Many pharmacy owners strive to keep up with the numerous technological developments that have occurred in their industry over the past several years. Customers in the low-tech age group who frequent your Rx pharmacy may complicate your efforts to keep up with technology.
Pharmacists’ elderly customers often ignore technological developments, so they don’t appreciate the technological changes pharmacy owners make in their businesses. As the demographics of consumers change, there is no time like the present for pharmacy owners to embrace technology to optimize their businesses.Consider adding these easy-to-use automation methods to your Rx pharmacy to improve your workflow, efficiency, and overall customer experience.
Technology Provides Convenience
Younger generations prefer to use technology for, well… just about everything – including pharmaceutical needs. Therefore, to attract and retain this growing body of customers, pharmacists need to cater more to tech-savvy age groups as the demographics of their customers shift. Millennials – individuals who were born between the early 1980s to the early 2000s – tend to appreciate newer technological features that make purchases more convenient.Mobile applications are one example of the conveniences pharmacists can offer their customers through technology.Mobile apps not only provide a convenient way to add a layer of privacy for customers, but they can also help pharmacists build their businesses. Apps allow pharmacy owners to market their business and communicate with their customers in a way that was almost unimaginable fifteen years ago. Apps can reach a wide audience because so many people carry a smartphone at all times. Pharmacy Times reports that 90% of cellphone users say they “frequently” carry their phones with them.If someone wishes to make a purchase at a Rx pharmacy, he may pull out his phone and check to see if the pharmacy offers an app. The customer can download the app in seconds, find the desired brand, and purchase the product to pick up at the earliest convenience. More convenience means more sales, which makes pharmacy apps are a resource that benefits everyone.
Technology Reduces Human Error
Despite the skill it takes to run a pharmacy, owners of pharmacies are only human. Pharmacists can use automated machines to improve accuracy and efficiency, save time, and reduce the risk of error. Automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are one of the resources pharmacists may use to reduce errors at their businesses. ADCs allow a computer system to regulate how drugs are stored, distributed, and tracked. Pharmacies that use ADCs report reduced errors in all of these areas.
Automated dispensary robots also provide systematic benefits, including increased speed and efficiency for dispensing drugs. According to the Journal of mHealth, the Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust reported a 50 percent reduction of dispensing errors in four months after implementing a pharmacy robot. Plus, customers’ preferences for drug dispensing systems are increasing significantly.
Technology Increases Efficiency in Your Rx Pharmacy
Some developments in the pharmaceutical world may not be as accessible as mobile apps. However, technological resources like a Pharmacy Information System (PIS) may be just as useful for pharmacists. A PIS maintains the supply and organization of drugs in order to manage the medication process. The system allows pharmacists to efficiently store a wide variety of information. Pharmacy Information Systems are known to simplify data entry and save pharmacists’ time in the process.Many pharmacies rely on a PIS to efficiently distribute medicine to meet their specific needs. Pharmacists are encouraged to experiment with the flexible system in order to find what works best for them.A PIS, like other technological resources in the pharmacy industry, provides tools to make the Rx pharmacy business more convenient for business owners and their customers. Are you ready to take a step toward the future? Which automation system would be most beneficial to your business and your customers? If you need help bringing your pharmacy into the technological age, visit our exceptional list of PCA vendor partners who can help.