Are your employees—and your pharmacy—ready for the busier months ahead?
As the seasons change and the holidays approach, you may see an increase in business at your independent community pharmacy. Now’s the time to take measures to ensure your employees are ready to handle what’s ahead.
Here are five ways your employees can help guarantee that your pharmacy has a smooth transition into the fall and winter seasons.
Know which products are in high demand
Colder weather means an increase in patients experiencing allergies, catching a cold or getting the flu.
And, many over-the-counter (OTC) products will be in high demand, as patients look for items that will give them relief.
Make employees aware of which products to pay attention to in your front end, so they can steer patients in the right direction and make recommendations.
In-demand products may include:
- Cold and flu medication
- Allergy medication
- Cough drops and throat lozenges
- Tissues
- Lotions and lip balm
Be aware of holiday hours
If your pharmacy plans to have shortened or lengthened holiday hours, give your employees advance notice.
Employees need to know if their shifts will be longer—or shorter—so they can make adjustments to their schedules.
Additionally, your employees need to be able to remind customers of the change in hours, so they don’t miss out on picking up the medications they need.
Prepare for busy days
The fall and winter holiday seasons tend to be busier in general, but some days are more chaotic than others. With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and the holidays all approaching, employees need to be prepared for an increase in business.
If your pharmacy plans to host sales, your employees should know which items the sales apply to. They also need to be prepared to give recommendations and help patients find certain products. Employees should also keep your pharmacy organized and operating as efficiently as possible.
More patients may come in to pick up medications around the holidays, especially if your store will be closing for a few days or if they need to stock up before traveling.
Make sure pharmacy and non-pharmacy employees are ready to field the influx of patients, so people don’t have to wait in long lines and pharmacists are still available to answer questions.
Provide excellent customer service
Customer service is always important, especially at your independent community pharmacy.
Because you value the relationships you have with your patients, it’s important to go the extra mile to provide excellent customer service.
As the seasons change, give your employees a refresher on customer service. The hustle and bustle of the holidays shouldn’t get in the way of keeping your patients happy to ensure they come back.
It’s also beneficial to review how employees should handle situations in which patients are dissatisfied or have a bad experience.
Assist with Medicare Open Enrollment
With fall and winter also comes Medicare Open Enrollment, which begins Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7.
Medicare can be confusing for some people to understand, so it’s important that your pharmacy employees can answer patients’ questions in order to make navigating Medicare Part D coverage easier.
Make sure pharmacy employees are aware of Open Enrollment, and that pharmacists are prepared to assist patients who need help understanding their options.
Check out these five tips to boost front-end holiday sales.
