What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You

A few weeks ago when I was shopping for Mothers Day cards, I ran across one that said something to the effect of “Dear mom, sorry for all the awful stuff I did when I was growing up. If it helps, you only knew about half of it.” While this elicited a smile, I couldn’t help but think that if my kids ever got me a card like that, I’d just spend the rest of my days worrying about all the things I didn’t know.

It’s no surprise that what we don’t know actually can hurt us. The things we don’t know can cause us to waste time, make uninformed decisions, and lead to costly mistakes. That’s why when you purchase a new pharmacy point-of-sale system you take the time to get to know it. You watch demos, read all the literature, and participate in training sessions.

But over time, things change. New regulations come into play, the needs of your business shift, you experience staff turnover, and new features become available in your POS system. So that system that you, or someone on your team, once knew inside and out becomes an unknown entity, even perhaps a source of frustration. So what do you do about it? Do you have to start from scratch? Sometimes that might be the answer, but before you do, check out these 3 ways to increase your knowledge and understanding for a more profitable and productive pharmacy.

Training – It isn’t just for beginners. Every pharmacy should consider having refresher training every once in a while. Whether you’re just looking at things from a new perspective, familiarizing new staff with your pharmacy technology scheme, or catching up with all the changes that have likely occurred since “go live”, training represents an incredibly valuable opportunity.

Media – Does your point-of-sale partner offer a blog, documentation library,or other learning resource, like a customer center or knowledge base? If they do, then use it to the fullest extent you can. Even social media can be a good way to keep track of new features and updates from your technology providers. You never know what tidbit you’ll find that will help you run a more successful pharmacy business.

Collaboration – What you don’t know about your pharmacy technology may impact how effective the POS solution is. Additionally, what your technology partners doesn’t know or understand about your needs and frustrations will limit their ability to help you. Talk about what you don’t understand.  Let them know if you’ve had key staff turnover. If you’re not sure what resources are available, just ask them. A quick conversation might just make all the difference.

If you’re looking for resources at RMS, you can find our complete history of blog articles and our full library containing e-books and whitepapers on our website. RMS customers can also access documentation and support tools through our Customer Center. And if you ever need more, RMS customer or not, we’re here to help you find the right solution.

P.S. In case you’re wondering, I didn’t buy that particular card for my mom. I’m still partially convinced that she does have eyes in the back of her head.