Who owns the customer journey?

Investment in CRM, data platforms and marketing automation has not resolved the question of who owns the HCP journey. When responsibility is unclear, teams can each deliver their part of a campaign without creating a coherent experience for the customer.

Drawing on interviews with senior leaders across global, regional and local life sciences teams, the paper examines who should make engagement decisions and how those decisions reach local delivery. It considers both formal responsibility and the authority teams need to act.

The paper compares brand-led, centre-of-excellence-led and integrated omnichannel operating models. It explains their governance and decision rights, the trade-offs between global consistency and local needs, and how medical and commercial teams can coordinate their work within appropriate boundaries. A diagnostic helps readers assess their own model.

Key findings

Ownership changes how a journey gets delivered

The research identifies three operating-model archetypes: Brand-Led, Centre of Excellence-Led and Integrated Omnichannel. Each allocates responsibility differently across brands, specialist teams and markets.

There is no universal best model

The appropriate model depends on organisational maturity, market complexity, portfolio characteristics and strategic priorities. Copying another organisation’s structure without those conditions can create new handovers rather than a coherent customer journey.

Clear responsibility is necessary, but insufficient

The interviews also identify data foundations, content approval and outcome measurement as constraints. A clear operating model still needs useful customer information, content that can be adapted and measures that inform decisions.

Evidence and method

The paper draws on more than 12 semi-structured interviews with senior pharmaceutical leaders conducted between August and October 2025. The standard eight-part interview guide covered organisational structure, collaboration, technology, journey design, measurement and challenges. Interviews typically lasted 50–60 minutes. Transcripts were analysed thematically against the five foundations, with cross-interview patterns used to identify the operating-model archetypes.

How to interpret this

The sample provides qualitative insight and is not statistically representative of the industry. Interviews describe stated processes, which may differ from daily execution. The study captures a period in 2025; operating models may since have changed. Senior leaders’ perspectives may also differ from those of field, medical and IT teams.

Source: Who owns the customer journey?, including Appendix A: Interview Methodology. The complete paper contains the supporting detail and references.