Increasingly, the pharmacy market is being driven by online customers who expect convenience and flexibility. One of the fastest-growing segments in the market is online consultations and e-prescriptions, which offer major advantages for both pharmacists and patients.
Customers are moving towards online pharmacies for several reasons. Having the freedom to book online saves time, provides more choice, facilitates better decision making and eliminates the awkwardness of having to discuss “embarrassing” conditions in a busy chemist. Businesses offering this choice and flexibility have a clear competitive advantage over those who do not, whilst also significantly reducing the time spent on routine administrative tasks.
It’s clear that technology can be transformative for growing pharmacy businesses, but finding the right platform can be a challenge. In this article, we’ll explain the key factors to consider to ensure your new pharmacy management system meets the needs of your growing business and can be deployed as quickly and painlessly as possible.
How to choose a pharmacy management system
Undertake research
The global e-pharmacy market is growing exponentially, so you can expect to have lots of software providers to choose from. When compiling a shortlist of pharmacy management systems, consider the following:
- What are the main features of each pharmacy booking system, and how do they meet the needs of your individual pharmacy?
- What are common pain points in your pharmacy? How can each provider solve your problems and make the business run more efficiently?
- Is ongoing support and training provided?
- Will this new pharmacy management software integrate easily with your existing systems, apps and platforms?
- What are other customers saying? Are online reviews genuine, and favourable?
Ensure it’s future-proof
The pharmacy industry is constantly evolving and responding to external factors like global pandemics, market trends, new technologies, regulatory requirements and medical breakthroughs. In order to respond to changing customer demands and stay competitive, any new pharmacy booking system you implement must be agile, scalable and supported by an innovative team who understand your industry.
Make the transition as easy as possible
Implementing any new software or way of working isn’t easy, especially if your team has been used to doing things a certain way for a long time. Instead of trying to train everyone in-house, your pharmacy can save a significant amount of time and money with the help of a dedicated onboarding team who can provide training, answer any questions and give support when it’s needed.
Put the patient first
For most pharmacies, the biggest driver for moving to online bookings is customer demand, so your new system must be easy for customers to use. Choose a platform that’s user friendly, easy to navigate and allows for seamless online payments.
Why HasHealth?
HasHealth is an end-to-end solution, trusted by pharmacies throughout the UK and Ireland. Our platform has been developed to help pharmacies embrace the power of digitalisation, improve customer satisfaction levels and optimise clinical services, both in-clinic and online.
We have everything you need to manage your virtual and in-clinic appointments in one place, streamline processes and respond to changing demands, creating a win-win solution for you and your customers.
HasHealth integrates easily with your existing systems and the onboarding process, from registering your business to taking your first booking, is usually complete within 5 days. Transforming your pharmacy takes just four steps:
- Register your details, number of locations and provide billing details
- HasHealth Customer Success team sets up your site and shares logins
- All users attend training sessions and are provided with tutorials
- You set up your services, stock levels, staff availability and add booking widgets to your website and you’re ready to go
To find out more about how pharmacy management software can help you connect with customers and grow your business, book a demo with HasHealth today.