Merck & Co. Inc. uses an information system called Merlin to manage customer relationship data from IMS and support decision making across various departments. Merlin collects third party data costing $20 million annually, loads it into an Oracle database, and generates reports using a MicroStrategy support tool. Key data includes hospital performance, market activity, and sales plan information. The system is used by executives, supply chain, accounting, marketing, and sales management to aid pricing, inventory, and strategic advantage decisions.
4. Business Goals and Objectives
• “The mission of Merck is to provide
society with superior products and
services by developing innovations and
solutions that improve the quality of life
and satisfy customer needs, and to
provide employees with meaningful work
and advancement opportunities, and
investors with a superior rate of return”
6. The Merlin Sequence
Data purchased from IMS
Data loaded on to Oracle
Database
Users use decision support tool
to form reports
Reports are sent to various
departments for decision making
7. Merlin
• Third Party Data Collection through IMS
– Costs $20 million per year.
• Data Collected includes
– “HCP [Hospital Casemix Protocol]
performance data
– market data
– activity data
– plan data
• Uses a reporting tool to form reports and
8. Merlin
• Uses a Microsoft OS
• Oracle Database and DBMS
• MicroStrategies vendor for the support
tool
• Much of the system was customized in
house.
• One of many complex systems Merck
uses.
9. Utilization of the CRM
Executives
Supply Chain
Accounting Marketing Sales
Management
10. IS and Strategic Advantage
• Pricing • Uniqueness
– Inventory – Patents
– Storage – Secrets
– Waste
– Usefulness
– Transport
– Generics
– Theft
– Development Cost
– Damage
– Cost of Inventory – Research
– Ability to relocate? – FDA Approval
12. “The Merlin CRM is what engulfs this whole process and makes the whole
thing work.”
• Sources:
– Eileen Moyer. Email Interview
– Merck.com/about/mission/html
– Merck.com/merckhelps/
