Are You Tired of the Spin?

In the digital age of clinical trials, technology vendors are numerous and, in their effort to one-up each other, they spew AI visions that entice weary clinical trial professionals looking to simplify and streamline their day-to-day tasks. However, over and over again, when proof comes to past, the vendor oversold and under-performed, leaving the customer frustrated. I am sure you can relate.

The B2B customer rat race is exhausting both from the vendor and customer side. Customers want the latest and greatest, the whole package with no bugs or defects at the lowest cost possible (not to burst anyone’s bubble, but all software has bugs). So, in response, vendors overhype and exaggerate their product capabilities and undersell the cost of product implementation to meet customer demands and remain competitive. Thus, the vicious cycle continues and there is no end in sight as long as customers ask for the moon and providers keep saying they hung it.

Technology and the use of AI/ML is growing at warp speed and yes, there are many AI use cases that are creating efficiencies and improving quality in clinical trials, no doubt about it. But a platform that does everything seamlessly and automatically across all protocols with no gaps or defects? Well, that is just not today’s reality.  I recently read published content from a technology vendor (who will go unnamed) that touted its solution has the “automation, intelligence and experience to do the work for us”. Don’t drink the Kool-Aid, friends. That is simply not true.

As someone who has worked on both sides of B2B sales, here are some tips I have learned:

• Simply put, the saying, “Too good to be true” is true in the B2B Sell Cycle. When evaluating a vendor, think critically to distinguish fact from fiction (i.e., are you basing decisions on an effective marketing strategy or based on proven product capabilities?). Focus on your primary use cases and see to what extent those are addressed. Also consider the vendor’s strategic roadmap and how much they are investing in R&D to see if the product can scale with your organization over time.
• Ask pointed questions and if you feel like they are answering, “Yes” to every question and capability and/or implying it is all seamless, continue to dig deeper. The vendor may not be lying, the platform may have the potential to solve the use case, but the better question to ask is if the code, model, and/or interface is available today or must it be developed.
• No single solution is going to be tailor-made for any organization, out-of-the-box. Yes, a solution can be adapted and configured to support the organizational needs, but a little bit of give-and-take is necessary to really optimize the use of any technology solution. This may include the need to adapt internal processes and/or re-skill operational staff.
• Be okay (and appreciate the honesty), if a vendor is straightforward and says a feature or capability must be developed, or that it is not possible in the system. Again, no solution has everything and if they claim they do, your detective gloves need to come out as you have a lot of digging to do (or an extensive proof-of-concept to deploy).
• Assessing the vendor’s character and culture is nearly just as important as assessing their product capabilities. This includes their ability to listen closely to your needs, get back to you on time, provide authentic answers, think critically, collaborate with you on key challenges, and be forthcoming with product challenges they are facing as well. Also, don’t underestimate the value of simple, upfront pricing and clear parameters for change orders. You need to trust your vendor so take note of their communication and transparency from every angle.
• Size doesn’t always matter. Often times vendors on the small side are discounted because buyers don’t feel they have the wherewithal. However, they underestimate the engagement of a small company to deliver. Since smaller organizations have fewer customers and are trying to strengthen their reputation, each customer engagement is of supreme importance and customer satisfaction is top priority. This is untrue for large vendors with many customers, b/c one lost customer or one timeline slipped has less impact on their reputation and bottom line. Additionally, smaller organizations are more nimble and able to adapt their roadmap quicker than larger vendors, which means they are more likely to scale the product to your needs.  Remember, every big company started as a small company, so it may be worth giving them a second look.

Closing thoughts
Look for technology partners whose aim is to provide AI and automation solutions that allow project teams to do their work smarter, faster, and easier and that have a realistic, yet innovative roadmap to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

The promise that AI can automate clinical data operations is only a prediction hyped as a fact through propaganda. The science of medicine and the use of pharmaceuticals are still in their infancy compared to so many scientific studies and due to this, they continue to change at warp speed. In order for AI-driven technology solutions to intelligently identify data signals and carry out trial operations across the myriad of indications, phases, and trial designs, would require the solution to be (in near real-time) trained on every new virus or disease, all drug compounds, regulatory requirements across the globe, and have universal access to health records (you get the point, right?). There is a reason why meteorologists still exist and that despite having access to numerous highly trained AI weather models, they still get the forecast wrong from time to time. All this is to say, stay grounded, friends and do your homework. We are a long way from the pipedream that so many vendors hype and sell as today’s reality.