4 Key Strengths of Pharmacy POS

Everyone has their own strengths. For example, mine include the perfect soft & chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie and stepping on Lego pieces without uttering any expletives out loud.  

Of course, we all have our professional strengths, too. Whatever they might be, these are the work-related things we know we’re the best at and make us feel the best about ourselves. These varying strengths amongst your pharmacy staff can be nurtured to produce a team that not only feels professionally fulfilled but operates efficiently and provides excellent customer service.  

But what about the things that nobody wants to do? These might be tasks that are tedious, time consuming, or just plain unpleasant. It's not that your team is bad at doing them, or that they're particularly hard to do - they're just not enjoyable and they suck the life out of a day. And no amount of coffee can make up for it. 

While we don’t have a solution for dusting the shelves or mopping the floors, there are tools out there that can help alleviate the burden of other less savory and time-consuming tasks in your pharmacy. Choosing the right tools for this is just as important as choosing the right employee for a responsibility - they must be right for the job. 

As a point-of-sale company, it’s our job to think about the role our system plays in each pharmacy. If our system were an employee, what are the unique strengths it would bring to your business? There are dozens of activities that a good pharmacy point-of-sale system supports and simplifies every day. Many of them are encompassed in these 4 key strengths.  

1. Data 

Your POS system is the only system in your pharmacy that houses information on every single transaction processed - making it your most valuable data resource. And when this data is easily accessible, it takes away the burden of having to track it down.

You should be able to easily source granular data on the products you sell, your margins, inventory turns, gross profit return on investment (GPROI), and more. You shouldn't have to manually pull together information for your accountant or use gut instincts to decide which departments are worth keeping and which should be downsized.

While we can't automate the decisions for you, we can make sure you have access to the data you need to make an informed decision. Data is a powerful tool, and there's no better team member to keep track of it all than your POS system. 

2. Accuracy

All of that data isn't any good unless it's accurate. Now, there's certainly a human element to this. You have to create a solid foundation and conduct routine maintenance to ensure that inventory counts are correct or the cash in the drawer matches what the system says should be there. However, a good POS can take away a good portion of your margin for error in many things.

Regular file loads from your wholesaler and vendors will give you an accurate cost in the system. An accurate cost means pricing that matches your target margins and better information about your profitability. Correct pricing in the POS, paired with shelf labels generated by the same system, means that the price on the shelf will match the price the customer sees. Integrated payment processing means that there's no margin for error with collecting credit card payments, and that cash payments are tracked for balancing, too. Plus, there's the patient safety portion of accuracy. Date of birth verification, additional prescriptions available for pickup, prompts for IDs on controlled substances and hard stops where they need to be - these are all examples of what a good POS system can automate for you.

Quality and accuracy do depend on what you put in, but once you've set the gears to spinning, you shouldn't ever have to reinvent the wheel. 

3. Interface

Your POS system should be an expert at interfacing. With your customers - who experience interaction as they check out, receive counselling, discuss nutrient depletion recommendations, and provide payment. With your employees - who not only rely on the system to provide a clean, easy-to-use experience both at the register and behind the scenes, but also benefit greatly from those hard stops for required counselling, collecting IDs, and prompts to discuss customer loyalty or potentially beneficial supplements.

And, most importantly, your POS system should be an expert at interfacing with other systems. It should be a true team player, allowing you to select the pharmacy management system that best meets your needs, the credit card processor that can give you the best rates, and receive/send data to other key vendor partners. 

4. Flexibility

Flexibility is a unique strength. It's one that many people believe they have but can often use a little work.

When it comes to POS, don't be fooled by the solid computer sitting on your counter. It should be flexible. As your pharmacy changes and grows, your needs will also change. A good POS system is designed to grow with you.

After all, if you expect your employees to grow and improve year over year, why would you expect any less from a system that you invest in, depend on, and use every day?