Why Clinical Trial Sponsors are Enhancing their Site-Facing Capabilities Strategy in 2025

Clinical trials are evolving rapidly, and sponsors are recognizing the critical importance of enhancing their site-facing capabilities. In 2025, sponsors are increasingly prioritizing strategies that address operational inefficiencies, mitigate risks, and amplify research capacity. Here’s why this shift is crucial:

Clinical sites face increasing complexity in protocols and heightened administrative burdens. According to Florence’s 2024 State of the Site report, key processes such as Data and Document Collection (11 hrs/week), Startup Tasks (10 hrs/week), and Enrollment Management significantly delay studies and increase risks.

Further complicating site operations is the variability in technology adoption. For example, while 78% of North American cancer centers report having eISF/eReg systems, many other global sites either use different technologies or none at all. This fragmentation creates operational bottlenecks, increases administrative burdens, and negatively impacts research capacity, compliance, and trial timelines.

These operational inefficiencies cost sponsors heavily. Delays in clinical trial timelines can cost between $600,000 and $8 million per day, highlighting the urgency of streamlined operations.

Historically, sponsors imposed cumbersome software systems on sites, exacerbating operational burdens. The emerging trend that continues in 2025 focuses on a site-first approach, emphasizing intuitive, purpose-built solutions that enhance site efficiency and engagement rather than complicate it. Florence’s SiteLink exemplifies this strategy, providing API-driven connectivity, flexible integrations, and a superior user experience preferred by sites already familiar with its ecosystem.

Early indications suggest that enhancing site-facing capabilities is rapidly becoming a priority among top pharmaceutical sponsors. We’ve already received several RFPs from Top 50 pharma companies in 2025 specifically for these capabilities.

Our own adoption metrics underline this trend:

• Average electronic signatures per customer increased to 946 in Jan-Feb 2025, up from 388 in 2024—a significant indication of digital workflow adoption.
• Documents exchanged on average per customer rose to 7,531 in Jan-Feb 2025, compared to 3,308 in 2024, demonstrating accelerated study startup and close-out operations between sites and sponsors.
• Active users per customer rose from 87 in 2024 to 151 in 2025, highlighting expanded roles and deeper integration across sponsor-site workflows.
• Average document views per customer increased to 6,097 in Jan-Feb 2025, up significantly from 3,290 in the previous year, indicating greater reliance on remote monitoring and digital document review processes.

Sponsors investing in these capabilities are achieving measurable outcomes:

• Accelerating Operations:
  • Sponsors using Florence’s automation tools reduced study startup timelines, with sites improving document cycle times by at least 40%..
  • Pfizer activated 100% of sites remotely across 2,600+ locations during COVID-19, maintaining trial continuity, and has since scaled its operations with Florence.
• Mitigating Risks:
  • A top 5 Pharma successfully retained 90% of trial patients in Ukraine post-invasion by rapidly shifting to remote workflows, and has since scaled Florence across their portfolio.
  • Automated document distribution reduced administrative workload by over 3,000 hours annually, significantly enhancing compliance and audit readiness for another Top 5 pharma.
• Increasing Capacity:
  • A leading CRO improved CRA monitoring capacity by twice as many sites per week by leveraging Florence’s SiteLink.
• Reducing Costs:
  • Florence’s platform demonstrates an estimated 25.7% reduction in costs for document management and monitoring activities, saving approximately $2.2 million over a 36-month study with 100 sites.
• Enhancing Sustainability:
  • Adoption of site enablement platforms reduces carbon emissions by 37.4%, significantly cutting environmental impact through reduced travel and paper use.

Sponsors aiming to execute successful global trials must have a comprehensive strategy that seamlessly integrates with technologically advanced sites and empowers those lacking such capabilities. The urgency of this need, combined with demonstrable returns in operational speed, reduced risk, increased capacity, cost savings, and environmental sustainability, makes now the ideal moment for sponsors to invest in robust, intuitive, and flexible site-facing capabilities.

Florence’s expert team is actively supporting sponsors in selecting optimal capabilities and providing insights into best practices adopted by leading industry peers. Enhancing site-facing capabilities is no longer optional—it is foundational to successful clinical trial execution in 2025 and beyond.