We are now one week in to 2020 and I’m sure your New Year's resolutions are already starting to fade. With this in mind we thought we would put together four quick tips to improve your pharmacy organisation in 2020 that once implemented won’t fade.
1. Embrace innovation and technology
The first one is a broad but simple tip, embrace new technology and ideas. How often does someone pitch an idea or a new software platform to you which guarantees to save you time or money? Often when these bold claims are made they are met with a certain amount of negativity, but what if a solution came along that really could cut your admin time in half? Or reduce human error?
Whether it’s a new robot that increases dispensing efficiency or a workforce management platform that allows you to manage your staff more efficiently, make 2020 the year you are more open to new ideas. The trick is to set goals for whatever product you implement and regularly measure if the product is meeting those goals.
2. Find out what your patients actually want
If you are an independent pharmacy offering a range of additional services for your patients could have a whole host of benefits. Many independent pharmacies now offer podiatry and reflexology, as well as yellow fever centres that accept GP referrals and private business. These ideas all come from customer questionnaires - it’s amazing what ideas and services can be set up off the back of customer feedback.
The benefits of running an independent pharmacy is that you can be adaptable to changing customer needs and this creates a long lasting sustainable relationship.
3. Modernise your advertising
As with the last tip, it’s extremely important to get the right message out to your potential customers. Pharmacies tend to favour traditional methods of advertising and marketing such as leafleting and even radio advertisements but often digital advertising is much more cost effective and targeted.
As an example of this, if your pharmacy already has established social channels such as Facebook you can quite easily set up social advertisements targeting potential customers. If you are offering Flu Jabs you can set up a social post advertising this and target it to people who are located within a ten mile radius of your pharmacy. This way you are not wasting money advertising to people who would never be able to walk through your doors.
If you would like more information on this feel free to send us a message or comment on this blog.
4. Streamline processes
Rethinking your pharmacy’s workflow or processes can make your day-to-day procedures more innovative. Look for ways to reduce the chance for error, improve the patient experience and increase efficiency. Although this sounds simple, sometimes just taking some time and documenting what you currently do and how you can improve could make a huge difference for both staff and customers.
Hopefully these four tips will help you start 2020 off on the right foot. If you would like more information on anything mentioned in this blog post please do not hesitate to contact us directly by emailing info@locatealocum.com or simply comment on this article.