Unlocking the Power of AI in Pharma with Dr. Eric Trepanier of ODAIA

This episode features an interview with Dr. Eric Trepanier, Chief Strategy & Customer Officer at ODAIA, a SaaS company that leverages AI to ingest multiple data sources and empower marketers and sales reps to optimize their segmentation, targeting and execution to maximize sales. Eric holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree and has over 20 years of experience in the industry. He contributes to the overall strategy and growth of ODAIA, leveraging his extensive experience in healthcare, technology, and business operations. And he plays a key role in promoting ODAIA's AI-powered platform, MAPTUAL, which helps pharmaceutical companies prospect, qualify, and engage healthcare professionals (or HCPs). In this episode, Eric explores how ODAIA uses AI and its advanced platform, MAPTUAL, to revolutionize customer engagement in the pharmaceutical industry. He shares insights from his 20+ years of experience in healthcare and business operations, highlighting the importance of personalized customer experiences, the shift from traditional to digital interactions, and the role of customer science. He also delves into how AI and machine learning contribute to better targeting and execution, ultimately facilitating faster access to life-changing treatments for patients.Quotes*”It's all about being obsessed with the customer. If you're not solving challenges for the customer, your platform and your business just won't work. So it's really about having that obsessive focus on the customer.”*”I think the obsessive focus on delivering value to the customer and doing it in a data-driven way is what's allowed us to be successful and deliver some of the value that we've delivered to our customers. And ultimately, the key benefit that we really focus on is making sure that patients are able to get access to those life-changing drugs faster than they would have otherwise.”*”Our goal is to not be a business intelligence tool, to be a tool that only provides that information they need in order to make those decisions to more effectively engage their customers.”*”Trust is so important. As we got into this space and worked more with our pharma customers, so many of them were skeptical because they didn't want a black box AI or ML machine that they didn't understand. And if they saw results coming out of it that were different from what they expected, that trust was eroded really, really quickly.”*”We're on the lookout for other technologies as well that can continue to add value to our customers. One thing we won't do is use technology for technology's sake. We're still very focused on giving patients access to those life-changing drugs and we'll use technology as appropriate to deliver on those goals.”Time Stamps[0:01] Meet Dr. Eric Trepanier and ODAIA[1:31] Eric's Background in Pharma[2:41] Understanding Customer Experience in Pharma[4:20] Changes in the Pharma Industry[7:16] Trends in Customer Behaviors and Preferences[8:25] Customer Science and ODAIA's Approach[9:46] Disrupting the Pharma Industry[14:43] The Role of AI in Customer Experience[15:54] MAPTUAL: Enhancing Digital Customer Experience[30:19] Balancing Human Interaction and Automation[33:52] Future of Customer Experience in PharmaAbout our guest, Dr. Eric TrepanierDr. Eric Trepanier is a seasoned executive with broad experience in business operations, corporate leadership, investment management, and entrepreneurship. He is currently Chief Strategy & Customer Officer of ODAIA Intelligence, a SaaS company that leverages AI to ingest multiple data sources and empower marketers and sales reps to optimize their segmentation, targeting and execution to maximize sales.Previously from 2018-2022, Eric was EVP and GM of Medicx Health, a data-driven healthcare company that delivers multi-channel media to Micro-Neighborhoods® with specific patients. He was responsible for the business P&L, while leading most teams, including sales, marketing, business operations, performance analytics, strategy and digital media. When he joined, he led a transformation of the culture that provided the foundation to stabilize revenue, and return it to strong double-digit growth as he left.From 2012-2018, Eric took on increasing responsibility at WebMD where he ultimately built and led a multi-functional team doing strategic sales, competitive intelligence, business intelligence, market research, statistical analyses and data-driven marketing. The team was focused on helping the company deliver on its sales objectives by leveraging 1st and 3rd party data and analytics to develop and support the value story.Thank you to our friendsThis podcast is brought to you by HGS. HGS is a digital customer experience leader dedicated to delivering winning customer interactions at scale that are prompt, personal, and positive. We continuously transform, optimize, and grow enterprises to exceed ever-rising customer expectations. HGS provides our clients with the right talent and technologies needed to champion every moment. Learn more at hgs.cx.LinksConnect with Eric on LinkedInLearn more about ODAIACheck out HGS