Why face to face meetings are important for Medical Affairs
The pharmaceutical industry is no exception to the digital age of communication due to the quick, easy and convenient ways of communication. However, there are still clear benefits of face to face to meetings. In the post-pandemic climate, we are still used to working from home. We have become accustomed to Microsoft team and zoom calls.
1. Building watertight relationships
Most people will agree that face-to-face communication is vital for a long-term strong business relationship. In an age where you can make a quick zoom call to an HCP, client or team member going above and beyond to meet them face-to-face shows that you’re dedicated to the individual, and the topics you’re discussing are worth your and their valuable time.
Clients and healthcare professionals will feel they have a better connection with you in person rather than via email or phone; personal attention and active listening can build a watertight relationship that can stand the test of time. Face-to-face relationships can help you read hand gestures, facial expressions, and body language, which can be missed over video chat. This allows you to read the room and understand how your medicine or device is used in practice.
2. Trust and Loyalty
Face-to-face meetings with HCP clients can increase emotional relationships. As humans, we enjoy interacting with people that we do business with, especially at the beginning when establishing a relationship with an HCP where trust has yet to be established.
Eye contact, body language and tone of voice are immensely important in establishing a trusting and loyal relationship with an HCP and team members. All factors which are lost when communicating via email, organise a face to face meetings with your stakeholders to establish a strong relationship.
3. Focus and Productivity
The productivity of face-to-face meetings is unrivalled when it comes to brainstorming and idea generation; this is because we feel free and are happy to bounce ideas off one another compared to face-to-face interaction. It may be difficult to mind map ideas with your team or generate medical insights when a large number of people may have their cameras turned off or browsing the internet while you’re trying to have in-depth discussions because they know nobody is checking.
These three benefits of face-to-face meetings demonstrate why you should still be utilising this tool in today’s post-pandemic climate. I understand that working from home is the new way to work, and it has many benefits, but sometimes virtual won’t do.
Thank you for reading until next time.