Can Apple Sweeten the Taste of the Tablet?
pharmafile | May 14, 2010 | Feature | Medical Communications |
by Matthew Baker, Deputy Managing Director – LEC
The year is 1992. The Conservative Party, lead by John Major is re-elected. The Maastricht Treaty is signed, founding the European Union. Prince Charles and Princess Diana publicly announce their separation, and the first ever Tablet PC is introduced.
Some 18-years on however, and the Tablet PC has yet to enter the mainstream market. Is the Tablet sales aid a fad that will pass or will the arrival of the iPad from Apple redefine the category?
What’s the point in taking the tablet?
Like any advance in technology, it is only of value if it makes a meaningful difference to people’s lives. My iPod enables me to carry my entire CD collection in my pocket. My sat-nav gets me to meetings on time, and my Blackberry enables me to check emails whilst on the move.
The Tablet’s greatest trick is its ability to foster interaction between the data and the clinician – making the information more engaging and memorable. Generally, you can expect healthcare professionals to remember 20% of what we tell them, but 80% of what they experience personally. An interactive sales aid therefore has the ability to truly engage audiences.
What else could you expect from a well-designed interactive sales tool?
• Increased length of sales calls
• Increased recall of messaging
• Improved clarity and comprehension
• Messages tailored to a specific audience
• More credible messaging
• The ability to monitor usage and update information almost instantly
• Easy access to additional resources
Mistakes from the past
The first generation of Tablet PCs has come and gone. Very few got the most out of the technology. Simply transferring the content of the sales aid onto an electronic platform unsurprisingly turned out to be a waste of time, money and effort. The smart innovators have encouraged the healthcare professional to drive the call and have entered the world of closed-loop selling. Technology is taking leaps forward. The drawbacks of processing speed, start-up time and battery-life are fading away. The cost barrier is also becoming less of an issue. The iPad might not be everyone’s choice, but it ticks a great many boxes.
The iPad is comparatively cheap. It has an excellent processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, speaker, microphone, accelerometer, digital compass and 3G connectivity. The device has a multitouch display, allowing people to type directly on to the screen as well as manipulating graphs, pictures and control the presentation with their fingers. This functionality has generated a great deal of excitement amongst designers of interactive sales aids. In fact, I’ll bet you a top-of-the range iPad, that a Tablet sales aid could make your messaging more impactful, engaging and memorable (you have my email address)!
Quick tips
There are lots of questions to be considered before ditching your paper-based sales aid.
1. Have a master plan
Be clear about your reason for going the interactive route and the outcomes that you require. A fully loaded interactive sales aid might not be the answer for you. For example, if your real challenge is effective selling to surgeons dashing between operating theatres, a two-minute sell via an iPod touch might be the best solution.
2. Decide if you want a sales aid or resource centre
Most Tablet projects start as a sales aid and grow to become a brand resource centre. Don’t try and do everything at once. Have a plan and add to the resource over time.
3. Don’t expect to save money
Logic might tell you that you will save money in the long-run with the ability to make simple updates without the need to reprint the sales materials. In reality, this isn’t the case. At best it will be cost neutral.
4. Pick your supplier carefully
The best company to produce your interactive sales aid is one that can get to know your audience, strategy and data inside out. The piece needs to be well written and designed, with your brand promise running through it. More often than not, this will be an advertising agency. Just make sure your choice of agency has the technical know-how to deliver.
5. Think hard before putting all your eggs in one basket
There are companies who will provide a platform for Tablet PC presentations. However, these platforms mean that only a handful of companies can create content for them, which overly inflates the price and excludes some of the best creative shops from working with you. The best solution might be to create a simple presentation shell and make the content in Flash (plus XML) thereby making it possible for anyone to create content for you.
The future’s bright
I am a firm believer that new technology can be used to enhance one-to-one selling. There are currently many fresh and exciting ways to better engage our audiences, to ensure that important and relevant information is communicated and to add value to our interaction with healthcare professionals.
The arrival of the Apple iPad heralds an exciting period. Please just make sure that your customers are wowed by the content rather than the device.
Article taken from The Digital Pharma Guide, Click here for the e:edition
