When you’re in the pharmacy business, it can sometimes be hard to differentiate yourself from the competition. After all, the drugs are the same across the board, and people who need them need them no matter what. There are major ways to make your pharmacy stand out however, and they are organization and service. By far the best way to get head and shoulders above the competition in these two areas is to invest in a POS system for pharmacy transactions.
“What is a POS system?”
POS systems, or “point of sale” systems started out as cash management technology and expanded from there. The best POS for pharmacies now pull double duty as pharmacy software for data management, allowing you to keep more accurate inventory and deal with vendors all in one place. Furthermore, the best POS for pharmacies have easy–to–use front end interfaces that simplify the transaction process. In other words, no more fighting with card swipes, frozen registers, or receipts that take two decades to print.
“Sure this is convenient for us–but can POS systems help attract customers?”
Absolutely. Think about it. When people complain about what goes on at pharmacies, they’re not complaining about the quality of the product–they’re complaining about missing orders, wrong prescriptions, long wait times for rare drugs, and customer service. The best POS for pharmacies have tools to address all these aspects of making a pharmacy run smoothly, which is important for building customer loyalty and keeping you afloat in times of economic downturn.
“Okay I admit this sounds great–but it’s probably only for big pharmacies.”
Not so! POS solutions are highly customizable and are relevant to you whether you own a ten register superstore or a single counter apothecary. Prices also vary, but just remember, if you find yourself hemming and hawing over the cost, think about the potential revenues that could result from updating your systems. New customers not withstanding, an up–to–date POS also decreases the chances for informational security breeches, something that costs pharmacies about $145 per a record on average.
For anyone already on the POS bandwagon, please comment below and talk about your experiences! Or for those of you on the fence, post questions for the POS veterans to answer.
