ZS, a professional services firm specializing in healthcare and life sciences, has outlined a new framework for improving collaboration between sponsors and clinical research sites through a site-centric customer relationship management (CRM) model. Clinical trial operations today
ZS proposes a shift from a trial-focused to a site-focused model, where sponsors use a “Site 360” view to consolidate data on performance, preferences, recruitment capacity, and past interactions. This approach allows sponsors to reduce friction, align strategies, and build more reliable long-term partnerships.
The framework includes three pivots: developing a comprehensive site profile, enabling teams to drive long-term engagement strategies, and using an agent-enabled site CRM to orchestrate interactions. Artificial intelligence agents support this system by analyzing sentiment, identifying barriers, recommending next-best actions, and automating workflows to improve efficiency.
With these components, ZS highlights that each interaction between a sponsor and a site is now more purposeful, better connected, and delivers greater impact. Over time, this strategy could link research more closely to standard healthcare, improve trial outcomes, and position sponsors as trusted, long-term collaborators.