Shots:
- As life sciences organizations increasingly adopt integrated data, AI, and advanced analytics, CRM platforms are becoming powerful tools to anticipate customer needs, personalize engagements, and measure impact in real-time across multiple channels
- In the coming years, CRM will transform into a strategic intelligence hub, empowering teams to make data-driven decisions and helping companies stay resilient amid evolving market dynamics
- PharmaShots engages in an insightful conversation with Akshay Kapadia, Founder and CEO of Conexus Solutions, to explore how life sciences companies can effectively position CRM as a central pillar of a unified commercial ecosystem.
Saurabh: How do you see the future of CRM evolving in the life sciences industry with emerging technologies and data-driven approaches?
Akshay: The future of CRM is about moving from managing interactions to orchestrating meaningful experiences across all touchpoints. Life sciences organizations are increasingly leveraging integrated data, AI, and advanced analytics to gain a deeper understanding of healthcare professionals at a more granular level. This enables teams to anticipate needs, personalize engagement, and measure impact in real-time. Over the next few years, we’ll see CRM evolve into a strategic platform that not only records data but also actively informs decisions, helping companies respond quickly to changing market dynamics and the expectations of healthcare professionals.
Saurabh: Which emerging AI-driven capabilities from CRM providers do you find most promising, and how do you foresee AI transforming CRM functionalities and business outcomes in the short-term future?
Akshay: AI is already starting to reshape how teams prioritize, plan, and act. Predictive analytics and next-best-action recommendations are particularly promising because they guide reps and marketers to focus on high-value interactions. Natural language processing and automated insights also allow teams to process vast amounts of unstructured data from emails, calls, and field notes, turning it into actionable intelligence. In addition, there are features that ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, such as Compliant Notes, which capture free-text notes and monitor them for violations for things like off-label messaging, alerting to the use of restricted keywords or phrases etc. In the short term, these capabilities will enhance productivity, improve targeting and personalization, ensure regulatory adherence and enable commercial teams to make more data-driven decisions faster, ultimately delivering better outcomes for both healthcare professionals and patients.
Saurabh: The white paper discusses moving CRM from a system of record to a system of action. How is Conexus Solutions, Inc. helping clients in the biotech and pharmaceutical sectors achieve this transformation efficiently?
Akshay: Moving CRM from a system of record to a system of action requires a combination of strategy, technology, and adoption. We work with clients to ensure data is accurate, processes are optimized, and workflows are automated so insights can drive immediate action. By embedding CRM into a comprehensive commercial ecosystem helps customers with their day-to-day decision-making. Whether it’s recommending next steps for a field rep or providing marketing teams with real-time campaign feedback, organizations can turn historical data into forward-looking guidance. This approach not only improves efficiency but also makes CRM a true driver of business results rather than just a reporting tool.
Saurabh: What strategies does Conexus use to align commercial, medical, and marketing teams around healthcare professionals’ needs?
Akshay: Alignment starts with a shared view of the customer journey. We help teams map touchpoints, define responsibilities, and create governance structures that promote collaboration. Using integrated CRM systems, we enable all functions to access the same insights and data, thereby reducing silos and ensuring coordinated outreach. This way, commercial, medical, and marketing teams can plan together, respond to changes in the field, and deliver cohesive, relevant experiences that resonate with healthcare professionals.
Saurabh: How does Conexus support clients in turning CRM data into timely, relevant engagements with healthcare professionals to enhance customer experience management (CxM)?
Akshay: CRM data is only valuable when it informs action. We help clients translate insights into personalized, timely interactions by leveraging analytics and workflow automation. By tracking engagement patterns, preferences, and activity in real-time, organizations can anticipate the needs of healthcare professionals and provide relevant information or support at exactly the right moment. This approach enhances the customer experience, fosters trust, and enables teams to measure the impact of each interaction, thereby creating a continuous cycle of insight and action.
Saurabh: Being a Veeva Services Partner and Vault CRM Migration Partner, how does Conexus leverage this relationship to deliver cutting-edge CRM implementations that align with future digital trends?
Akshay: Our partnership with Veeva gives clients access to the latest platform innovations and early insights into emerging trends. As a Vault CRM Migration Partner, we guide organizations through complex transitions from traditional CRM systems to Vault CRM, ensuring continuity and minimizing disruption. By combining this technical expertise with our focus on change management, adoption, and commercial strategy, we help clients implement CRM solutions that are not only technically sound but also fully aligned with their broader digital transformation goals.
Saurabh: What are the most common challenges in modernizing CRM systems, and how does Conexus help overcome them?
Akshay: Modernizing CRM is more than a technology upgrade, it’s a transformation of people, processes, and data. Common challenges include fragmented data, inconsistent workflows, low adoption rates, and difficulty in measuring ROI. We address these by standardizing processes, implementing strong data governance, and providing comprehensive user support and training. By focusing on adoption and real-world usability, we help clients ensure their modern CRM delivers value across the organization, turning a historically reactive system into a proactive tool for commercial success.
About the Author:
Akshay Kapadia
Founder & CEO
Akshay Kapadia is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Conexus Solutions, a managed service technology provider focused on the life sciences industry. Drawing on 30 years of industry experience, he founded Conexus with the goal of redefining outsourcing in life sciences through agile, high-quality, and cost-effective support across commercial, R&D, and quality operations.
With over three decades of leadership in technology and operations, Akshay has built deep expertise in information management, data integration, application development, and regulated systems.
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