Understanding When the Risk is Worth it

When I was in elementary school, I got the chicken-pox. My mother was well prepared with all of the traditional remedies but had determined that the best way for all of us to say sane would be to keep me busy. So instead of yelling at me to stop scratching, she started teaching me how to sew, bribing me with special fabric to make a very pink tote bag to haul my ballet gear to and from class. Ballet didn’t last for very long, but my love of sewing grew and eventually became a passion for all things DIY.

So no surprise that I’m a little obsessed with many of the DIY focused competition shows. Everything from crafting & sewing to baking. While every challenge is different, and every competitor has a different take on that challenge, all of these shows have one common theme. Someone who steps outside of their comfort zone is much more likely to succeed than someone who played it safe, no matter the amount of skill that they demonstrated.

But in real life, are risks really worth the reward? It’s one thing to try something different when you’re baking a cake. The worst thing that can happen is you have to throw it out and start over. Some wasted time and materials, but not generally world ending stuff. If you take the wrong risk in your pharmacy, it may have far reaching consequences. This fear of failure often makes it seem smarter to leave things as they are rather than making a leap and trying something new. But while reality TV doesn’t often reflect reality, in this one thing, they have it right. A calculated risk can pay off big time. But how do you know when it’s time to leap and which direction is the best?

Establish your need –There’s nothing quite like buyers remorse. And it’s really the last thing you want to experience if you make a big investment in your pharmacy business, like purchasing a new point-of-sale system. So look before you leap. Talk to your current provider about your concerns. If you’re switching pharmacy system vendors, does your current provider have an integration with the new vendor that you can use rather than starting from scratch with 2 new systems? Can you add new functionality to your existing system that will help your pharmacy function more efficiently? Will some refresher training help? Remember that you don’t always have to throw out everything to make a meaningful change.

Evaluate your options – While a bit of caution is advisable, too much can put you right back where you started: frustrated and stuck in a rut. So if you feel like it’s time to make a change, don’t hold back. Start evaluating what options are out there. Knowing what you’re missing out on can be a big motivator and help make taking that next big step so much easier. Check out these 12 steps for evaluating a pharmacy point-of-sale purchase and these 3 big factors to keep in mind as you make your decision.

Listen to others – In the world of pharmacy technology, making changes doesn’t have to mean you’re on your own. Find out what your peers are saying. Look for customer testimonials and transparency with any business you’re considering working with.

Focus on innovation – You can be innovative in the services you provide and offer unique products, but being backed by a technology provider that can support those goals makes everything so much easier. Let the technology innovations offered by your point-of-sale provider inspire you to try something new.