Point of sale systems enable pharmacy staff to work more efficiently, delivering better, faster service to pharmacy customers along the way. But beyond speed and convenience, there are several trends in POS systems that your pharmacy – and your customers – can further benefit from:
Harnessing the power big data
From loyalty cards to coupons and other redemptions, pharmacy point of sale systems from companies like Retail Management Solutions can be a rich source of essential data about your customers. These large data sets can help you uncover and identify trends and patterns that were previously impossible or too expensive to access and leverage.
For instance, when you know which diseases your customers are trying to manage, along with possible drug interactions and contraindications, medication adherence percentages, and high-alert medications, you can better meet the needs of customers and the demands of health insurance companies. Further, as pharmacists are trusted patient health providers, big data can help you forge stronger ties with your customers. In turn, this information can help your pharmacy boost sales and drive customer retention.
Cloud-based is here to stay
Point of sale systems provide a variety of useful data and benefits. However, in the past, maintaining them could be a hassle, from expensive upgrades to software glitches.
Enter the cloud-based systems. These reduce the heavy upfront costs for pharmacies and enable them to manage their own POS upgrades, reducing issues and downtimes associated with more traditional systems. As a result, the costs associated with the technology are more predictable. In addition, data is more easily accessible across various devices.
Moving to mobile
It used to be that all pharmacy transactions took place at the register. Not today with mobile technology. In fact, mobile POS systems can help you leverage the power of a tablet or smartphone so you can assist customers with pricing questions right in an aisle and accept payments from anywhere in your store. You can even send them electronic receipts of their transactions.
This helps in a variety of ways, from eliminating long lines at pharmacy checkout to improving the customer experience. It also enables your pharmacy staff to better inform customers and can help drive faster purchasing decisions.
There’s an app for that
Beyond improving point-of-sale transactions in your pharmacy with mobile systems, there’s another vehicle for enhancing the customer experience: apps, which can often integrate with more comprehensive point of sale systems. According to reports, 54% of consumers use apps while shopping in order to compare prices and find the best deals. And you want to ensure they’re using your app during the process.
In terms of pharmacies, an app can help you enhance your services by offering customers the ability to easily request refills and transfer prescriptions, as well as review prescription status and history. Apps can even contain pill reminders and information that can be exported to share with a customer’s healthcare providers. It’s just another way your pharmacy can become a useful tool in a patient’s medical arsenal.
Payment security: Always an issue
According to reports, credit card fraud cost the U.S. $7.9 billion in 2014 alone. And that number continues to climb steadily. The move to EMV – or the chip – is supposed to help combat these kinds of statistics. But payment security will still continue to be a hot topic and important issue in year ahead.
Trends will come and go. But pharmacy point of sale systems are here to stay – and have become an essential component to the industry, dramatically changing the way pharmacies do business. The good news? These systems can help increase your involvement in patient care, cutting costs and helping to improve outcomes along the way.