FAQs

You have questions, we have answers!

What is Closeline?

Closeline is an immersive selling skills-building platform that provides simulated pharmaceutical sales calls and coaching. We put learners in 1:1 training simulations with human-powered avatars to practice difficult and high-stakes conversations. Each Closeline simulation is approximately 30 minutes, including:

an introduction with a host avatar who sets expectations of what the learner will do
the simulated call (conversation) between the learner and the HCP avatar
a brief wrap-up with the host avatar

Research has shown that participating in Closeline simulations increases skill retention and leads to measurable and scalable behavior change.

Why do we utilize avatars?
The "human-backed avatar" approach is based on research that shows that people are more likely to try new things and be authentic with an avatar compared with traditional face-to-face roleplay. It helps break down the barriers that may come up when practicing with someone you know, like a manager or a coworker. As a result, this approach provides psychological safety. Learners can try new things, make mistakes, and safely practice in our simulations before having the calls in real life.

Why are your avatars less realistic looking than they could be?
The look of our avatars is strategic: we found the sweet spot where learners benefit from the psychologic safety of simulated avatar training.1

Am I talking to a human or a computer?
There is a real, live person behind every avatar. These are our Simulation Specialists–a group of trained experts who power our avatars. The conversation is structured, but not fully scripted, so in each simulation, learners engage in a realistic, real-time exchange with a human-powered avatar. The situation and responses adapt according to learner responses for authentic and spontaneous practice. The human-powered avatar reacts and responds authentically according to what the learner says and how they respond.

How is a simulation structured?

Closeline sessions are typically 30 minutes long, including the introduction and wrap-up with a Closeline host and the simulation in the middle. Each session is a private, 1:1 conversation between the learner and a human-powered avatar.

When learners join their simulation, they are greeted by our host avatar. The host takes a few minutes at the beginning of the session to discuss the scenario details, review the desired outcome and recommended strategies, and answer any questions. The host is there to make sure the learner feels settled, comfortable, and ready for the simulation.

Then, the host exits, and the learner is brought to a different avatar (the HCP or target audience) with whom they practice the call. This portion usually lasts around 10-15 minutes.

When the simulated call is complete, the host leads the learner through a brief conversation and coaching session about their experience. The host will ask open-ended questions and provide feedback about how the simulation went, including:

what went well
what strategies the learner used
what the learner may improve upon
highlighting a clear strength and a clear area of opportunity that the learner demonstrated in the practice call

This feedback portion provides takeaways that the learner can apply in their sales calls.

What is the cost?

Our costs vary depending on sales force size, number of simulation per sales representative, and scheduling options. Closeline costs more than an AI only-powered simulation. This is because we train and use human experts for every simulation.

Fully AI-driven simulations available now are working to build themselves over the coming years. Risks include: inaccurate training, inhuman training, user frustration and non-commitment, wasted time, failed execution during scheduled training, legal/compliance issues and financial penalties (see their disclaimers!), risk of inappropriate certifications, lack of accountability, risk of lost sales, and as a result, patients not receiving the treatments they need.

How is Closeline able to scale with so many clients?

Our partner, Mursion, provides these services for companies including Starbucks, Google, H&R Block call centers, T-Mobile, Ford, Salesforce, etc. The platform, staffing, and all processes have built-in abilities to adapt to the size of the demand.

How can a Simulation Specialist know enough to be an effective rehearsal partner?

Our simulation specialists go through a 3-week training and certification process for each scenario they are assigned to deliver. They are educators, training specialists, actors, and professionals who have been thoroughly vetted, highly trained, and are constantly overseen in the quality assurance process by review of a minimum of 10% of calls.

We train the specialists for the scenarios that are written specifically for and with each client. Rigorous scripted guidance and options, catch phrases, pathways, rubrics, compliance reminders, goals of the scenarios, and much more are provided throughout the training and certification of the simulation specialists.

What is the satisfaction rating on this platform?

We know how important it is to take the temperature of your sales force after any training touch point. We gather reaction data from participants as well as asking them to share comments about how they will apply what they learned when they are in the field. We also collect data from the simulation specialist to learn about learner successes in applying each strategy.

Sample Reaction Data:

How likely is it that you would recommend the simulations to a friend or colleague?

4% Detractors 62% Promoters n=448

● Net Promoter Score = 58. Which is excellent!

● Promoters and detractors agree that the simulations were realistic.

● Most learners overcame apprehension about simulations and enjoyed the experience

● Learners wanted more scenarios and more feedback.

Reaction Ratings/Comments

10 "SUPER Awesome!" (178)

9 "I wish I had had this type of training earlier in my career. Very useful. Thanks!"

Excellent experience, felt so real (100)

8 "The debrief could be a little longer and more personal" (113)

7 "Less scary than I thought" (39)

0 "Extremely weird talking to avatars" (2)

Sample Learning Data:

Did you learn something in the simulation that you can and will use in your regular day-to-day work?

“Yes” n=412 (91%)

“Somewhat” n=37

“No” n=3

9 in 10 learned new skills they can apply on the job

Comments:

“Breathe, Pause, Engage… before answering heated topics. And remember not everything is about me…”

“Even without knowing all the facts I can ask the right questions and help”

Sample Behavior Data

Success in applying each strategy was assessed by SimS: How well was this strategy applied?

Did the Learner approach the scenario as an ally to the avatar? Yes 91%, No 9%

Did the Learner ask open-ended questions to learn more about the situation? Yes 36%, Partial 45%, No 18%

Did the Learner propose solutions or perspectives that take all parties into consideration? Yes 91%, No 9%

Did the Learner secure agreement?

Yes 18%, No 82%

Why do I need to schedule a call?

Closeline now has options for “Join Now” calls during windows of time selected by the client and is currently undergoing beta testing for On Demand calls. These options are client and contract-specific. To keep client costs down, we recommend scheduled calls. Remember that these are live humans you are interacting with, and Closeline must maintain availability 24/7 for On Demand options.

How many times can a user practice a call?

Users can practice as often as unlimited based on the client contract.

Will sessions be recorded?
Calls can be recorded with permission from the client. If the client’s Compliance team is comfortable with recording sessions, Closeline highly recommends this option. This approach allows sessions to be reviewed by the learner, managers, or any other internal stakeholders who may be interested. This also allows learners to review suggested additional learning materials and reference where and how to implement the learnings.

What does Closeline know about Pharma sales training?

Our team has decades of experience designing and executing sales training at all stages of a sales representative’s tenure and the lifecycle of a drug. We’ve all worked across countless disease states with big pharma and small biotech companies. We understand the processes, medical/legal/compliance guardrails as well as the demanding timelines. We know Pharma.

Supportive Data

Bailenson et al. (2006). The effect of behavioral realism and form realism of real-time avatar faces on verbal disclosure, nonverbal disclosure, emotion recognition, and copresence in dyadic interaction. Journal of Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 15, 4, August 2006, 359 - 372