You Spoke, We Listened: Top Challenges in Pharma for 2025

At the recent NEXT Pharma CX and AI Conference in Vienna, the Pitcher team connected with hundreds of Pharma professionals to discuss the future of the industry.  

As a sponsor, we engaged with Pharma executives and engagement team leads who shared the top challenges their teams are facing.  

Here’s what we learned about the industry’s priorities for 2025 and the solutions Pharma leaders are seeking most. 

1 ) Uncertainty Over CRM and Engagement Solutions 

The most common conversation that our team had with attendees revolved around their technology stack. Business leaders shared that they are no longer certain of the CRM and engagement solutions best suited to serve their teams and provide an optimal engagement experience for HCPs.  

“These decisions come down to a number of factors like optimal user experience, inclusion of groundbreaking technologies like AI, and integration with existing solutions in the technology stack,” said Kevin Chew, Chief Revenue Officer at Pitcher. “To quell these concerns, companies should consider modern, industry-leading technology built on open APIs that integrate with the best-in-class products for their team.” 

As a next-generation AI engagement solution, Pitcher brings together all of the data, systems, and content that sales teams use every day into one intuitive solution. With an open API, Pitcher integrates with your current and future technology stack; whether you use Veeva, Salesforce, or Dynamics for your CRM, and varying options for your content repository and other systems, Pitcher can save your reps time for more valuable HCP engagements. 

Explore A Day in the Life of a Pharmaceutical Rep using Pitcher: 

2 ) Lack of Clarity Regarding AI’s Role in Daily Activities 

Many discussions also centered around the role of AI in supporting commercial teams. While Pharma leaders recognize AI’s potential, they often find it challenging to understand its practical benefits for daily sales and marketing activities, said Pitcher Senior Account Executive Tom Aburrow-Newman. 

“AI should be deployed in thoughtful and strategic ways that provide genuine and meaningful value — not just for the sake of using it,” Tom said.  “Pharma leaders are looking for AI to ultimately provide a better quality of care and improve customer experience, rather than investing in what could be construed as AI vanity projects.” 

Pitcher addresses this need directly. At NEXT Pharma, attendees were impressed by seeing our AI model, “PIA,” at work.  

“PIA is not a novelty; it is driving significant time savings within commercial organizations by helping sales teams to quickly prepare, engage, and follow up with customers using personalized and relevant content,” Tom said. “This time savings is tangible and provides significant material value to organizations that are adopting Pitcher’s technology.” 

See PIA in action with this quick demo.

3 ) HCPs Desire a Personalized Experience with Informed Reps

Another key focus for Pharma companies is improving HCP engagement by creating more personalized interactions. 

HCPs expect their engagement interactions with Pharma reps to be tailored to their needs.  

“HCPs do not want generic product information,” said Sarah Leek, Account Executive at Pitcher. “They are interested in learning about specific content and products that would benefit their patient’s welfare, and they expect the Pharma rep to be knowledgeable about those interests when they join a meeting.” 

Pitcher adopted its industry-leading Sales Enablement 2.0 framework to meet the specific needs of Pharma reps. The end-to-end solution meets the personalization needs of HCPs, allowing reps to automate creation of personalized agendas, pitch decks, and follow-ups specific to the HCPs’ interests and previous interactions.  

HCPs also expect reps to be well-prepared and knowledgeable, Sarah pointed out. 

“If a rep lacks comprehensive product knowledge, the HCP feels undervalued and perceives that they are not being prioritized,” she said.  

To enhance these interactions, Pharma companies can benefit from Pitcher’s Omnichannel instant messaging capabilities, enabling reps to communicate with HCPs on their preferred channels  — whether that’s text messaging, WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, or others. 

Here’s how Omnichannel works: 

• The HCP subscribes to the messaging channel of their choice.  
• Using approved content, Pitcher can suggest responses in real time for the rep to share with the HCP. 
• Leadership can set restrictions that block noncompliant language, ensuring only compliant content is shared externally and protecting the company from litigation risks.  
• Pitcher’s AI can respond to HCP questions when the rep is offline using approved content from the CMS, with reps following up to ensure satisfaction.  
• All rep-HCP conversations are captured in the CRM for visibility. 

 With a single app, Pharma reps are empowered to deliver knowledgeable and timely responses to HCPs. 

Looking Ahead to 2025

As the Pharma industry faces new challenges and rising expectations from HCPs, the right technology and strategies will be key to staying competitive. Personalized, AI-driven engagement solutions like Pitcher offer a path forward, equipping reps to connect meaningfully and efficiently with HCPs. 

 Ready to stay ahead in 2025? Sign up for Pitcher’s email list to keep up with the latest innovations and insights in Pharma HCP engagement.