Measure what matters – a myth?

Most metrics in pharma and healthcare focus on internal activity - how much content was produced, how many channels were activated, how many people engaged.

But engagement doesn’t always equal value.

“Our bigger objective shall be to create lasting relationships with customers built on trust and value delivered. It is about shifting focus from mostly communicating brand messages to helping customers succeed, which will ultimately drive better customer engagement, patient outcomes, and business impact.”

That’s an outcome. And if we’re not measuring outcomes - like whether customers are achieving what they came for - are we really measuring what matters?

✅ Takeaway: Review your current KPIs. Are they tracking delivery or impact? What signals genuine value from the customer’s perspective?

To measure value, we need to understand what customers are trying to achieve in the first place. What’s the goal behind their interaction? What defines success for them?

“We need to truly understand the customers, what matters for them, what outcomes they search for when they engage with the company.”

That means listening, researching, and shaping metrics around actual customer intent - not assumptions or business objectives alone. And then measuring whether we helped them achieve that or not - if not, why not?

✅ Takeaway: Use qualitative research alongside analytics to define what a ‘successful’ experience looks like from a customer point of view.

In many teams, metrics reset with each campaign. But real value builds over time. A healthcare professional’s trust, confidence, and likelihood to return aren’t formed in a single visit.

“It is essential to focus on delivering value to customers throughout the entire lifespan of the relationship, and our metrics shall reflect that.”

This mindset shift - from one-off transactions to long-term relationships - forces us to ask harder, more meaningful questions. Are we building something lasting? Are we becoming more helpful over time?

✅ Takeaway: Track repeat engagement, perceived usefulness, and time-to-task completion as indicators of relationship health.

Here’s a common failure pattern: companies gather data, generate reports, and then… nothing changes.

“Across industries, what companies often fall short on is measuring interactions or experiences and not consistently acting on the data collected.”

The best teams don’t just set KPIs - they define the operational response. What will we do if a satisfaction score drops? Who’s responsible? What will we improve?

“The best practice is to agree on who does what in specific scenarios before measuring. There are tactical actions, e.g, if a negative customer sentiment indicates a problem, and more strategic ones focused on how to evolve an interaction or the whole experience.”

Such a great idea. If you can’t or won’t act on a data point, what is the value in tracking it? It could be worth starting small - picking a handful of key metrics and finessing the analysis/implementation process, then expanding to obtain richer insights.

✅ Takeaway: Pair each metric with an owner and a set of actions. Make sure you’re ready to respond, not just report.

A single friction point might not seem critical in isolation - but in the context of a longer journey, it can be the reason someone disengages entirely.

“Experiences are interlinked, and typically it’s many interactions intertwined with each other.”

That means siloed metrics - web, CRM, field force, call centre - miss the bigger picture. Experience needs to be measured across touchpoints, not within functional boundaries.

✅ Takeaway: Move from siloed channel reporting to integrated experience measurement.

If we claim to be customer-centric, we need to ask: are our customers actually achieving what they set out to do?

Customer experience isn’t just about satisfaction in the moment - it’s about whether we help them succeed in their broader goals over time. That’s what builds trust, loyalty, and deeper relationships.

“Our interest should be in helping customers to succeed. It’s about making sure we act as a trusted partner who understands customer needs and goals, and helps them to reach the desired outcome.”

This means adding a new layer to our measurement frameworks - one that focuses not just on what we delivered, but what the customer actually gained. Did we reduce effort? Did we save time? Did we enable a better outcome?

✅ Takeaway: Expand your metrics to include indicators of customer success. Track whether users are completing tasks, solving problems, or moving forward – not just whether they are engaged.

Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), or satisfaction scores. These can be useful, but they need context - and action.

“Metrics like CSAT, transactional NPS, and Customer Effort Score are more actionable for improving CX, especially when accompanied by customer sentiment. NPS is better suited to reflect the quality of the relationship with the company or brand, but it is not necessarily the only measure. Some organizations develop their own metrics to capture specific aspects of customer perception of the relationship, e.g., a Partner Score.”

NPS can be a helpful signal for brand sentiment - but alone, it won’t tell you if you’re delivering utility, clarity, or ease of use. Similarly, CLV helps anchor teams in long-term thinking, but only if the entire organisation is aligned around improving it.

“If CLV is used as a common metric, then it becomes a shared responsibility, as various teams contribute to customer lifetime value at different stages of the customer journey.”

In reality, each metric captures a different angle.

“I think each metric has its own meaning and impact. We do need to have a measure of advocacy. We do need to have CLV. We do need to have customer-focused, customer-centric metrics.”

But metrics are only as useful as the action they provoke.

“It’s not just about measurement, but it’s about acting on the data you have collected.”

✅ Takeaway: Use a mix of metrics - advocacy, satisfaction, relationship value - but treat them as a starting point, not a conclusion. Always link metrics to actions.

Not if you’re willing to question what matters. Not if you’re ready to move beyond internal metrics and ask whether you’re delivering genuine value. And not if you’re prepared to act on what you find.

Because ultimately: “Our interest should be in helping customers to succeed.”

Because when they succeed, so do we.