Actelion Pharmaceuticals Takes to the Cloud with Global Deployment of Veeva CRM and iRep

BARCELONA, Spain, December 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Multiple client/server SFA systems worldwide replaced by single cloud-based CRM solution

Before selecting cloud-based Veeva CRM for 500+ users worldwide, Actelion Ltd. had been operating 10 different client/server salesforce automation (SFA) systems - all from various vendors - throughout its operations around the world. This technology labyrinth was increasingly expensive to maintain, difficult to update, functionally deficient, and disconnected from region to region. Actelion needed an innovative solution that would align sales globally. So, managers from the company's 29 regions established selection criteria, followed by an exhaustive RFP process involving five vendors. Only Veeva CRM, with its rich capabilities for integrating diverse selling teams, streamlined sales reporting, and rich iPad application met all of the company's needs.

"Our search for a single, global CRM solution was driven by today's increasingly challenging business environment.  In order to compete, we need the tools that will enable us to gain a better understanding of our customer's needs and be more responsive," said Actelion's Head of Global Commercial Excellence Christoph Schmidt, PhD. "Veeva offered industry-specific functionality for all different user groups - from key opinion leader managers to key account execs and field reps - around the world, all integrated within a single solution."

Schmidt continued, "Global deployment of Veeva CRM will ensure quality and consistency across countries, enable us to share best practices worldwide, and allow our organisation to fully benefit from the economies of scale of a global cloud deployment."

"After fast and successful pilot projects in US, Canada, China, and Australia, Actelion decided to deploy Veeva CRM globally." The remaining regions - including all European territories - are expected to be live with Veeva CRM by the end of 2012. Actelion executives cited Veeva CRM's proven track record with over 30,000 satisfied users globally, role specific capabilities, and trailblazing cloud-based technology as deciding factors in the selection process.

"The cloud enables many business and operational benefits including faster deployment, greater flexibility to enable quick changes, and cost effectiveness," said Schmidt. "And, with Veeva, we benefit from free, regular application updates so that our field force is always up to date. The upgrades are transparent, too, so they don't cause any disruption to their work allowing us to spearhead technological advancements within the organisation very quickly. This is a huge advantage."

Actelion has also started deploying iRep - the first integrated CRM and CLM cloud-based solution designed specifically for the iPad.  iRep's "built in" closed loop marketing seamlessly links customer data with interactive content allowing for highly personalised interactions and automatic capture of call activity and physician insight.  The result is simply a better user experience and higher quality customer interactions, without the hassle and cost of multiple applications.

"We needed a solution that could leverage the Apple iPad, but Veeva's iRep also offered us the unique ability to integrate both CRM and CLM applications seamlessly. We knew that this would empower our field force with the tools to better respond to customer needs -enabling them to work faster, more efficiently and with greater impact," concluded Schmidt.

About Actelion Ltd.

Actelion Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company with its corporate headquarters in Allschwil/Basel, Switzerland. Actelion's first drug Tracleer®, an orally available dual endothelin receptor antagonist, has been approved as a therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion markets Tracleer® through its own subsidiaries in key markets worldwide, including the United States (based in South San Francisco), the European Union, Japan, Canada, Australia and Switzerland. Actelion, founded in late 1997, is a leading player in innovative science related to the endothelium - the single layer of cells separating every blood vessel from the blood stream. Actelion's over 2,500 employees focus on the discovery, development and marketing of innovative drugs for significant unmet medical needs. Actelion shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (ticker symbol: ATLN) as part of the Swiss blue-chip index SMI (Swiss Market Index SMI®).

About Veeva CRM

The Veeva CRM suite of applications is the life sciences industry's top cloud-based CRM solution. Veeva CRM offers rich capabilities that meet the unique needs of various pharmaceutical and biotech commercial teams. The complete Veeva CRM suite gives customers the mobility and reporting solutions needed to drive user adoption and sales effectiveness.

About Veeva Systems

Veeva Systems is the leader in cloud-based business solutions for the global life sciences industry. Committed to innovation, product excellence, and customer success, Veeva has over 100 customers, ranging from the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to emerging biotechs. Founded in 2007, Veeva is a privately held company headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in Philadelphia, Barcelona, Budapest, Paris, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tokyo. For more information, visit http://www.veevasystems.com.

Copyright (c) 2011 Veeva Systems. All rights reserved. Veeva and the Veeva logo are registered trademarks of Veeva Systems. Veeva Systems owns other registered and unregistered trademarks. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Media Contact
Selma Nawaz
European Marketing Director
Veeva Systems
selma.nawaz@veevasystems.com