and their overall proficiency scores at the end of each month.“Leader-speak.” The app allows top business leaders to shoot selfie videos that can be uploaded and shared as a way to recognize those performing well on the leaderboard.Videos and reading material. The app pushes out short videos and read-

ing material that can be downloaded for offline consumption. This content has social sharing features, such as a “like” button, bookmarks, the ability to recommend a video or article, and threaded discussions.Dashboards. Monthly dashboards re-flect the sales proficiency score of each rep. Sales managers also get a regional view on proficiency and, therefore, can drive targeted training and coaching initiatives. The dashboards also provide trends around the sales proficiency of each salesperson, which enables sales managers to act proactively.

Results and lessons learnedSince it launched in April 2015, the Roket app has led to some successful outcomes. The training team collected the following statistics:

• 1,896 sales reps have used the app.• 66 percent use the app once ev-

ery week.• 42 percent use the app more than

three times every week.• Each user spends an average of

3.4 minutes on each session.• Coaching sessions delivered by

line managers increased from 37 percent to 69 percent within a 16-week period.

In addition, sales reps’ proficiency scores moved from 48 percent to 72 percent within a 16-week period. Ten percent of all reps are currently in the “master” bucket, 63 percent are “ad-vanced,” 17 percent are “competent,” and 10 percent are in the “learner” bucket. The feedback from managers also is encouraging; they find that get-ting data around the proficiency scores of their sale reps is more meaning-ful than reports that merely show the number of training hours delivered.

SALES REPS’ PROFICIENCY SCORES MOVED FROM 48 PERCENT TO 72 PERCENT WITHIN A 16-WEEK PERIOD.

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December 2015 | TD 25

case in point

The journey from concept to com-missioning of Roket yielded several lessons.Enterprise technology should mirror consumer technology. Employees are increasingly demanding consumer-class experiences at the workplace. Enterprise training teams must closely track emerging trends and hold themselves to the same high standards of user experience when designing internal learning platforms.The training function must strive to improve its commercial understand-ing. The training function’s lack of commercial understanding is a com-mon complaint that one hears from

the business side of organizations. Acquiring this understanding (profit and loss statements, investment driv-ers, budgets, information technology, compliance, and information security considerations) is vital to a training program’s success.

It’s also essential to work with the business to define the metrics that matter. This makes the conversation around training’s return on investment that much more meaningful.Open the design process to the learners. Working out loud changes the training design process from something that’s done for a group of participants to something that’s

done with a group of participants. This type of agile design philosophy may look like a messy process, but the end results more than make up for the ini-tial lack of structure or linearity.Embrace social. The modern learner consumes information, connects with people, and learns on social platforms. Providing learners an opportunity to engage in these be-haviors at work adds richness to the learning process.

Sunder Ramachandran is the India training lead for the global commercial operations function of Pfizer; sunder .ramachandran@pfizer.com.

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