Press Release

Everest Group releases strategic CRM framework for pharma enterprises navigating post Veeva–Salesforce market

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Everest Group has announced the release of a new Viewpoint report, The Future of CRM in Pharma: A Decision Framework to Navigate the Post Veeva–Salesforce Era, designed to guide pharmaceutical companies through pivotal CRM platform decisions following the conclusion of the Veeva–Salesforce partnership. 

As expectations for AI-enabled, omnichannel engagement accelerate, pharma companies must rethink how CRM platforms support commercial, medical, and regulatory functions. Traditional CRMs are no longer sufficient, they must evolve to deliver intelligent orchestration, dynamic content, enterprise-wide interoperability, and embedded compliance. 

Durga Ambati, Vice President, Everest Group:  

“Pharma leaders are no longer just choosing software; they’re making foundational decisions that will define how they engage healthcare professionals, patients, and regulators for years to come. Our decision framework provides a comprehensive lens through which to evaluate the evolving CRM landscape and align technology choices with strategic priorities.” 

The report emphasizes six key areas that pharma companies must evaluate when choosing their CRM platform: 

  • How well the platform fits pharma-specific workflows, regulatory requirements, and ecosystem maturity. 
  • The functional capabilities required, including AI use, multichannel orchestration, and personalization. 
  • The ability to integrate seamlessly with existing enterprise data lakes, content management, analytics, and compliance systems. 
  • Architectural trade-offs between unified suites that offer consistency versus best-of-breed solutions that offer specialization. 
  • Vendor sourcing strategies including roadmap alignment, pricing models, and support ecosystems. 
  • ROI and success factors such as adoption speed, migration risk, and time to value. 

Everest Group identifies three primary strategic paths for pharma companies: migrating fully to Veeva Vault CRM for deep pharma specialization, adopting Salesforce Life Sciences Cloud for flexibility and AI capabilities, or pursuing hybrid or best-of-breed approaches to meet unique organizational needs. 

As the pharma industry accelerates toward AI-native infrastructure and integrated stakeholder engagement, the CRM platform choice has become a strategic imperative.