Top Features to Look for in a Pharma DCR Solution

08 August 2025

5 minute read

Top Features to Look for in a Pharma DCR Solution

The pharmaceutical industry is evolving within a digital ecosystem, with traditional manual daily call reporting (DCR) being replaced by digital software. For sales teams, DCR is an essential tool to measure field activity and overall productivity. By strategically implementing a digital DCR solution, pharma companies can directly impact their growth and revenue.

Choosing the Right DCR Solution

With advancements in technology, a right DCR system should be equipped to meet the demands of today’s mobile, data-driven sales teams. DCR is critical to assess the performance of the field force, as sales managers need to track the quality as well as quantitative data that includes visibility of sales activity, engagement with Healthcare Professionals (HCPs), duration of calls, etc., and compliance.

Key Functions of DCR

Standard features are must-haves on any DCR, and is a central tool for managing, analyzing and optimizing the sales activity with ensuring compliance in a regulatory environment.
Mobile-first usability: A DCR tool should be easily accessible on mobile via apps. It should be user-friendly so that reps can log their calls quickly and effortlessly.
Reporting: The ease of reporting for every visit to HCPs should include time, location, products, samples provided, discussion points, etc.
Tour Plans: Reps should be able to create their tour plans, which should then get approved by their management.
Offline availability and Real-time Sync: An offline mode should allow data to be entered in case of limited or no internet connectivity and can be synced when internet connectivity is available. This ensures no loss of data and timely reporting.
Expense Management: The tool must have a module to submit expenses for their travels.
Basic CRM: The tool should manage information about HCPs, specialty details, visit history, etc., which can help reps to personalize their interactions.

Advanced Features for smarter and more compliant engagement

Advanced features streamline reporting, offer offline functionality, and can also track locations with ease of accessing information. The data-driven insights can help business leaders make decisions and optimize their resources.
Geo-tagging: Geo-tagging automatically captures the exact location of the rep at the time of a call logging, verifying against their scheduled visit. This can prevent the recording of false or ghost calls by reps.
Call Plan Integration: The DCR solution should integrate a central call plan, guiding reps with a list of target HCPs for the day. This feature also helps managers track the field force’s activity and helps them in optimizing routes and coverage.
Missed Call Tracking and Reporting: A DCR tool should flag and track the calls that were planned but missed. It should also include the reasons for the missed calls, which will help managers to tackle the situation.
Omnichannel Support: A DCR tool should enable reps' activity across multiple channels like personal visits, emails, or virtual meetings.
Reports and Analytics: The DCR solution should provide dynamic dashboards with customized reports. It can support sales managers to analyze the performance of their sales teams.

What truly drives productivity and compliance?

DCR’s features directly impact sales teams' daily activity and also reflect on the company's growth strategy.
Mobile Application: This is the biggest driver of adoption. An app that is fast and easy to use with minimal training will help reps spend less time on administration and more time interacting with HCPs. The data recording will ensure the reps that their efforts have been captured and rewarded.
Offline Feature: Reps can work efficiently with or without internet, as the offline feature makes their life easy to record their call logs.
Performance assessment: With data analytics and customizable reports, sales managers can track their team’s activity and support them whenever they need help, and can also assess the productivity of the team.
Compliance and audit ready: Accurate reporting helps pharma companies maintain compliance with regulatory guidelines. A robust DCR system can capture detailed call logs, and this information can be used for audits.

Keacyte’s Intelligent Call Reporting

Keacyte is an advanced pharma DCR system that captures daily call reports and has GPS- based call reporting.
Keacyte’s offline-first DCR mobile app simplifies logging calls, field work, and follow-ups. Its geolocation data can provide insights into market coverage and customer distribution that helps pharma companies allocate territories more effectively based on sales reps' performance and the density of healthcare professionals. This helps organizations monitor visits to HCPs and optimize routes.
It enhances field execution with GPS tracking, voice notes, and omnichannel outreach. It records call visits with geofencing and engages HCPs via call, WhatsApp, email, or virtual meeting with real-time traceability. Its smarter tracking and location intelligence helps in accurate reporting and improving productivity.

Conclusion

Modern DCR solutions are not just for tracking sales activity; they are vital for running a successful omnichannel strategy and automating HCP engagement effectively and compliantly. Pharma companies should select a DCR solution that streamlines field operations, optimizes resources, and supports data-driven business decisions based on actionable insights.

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