Leveraging Digital Materials at Boston Scientific Final Project Presentation Katie Johnson May 2005

Situation at Boston Scientific Need to save money Need to communicate efficiently Curious about digital materials as a communication medium

Benefits of Digital Materials Potential production & printing cost savings of over $600,000 annually Timely access to information Easily updatable format

Sinickas Says Research shows that the percentage of employees who prefer e-channels exclusively is small For most of the categories of information, between half and three-fourths of employees want a mix of channels More than three-fourths of employees at six companies responded that they wanted printed versions of publications to remain available (Sinickas, 2004)

Research Question Does the Boston Scientific sales force perceive digital product launch education materials as an adequate replacement for printed materials?

Methodology Survey sent via to all 960 U.S. sales reps 7 closed-ended, 3 open-ended and 5 closed/semi-open-ended questions Incentive – portable DVD player

Response 960 U.S. sales reps surveyed 334 completed the survey 35% overall response rate

Results Have you visited the Extranet site for information prior to a sales call: – 84% yes – 16% no Answer: Yes, the Extranet site is utilized.

Results Answer: 63% prefer hardcopy. How do you prefer to receive new product information currently found in launch folios/manuals?

Results Answer: 19% prefer digital materials instead of print. I would prefer to access product launch folio/manual information on the Extranet instead of receiving a printed launch folio/manual.

Results Are there times when you prefer to receive a printed launch folio/manual? (please explain) – “Yes. Faster to sometimes use a printed resource, plus I take them with me to review in the car or the hotel.” – “Yes, when we first launch a new product. It is nice to be able to carry around the manual since I don't always carry my computer.” Answer: Yes, print is preferred at times.

Results Are there times when you prefer to access launch folio/manual information on the Extranet site? (please explain) – “I like to have both. The hard copy at the time of the launch to study, and on the Extranet as a place to refer to when I need to find it again. – “Yes, if someone brings up a question or needs information long after launch.” Answer: Yes, digital is preferred at times.

Answer to Research Question Does the Boston Scientific sales force perceive digital product launch education materials as an adequate replacement for printed materials? For this sample: No – at least not yet.

What Does This Mean? Digital vs. print usage may be situational Hurdles to acceptance – Convenience – Technology barriers – Work location – Adverse to change

Recommendations for Boston Scientific Print be used in conjunction with digital for the foreseeable future Conduct a pilot test Focus group

Questions?