Empowering MSLs to deliver strategic value through deeper insights

The Challenge

A global Medical Affairs team was struggling to extract actionable, strategic insights from their Medical Science Liaisons (MSLs). While the MSLs were effective at sharing data and engaging healthcare professionals (HCPs) and key opinion leaders (KOLs), the insights collected often lacked the depth and clarity required to inform internal Medical strategies and objectives. Many interactions resulted in surface-level feedback rather than deeper probing, thoughtful insights, and deep scientific exchanges required to evolve KOL understanding and inform clinical decision making. Additionally, with many less tenured MSLs on the team, there was a growing need for upskilling and guidance on having a more impactful scientific exchange.

Our Solutions

Our experts at STEM collaborated closely with the client to elevate the role and impact of their MSLs through a multi-faceted approach:

• Benchmarking & Measurement: Using STEM’s industry benchmarking data, our client was able to understand strategic alignment and MSL execution of Medical objectives, relative to industry peers in the same therapeutic area. The data revealed a critical gap: MSLs believed they evolved HCP views in 68% of interactions, yet they only planned to do so in 21% of cases and checked for changes in HCP views just 16% of the time, significantly below industry averages.
• Strategic Insights & Recommendations: We recommended targeted coaching to help MSLs move beyond basic information-sharing to asking deeper, more probing questions and to understand the rationale behind HCPs’ perspectives—enabling richer conversations and more meaningful insights. Data uncovered misalignment from Medical home office to field Medical teams in the definition of a strategic insight, differentiating it clearly from general feedback. Through 1:1 anonymous interviews, STEM uncovered an opportunity to improve the insight feedback loop, which would allow Medical Affairs leaders to educate MSLs in how insights are leveraged to inform Medical strategy.
• Action Planning & Follow-Up Coaching: STEM emphasized the importance of having an impactful scientific exchange. MSLs were equipped with practical tools and coaching to ask deeper, sequential follow-up questions, to assess HCP understanding, and track the impact of scientific discussions over time, based on insights reported from MSLs back to Medical home office.

 The Impact

Following actions taken, based on STEM’s insights and recommendations, our client commissioned STEM to remeasure progress, and STEM found that MSLs checked whether HCP views had changed in 33% of interactions—more than doubling their previous performance. With continued coaching and support, the client is now on track to meet and exceed the industry benchmark.

Through this partnership, the deeper, actionable insights being reported back by MSLs now directly influence medical strategy and close a critical gap between field engagement and internal decision-making. Through robust benchmarking, medical leaders have gained clarity on their MSL teams’ effectiveness relative to industry standards, providing clear areas for growth and development.

Our client now has high-quality insights to validate or refine their strategies, ensuring that internal decisions are better aligned with evolving HCP perspectives, with plans to continue partnering with STEM to remeasure annually.