The best businesses make their customers’ lives easier—not harder.
And it’s no secret that most patients value convenience.
Take a look at your pharmacy from your patients’ perspective. If using your pharmacy is too much work, you might lose patients to more convenient competitors.
Simplify the patient experience. Try these seven strategies to make your pharmacy the best—and easiest—option for your patients.
7 Tips to Make Your Pharmacy More Convenient
1. Offer digital refills
Digital refills allow patients to refill a prescription anytime, anywhere.
A patient can refill his prescription through your pharmacy’s website or mobile app, which streamlines the refill process.
And, many digital refill platforms offer medication reminders and management profiles. These help patients request and receive refills on time.
2. Set convenient hours
Inconvenient store hours can drive patients away.
For example, if you’re only open during traditional work hours, you’ll lose customers who can’t leave the office.
Make your pharmacy more convenient by opening early or staying open late day or two each week. That way patients can drop by before or after work to pick up their prescriptions.
If there’s a demand for it, consider adding a few extra weekend hours to make using your pharmacy even easier.
3. Offer delivery and drive-thru services
Provide convenience for busy or homebound patients by offering prescription delivery. You can charge a nominal delivery fee for delivery service or offer the service free-of-charge.
You can also add a drive-thru service so patients can pick up their prescriptions without getting out of their vehicles.
If remodeling your pharmacy to include a drive-thru isn’t feasible, offer curbside pickup instead.
These services will help you compete with national chain pharmacies. (You won’t find a national chain pharmacy without a drive-thru.)
4. Start a medication synchronization program
Medication synchronization allows patients to pick up all of their medication refills on a single day each month.
Make your pharmacy more convenient by implementing a med sync program at your pharmacy. It will make life easier for patients who take multiple medications or who live busy lifestyles.
Patients can visit your pharmacy once a month to pick up everything they need.
5. Speed up the checkout process
If you don’t streamline your checkout experience, you’ll likely lose valuable business.
The last thing patients want to do is stand around at your pharmacy for 15 minutes waiting to check out.
Ways to improve the checkout experience at your pharmacy:
- Use an efficient point-of-sale (POS) system
- Make it easy to open new registers
- Offer modern payment methods
- Provide a seated waiting area
6. Offer immunizations
Patients are always looking for ways to save time.
And, you can save patients the time and hassle of visiting the doctor’s office by offering immunizations at your pharmacy.
Immunizations your pharmacy can offer include:
- Influenza
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis)
- Zostavax® (Shingles)
- Pneumococcal
- Meningococcal
Take it a step further by co-administering vaccines. For example, ask a qualified patient if she would like to receive the shingles vaccine today along with the flu shot.
Patients can receive multiple vaccines in one visit, rather than having to come back and go through the painful process again.
7. Improve your workflow
An efficient pharmacy workflow system allows your pharmacy to fill more prescriptions at a faster pace.
Which means your patients can expect shorter wait times and receive better service.
For example, Summers Pharmacy, an independent community pharmacy with five locations in western Missouri, uses a streamlined workflow system designed around stations. The system allows employees to prioritize, fill and organize prescriptions more effectively.
Tips to improve your pharmacy’s workflow:
- Take advantage of your pharmacy management software
- Eliminate excess paperwork
- Use pharmacy automation equipment
- Assign each employee a specific task to complete
- Organize prescriptions more effectively, such as with color-coordination
When you make your pharmacy more convenient, patients will thank you with their business.
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