The pharmaceutical industry is booming. It’s reported that 48.5% of Americans have used at least one prescription drug in the past 30 days, which means nearly half the country is expecting frequent, speedy, reliable, and efficient service at their local pharmacy. Pharmacy point-of-sales (POS) software is streamlining the pharmaceutical business by making transactions quicker and more patient-friendly. Here are the five biggest reasons your local pharmacy needs a pharmacy point of sale system.
Organization. POS software keeps accurate data of each prescription filled, allowing pharmacists to access transaction records quickly and easily. It also allows them to manage gift cards, coupons, and loyalty programs, which makes it easier to keep track of the success of those programs. With POS software, everything you need regarding patient transactions is in one place and easily accessible for when you need it.
Speed. With organization comes speed, but that’s not the only way POS makes customer service faster. Each pharmacy point of sale system comes with electronic signature capturing and integrated credit card swiping, which eliminates a lot lengthy steps in the payment process and allows you to go paperless (the days of changing receipt paper in the middle of a transaction are over). They also keep the patient’s signature on file for comparison.
Efficiency. By 2030, people over the age of 65 will account for 20% of the population. Right now, the elderly spend approximately $10 billion each year on prescription drugs and nearly 25% of them take eight or more different medications. Therefore, ringing up prescriptions accurately and efficiently is important, not only for repeat business, but for their health. The same goes for outpatient pharmacies. 10% of hospitalizations result from incorrect medication use, which POS can help solve by having the prescription delivered to the patient’s bedside where he or she can be told how long to take the prescription for and how much of it to take at once.
Revenue. Tracking revenue is easier than ever with a POS system. POS systems provide a real-time detailed report of sales that allows businesses to see what products are being sold and what products are lagging in sales with little to no extra effort. They also allow business to offer more customer loyalty programs and coupons, which are great incentives for people to come to your pharmacy.
Loyalty. If customers are getting reliable service from your business, they’re going to continue coming. And when customers visit a local pharmacist it means they’re keeping money local, which results in more jobs and a higher standard of living for your local area. A POS system could make your pharmacy the most highly-reccomended pharmacy in town, not only by making the customer service process easier, but by making it even more personal. POS allows you to record information about each customer, including reactions they may have to any medications, so that in the future you can have that on file. Because pharmaceuticals is not only about money or getting people in and out as quickly as possible, it’s about helping people.
When customers see that you care, it makes them feel good about your business, and that’s what POS for pharmacy aims to accomplish. To purchase a pharmacy point of sale system, you can search online for the best system to fit your needs. Many companies offer free trials so you can see what POS can do for your business without any cost.