Using customer engagement technology to create value communication tools for ABILIFY MAINTENA® (aripiprazole)
Otsuka identified several weaknesses in their existing workflow for developing value communication tools. In particular, the time-consuming process of updating or modifying tools using custom app vendors would cause significant delays. To address this, the HEOR and Outcomes Management team implemented a Cloud-based app development platform and started developing tools in-house. The adoption of the customer engagement technology BaseCase Interactive resulted in an approximate 50% reduction in app development timelines and a 75% reduction in overall costs.
Otsuka’s decision to implement BaseCase Interactive was grounded in a pressing need for a faster and more flexible app development workflow. There were three key measures by which success would be evaluated:
- Level of control over the app development process
- Time to develop new apps and update existing ones
- Cost of developing and updating apps
In the past, the team at Otsuka has developed tools – including economic models, value decks and FDAMA decks – using both Microsoft PowerPoint® and custom app vendors. While standalone iPad apps met the required standards of interactivity and sophistication, high costs and long development times hampered efforts to engage flexibly with an increasingly dynamic market. In addition to inefficiency and a lack of flexibility, using vendors for custom-built apps incurred high costs.
Otsuka began subscribing to the customer engagement solution BaseCase Interactive. Using a drag-and-drop interface, they were able to create interactive iPad apps to communicate tailored value stories for ABILIFY MAINTENA, without using programming. Crucially, they could integrate HEOR data, using a built-in spreadsheet editor. This enabled the rapid creation of economic models, including a tool for clients to assess cost-savings resulting from decreased hospitalizations after switching to ABILIFY MAINTENA.
The team used the platform exclusively to develop customer engagement apps for Abilify. Against the original business case, the platform has been a success by every measure:
- Level of control over app development — App vendors have been removed from the process and the team are able to develop, deploy and update apps internally, without being dependent on an external agency’s timeline.
- Time to develop new apps and update existing ones — Reduced by around 50%.
- Cost of developing and updating apps — Reduced by around 75%.
