Independent pharmacies are businesses that follow typical practices such as strategizing how to retain customers. A study conducted by AccentHealth and Drug Store News found that several issues were important to customers who frequented pharmacies. Of the 745 patients surveyed, some of the important factors for satisfaction included short wait times, cleanliness and adhering to privacy measures. Following are more areas you can concentrate on for making your pharmacy more attractive to your customers.
Offer Home Delivery. It makes sense that pharmacy customers would appreciate home delivery. If you’re sick, and on top of that live by yourself, it might even be a necessity to receive your prescriptions at home. With the prevalence of COVID, this need is even more pressing. At-risk populations might adhere strictly to staying at home and have no other choice but have their prescriptions delivered.
Educate your customers. There are several benefits to patients returning to the same pharmacy to fill their prescriptions. Repeat customers become familiar to pharmacy staff which allows them to more easily identify potentially harmful drug interactions. You can also educate your customers about the importance of providing a complete medication histories for the same purpose. You can use package inserts, signage and social media posts to get the word out about these topics.
Consider pricing options. Programs exist that help you provide better pricing options for your customers. PriceMyPills is an example of this. It has a unique platform that allows for patients to bid their price to allow for the lowest price for the patient. Strategies like this allow pharmacies to stay ahead of current market trends and offer customers something unique. PriceMyPills has the best of both worlds where patients are able to save money on life-saving medications and pharmacies stay in control of the prices they charge.
Running a pharmacy is like running any other kind of business. Without happy customers, you struggle to be successful. Listening to what customers want is one of the most important parts of a pharmacy’s success. Learning why they choose a competitor over you helps you know where your weaknesses are. Starting with the few suggestions above is one place to make changes. Over time, you can alter your services to change with the times and continue to exceed customer expectations. When you do this, they will much less likely consider a competitor over your pharmacy for their needs.
