If you’re having trouble finding ways to improve your pharmacy, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by huge projects. While you might think that big changes can boost sales, bring new patients into your store and improve your bottom line, focusing on small adjustments can have an effect that’s just as large.
Making improvements to your business doesn’t have to be a time-consuming, expensive endeavor. Here are seven easy improvements you can make to your pharmacy in an hour or less.
1. Straighten up your front end
Take an hour to look at your pharmacy from your patients’ point-of-view. Straighten your shelves, remove any stray boxes in your aisles and just work on the general tidiness of your pharmacy. Remove expired products from your shelves, and make sure that shelved products are organized in a logical manner, so patients can easily find them. Do cleaning tasks that you might not typically prioritize, such as dusting and cleaning your shelves, washing your windows or sweeping your floors.
2. Rearrange your waiting area
Take an hour to improve your patients’ waiting experience. You could move chairs around to open up your waiting area, put in a patient education center with informational brochures and posters, or update the stack of magazines you have for patients to read with more current issues. (Need more tips? Try these waiting area improvements.)
3. Check on your storefront
It’s easy to forget about the aesthetics of your storefront when you’re inside all day. But the outside appearance of your store affects patients’ impressions of your pharmacy. Take an hour to clear any litter from your entryway and parking lot, make sure all your signs and lighting are working and that your window signage is up-to-date and visible from the street.
4. Go over your numbers
If you aren’t already tracking your pharmacy’s business metrics, you should consider doing it now. Take an hour to review your pharmacy’s numbers or meet with your accountant to get an update on your pharmacy’s financial health. This can help you identify problem areas to focus more on in the future.
5. Hold a training session
Take an hour to focus on your employees. Hold a training session to go over your policies and procedures, to talk about any new products or services you’re offering, and to set business priorities and best practices. Or, take an hour to talk to your employees about making OTC product recommendations or upselling your pharmacy’s services.
6. Catch up with employees and patients
Relationships are one of the most important aspects of your business. Set aside an hour to focus on greeting your patients, chatting with your employees and interacting with your front-end shoppers. Ask employees for ideas on how to improve your pharmacy, and talk to patients about what new products they’d like to see on your shelves or new services they would take advantage of.
7. Update your social media
Today, your online presence is just as important as your pharmacy’s storefront. Spend an hour working on meaningful content for your pharmacy’s social media pages and website. Search the news for interesting health articles to share with your patients, or write your own blog post about a similar topic. Respond to patients’ online inquiries and comments, and google your pharmacy to check your online visibility.
A small change can make a big difference. Devote an hour every day or every week to these or related activities, and you’ll see how easy it is to make your business better.
