The customers and patients you serve every day do more for you than just keep your business going – they are also pivotal in bringing in new business via good customer reviews. Now more than ever, when your customers have a stellar (or not-so-stellar) transaction experience with you, they have the opportunity to immediately share their experiences with their family, friends, and their "world" through social media.
When a customer is delighted, it is a golden opportunity to turn them into a promoter of your services. When they are frustrated or disappointed by your service, however, the opposite result can quickly become the case.
So now the question is, "What's one thing that can stand in the way of good customer reviews?" The answer: poor pharmacy workflow.
Causes of Poor Pharmacy Workflow
Poor pharmacy workflow always negatively impacts your customer's overall experience. However, it is generally not one specific thing that slows down your processes and frustrates your customers. Rather, several factors can contribute to poor pharmacy workflow, including:
- Failure to optimize workspaces
- Failure to take advantage of labor-saving technologies
- Failure to let technicians and employees function within their identified roles so that you can focus on customers and patients
- Failure to establish efficiency protocols
- Failure to keep workspaces private from patients and customers
When these and other failures are corrected, the results can be revolutionary to the experiences and responses from your customers.
What Do Your Customers and Patients Want From You?
- Your time
When your workflow is working efficiently, it gives you the free time to have one-on-one interactions with your patients and customers when they come in. This interaction is important; it reinforces their belief that you are willing to invest in their well-being and that they can trust you. - Your knowledge
Doctors know a lot about the medications their patients take but rarely have time to fully explain the benefits, side effects, or possible interactions with other drugs. It's your job to give patients that information, and as a result of an efficient pharmacy workflow, you will have the time to complete this important task effectively. - Your advocacy
You are in a unique position to advocate for your patients when they can't do so for themselves. You can collaborate with other healthcare professionals to determine suitable substitutes for any medications that are contraindicated, for example, and work with your patients to minimize side effects. Few other healthcare professionals are honored with such a key role in their patients' lives.
How to Improve Workflow (and Customer Reviews)
When customers visit your pharmacy, most times it is because they are sick or are in need of a fast solution. Speeding up prescription fills helps ensure that they are able to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Making use of technology and proper protocols to speed up prescription fills helps avoid making your customers wait too long for those prescriptions.
Learning to listen to your staff when they provide feedback on what is working regarding the workflow in your pharmacy is also important. Your team members can provide valuable insights and support when you need it most.
By optimizing your pharmacy workflow, you can spend more time on what's most important – your customers and patients.
