Case Study: Establishing a Scalable Omnichannel Model Across Global Markets

A global pharmaceutical organisation established a consistent, scalable omnichannel approach across affiliates, enabling more coordinated customer engagement and stronger alignment between global strategy and local execution.

Within a relatively short timeframe:

• A single omnichannel methodology was adopted across priority markets

• Planning shifted from channel-led activity to structured engagement design

• CRM and digital platforms saw more consistent and integrated use

• Cross-functional alignment improved across Commercial, Digital and Analytics

What this enabled

The organisation moved from fragmented execution to a more coordinated, repeatable model, with:

• Greater consistency across markets, while retaining local flexibility

• Clearer linkage between strategy, content and channel execution

• More structured use of data to inform engagement decisions

• A foundation for more advanced capabilities, including AI-enabled approaches

How this was achieved

1. Creating clarity on how omnichannel works in practice

A structured diagnostic across global and selected markets provided visibility of how engagement was actually being delivered.

This identified a small number of recurring patterns across affiliates, including:

• Different interpretations of omnichannel approaches

• Variation in capability and confidence across teams

• Inconsistent use of CRM and digital channels

This created alignment at leadership level on what needed to change — and where to focus.

2. Defining a model that could scale across markets

A practical omnichannel methodology was designed to be repeatable, adaptable and usable in real planning cycles.

This included:

• Structured planning frameworks used across brands and markets

• Standardised approaches to customer journey and engagement design

• Integration of CRM, content and channel execution into a single model

• Clear alignment between global intent and local application

The focus was not on theory, but on how teams would actually use the model in practice.

3. Enabling adoption through capability and leadership alignment

Adoption was driven through a combination of:

• Practical playbooks, templates and planning tools

• Training programmes applied to live brand and campaign planning

• Leadership engagement to reinforce new ways of working

• Ongoing support to embed the approach into planning cycles

This ensured capability translated into behaviour , not just awareness.

The result

The transformation led to a fundamental shift in how customer engagement was designed and delivered.

• Global consistency with local flexibility: A shared methodology was adopted across affiliates, enabling consistent planning while allowing markets to tailor execution to local needs.

• From activity to engagement design: Teams moved away from isolated digital and field tactics toward coordinated engagement journeys linked to clear objectives.

• Stronger cross-functional alignment: Marketing, Sales, Digital and Analytics teams operated with greater coordination, supported by shared frameworks and processes.

• More effective use of platforms and data: CRM and digital channels were used more consistently as part of integrated engagement strategies, rather than standalone tools.

• Embedded ways of working: The approach became part of brand planning and execution cycles, supported by tools, templates and capability development.

• Foundation for future capability: The organisation established a platform for scaling more advanced approaches, including AI-enabled engagement and next-best-action models.