Effective Use and Comprehension of Data Provides Significant Benefits for Companies
What is the role and significance of business excellence division in the corporate organization?
Each function has a critical role in our corporate organization and performs a number of processes for achieving our corporate goals in communication and coordination with other functions. The fundamental task of the “Technology and Business Excellence Division” is to execute, develop and digitalize those processes effectively. Effective performance of this task is key to increasing our business efficiency, improving business continuity and achieving business goals. Therefore, the business excellence assumes a very important role for the company.
What sort of difference will business excellence function create for a pharmaceutical company?
The fundamental aim of the business excellence function is to promote constant development and standardization in corporate processes. Process improvements and meticulously designed digital transformation projects make it possible to create a direct impact on profitability such as reduction in costs, productivity and income increase. In my opinion, business excellence is one of the most significant factors that could create competitive advantage in pharmaceutical industry where quality and price standards are determined through regulations.
At Santa Farma, business excellence activities were initiated for sales force effectiveness under marketing in 2009 and they were conducted through commercial excellence projects thereafter. Having created our new structure by combining “Technology and Business Excellence” in 2018, we are currently offering effective business solutions with competitive advantage by means of projects of different scale which are conducted for all supply and value chain processes of the company.
What sort of benefits will data analytics create for business processes?
In our modern world where we deal with diversified big data, effective use and comprehension of data provides significant benefits for companies. Under descriptive analysis, we derive estimative and predictive future analyses based on previous data in order to ensure that decision making systems are effectively and correctly fed.
Data analytics guide us for measurement of process performances and planning of business excellence activities. Measuring the process performance of projects and enhancements and their impact on outputs will be possible only through a well-designed data analytics structure.
At Santa Farma, our data analytics structure consisting of data collection, modeling, analysis and visualization phases went live through the business intelligence solutions developed for “Marketing and Sales” divisions for the first time. Those solutions enabled us to achieve business results rapidly and correctly while also making it possible to discern the cause and effect relations more properly. Currently, we are expanding those activities to all other divisions including primarily financial functions.
What are your anticipations about the future of this field?
I expect business excellence and data analytics will become increasingly more important for both pharmaceutical industry and other industries and service sectors. We are going through a period marked with abundance in capital, ease of production thanks to technological developments and rapid access to customers thanks to differentiated and diversified sales-logistics channels. In near future, we will witness another period in which most of those functions will be performed through artificial intelligence and robotics. Those developments herald the increasing significance of business excellence and data analytics in terms of competition between companies and countries.
Therefore, our need for qualified workforce comprised of individuals who focus on self-development will increase in time. I would recommend the youth to pursue a career in fields and professions which will gain more ground in the future such as data science, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
World Hepatitis Day Message of This Year “Hepatitis Cannot Wait!”
What was the starting point of “Leave a Yellow Note to Life” project?
According to the data provided in “2018-2023 Viral Hepatitis Prevention and Control Program” which was created by Viral Hepatitis Control Association and Turkish Liver Research Association jointly with the Ministry of Health, 1.8 million adults with Hepatitis B are not even aware of their condition because of lack of public awareness about the disease although Hepatitis B is curable.
In 2019, we launched a public awareness project, “Leave a Yellow Note to Life”, in cooperation with Viral Hepatitis Control Association in order to raise awareness and encourage more people to take tests and adopt precautions against Hepatitis B. The Project was awarded “Special Jury Prize” at health category of the 17th Golden Spider Web Awards and received “Success Award” at health communication guerrilla project category of Felis Awards in 2019.
In 2020-2021, the project was awarded “Golden Prize” at MarCom Awards which is organized by AMCP (Association of Marketing Communications Professionals), one of the most reputable marketing and communication platforms in the world, since 2004. Also, it was awarded “Golden Prize” at medical website category of Ava Digital Awards, an advertising and marketing competition organized by the same association.
Could you inform us about the current condition of the project?
In 2019, we collaborated with the Yellow Microphone, which is Turkey's most watched street interviews channel, for promoting “Yellow Note to Life” project. At the viral videos, Hayrettin, the famous actor, made street interviews for the project. We were able to extend our reach to 4.5 million people through social platforms.
In 2020, we asked “What Could You Be Carrying?” on the project website and social media accounts of the project until July 28. On the World Hepatitis Day, we reached 24,000 individuals in order to raise awareness about hepatitis B thanks to our Instagram filter project.
What sort of awareness activities do you perform on digital platforms?
Ever since we started the project, we have informed public about the disease on digital platforms in cooperation with the Viral Hepatitis Control Association. We encouraged people to ask everything they want to know about “Hepatitis B” by means of the “Consult an Expert” introduced on our website at “www.hayatasarinotbirak.com”. We prepared video contents to answer all questions and posted informative contents on our social media accounts and project website with the help of the Viral Hepatitis Control Association.
On July 28, 2020, World Hepatitis Day, we prepared a surprising Instagram Filter in order to raise awareness through offering edutaining contents on social media. Also, a campaign video shot with Hayrettin was presented to the public opinion as an edutaining jingle clip.
What was your message for the World Hepatitis Day this year?
The WHO’s Global Action Plan Framework of aims to create a world where viral hepatitis transmission is eliminated and everyone can reach safe and effective treatment options.
At Santa Farma, we intend to contribute to this goal of the WHO by offering safe and effective treatment to patients with chronic Hepatitis B and raising public awareness about Hepatitis B. This year, we chose “Hepatitis Cannot Wait!” message on July 28. Our message for the World Hepatitis Day was “Hepatitis Cannot Wait!” this year.