Ready to reap the rewards of compelling pharmacy marketing?

[Nextframe]

How can automated system and process, web design and technology help out in the day to day running of the pharmacy? What would help the pharmacy and the staff deliver more value to the customers.

Where do potential new customers go first to find your products and services? Chances are they look in the same place your existing customers go for convenience and time savings—your website. Whether you’re trying to attract new customers or up sell to current ones, a professionally designed website is a must-have element of today’s marketing mix.

You need to coordinate your information and optimise it for online audiences.

Organise your content, both existing print materials and new content written specifically with your website in mind

Decide what services and products to promote online

Ensure your online presence reinforces your brand and is consistent with your off-line materials

What elements should your website contain?

Prescription refills ... immunisation listings ... wellness screenings ... medication therapy management ... durable medical equipment ... speciality items .... Whatever your pharmacy sells, you can promote online.

You can also include hours of operation, location listings, your history, and other pharmacy facts that can help customers get to know you better—at any time of day or night that’s convenient for them.

Try to build or enhance a website that complements your off-line marketing efforts.

New pharmacy forum home page coming very soon pharmacy forum.jpg

[johnep]

Is this an Advert? Has it been authorised?
johnep

[admin]

Is this an Advert? Has it been authorised?
johnep

John

Yes they are doing me a new front page - what do you think to it?

Elaine

[vanquish s]

I think it looks brilliant. Very well laid out with lots of useful links.

[Nextframe]

Hi

It is not supposed to be an advert.

We are hoping to be able to help pharmacies adopt online presence into the day to day activities.

After reading the “Mcpharmacy posts”, i am determined to try and help any way I can.

I wanted to try and stimulate conversation with regards to technology in the pharmacy environment.

There is no point having a web site that nobody will find in searches and brings little value to the pharmacy owner and more importantly the customers and clients.

I want to find out what web / digital solutions would help? Do people think that they would be too expensive?

If the general consensus of opinion is that we could not do anything to help then so be it.

We also build back end systems that could automate manual processes so i was looking for any problems in this area.

The advert will come soon when we have uploaded the home page and completed the new mobile graphics.

[LeftArm]

At the moment pharmacy is struggling under the weight of so many IT experts offering services and web sites it is becoming dificult to tell the actual code writers and web designers from those who are just retemplating a standard CMS solution like joomla!, Drupal or wordpress.
Everyone is in on the act from disgruntled pharmacists (By pharmacists for pharmacists) to hard up students (web sites for only £25 all in).

All I really want is an advert for bricks and mortar pharmacy with a page for signing up for collection and delivery (nomination for EPS) and a list of services, opening times and contact details. Maybe some links to the NHS direct API.
In the end there will only be a few winners on the internet pharmacy market and they will be the ones who have invested the most time and money. By that I don't mean go and spend loads of money, I mean Boots, Pharmacy2u and chemist direct. LLoyds will probably start catching up but independants won't get a look in.

As for other back end services. We have Pharmabase and Sonar for recording services which means inconsistency between PCT's and rekeying of data already entered into PMR systems. These services would be far more useful if they were standardised and built into PMR software.

[Nextframe]

Thanks for the reply LeftArm

this is exactly the sort of information i was looking for.

Would it be OK to PM you at a later date to talk some more?

Lots to chew on here .... we are web designers and code writers but we have manipulated a template or 2 to be fair. If you need it to happen we can build it ..

So there is a duplication of process from Patient Medical Records and your chosen recording software.

Could this info be parsed in any way with a script to save manual re entry

EPS is Electronic Prescription Service?

I have just been reading this

Pcts To Proactively Monitor Eps Nomination Functionality · News · PSNC

interesting .. i was just finding out what all the acronyms stood for in your post.


BTW are you familiar with the way google is planing to determin search results based on geo location algorithms and localisation with regards to content. It has started but the role out is coming.
This should help smaller well built websites stand more of a chance in the searches.

[LeftArm]

Would it be OK to PM you at a later date to talk some more?

I'd rather not although I'm happy to answer questions posted on here.
Unfortunately we don't get to choose the service recording software that the PCT's use. It takes the form of everything from a hand written claim through printed claims, email, up to Sonar and pharmabase where they envisage that the paperwork will be done online during the consultation.
This is a good idea but unfortunately it is not consistent between PCT's and in some cases between services provided to the same PCT.

Could this info be parsed in any way with a script to save manual re entry

I have asked this of pharmabase but we only see sales people. Getting different suppliers to work together is also a problem. In theory if the data is in an accessible format there should be no problem creating a script to pull data from the PMR and post it to pharmabase but pharmabase would have to be a bit open about their systems.
I haven't seen Googles geolocation plans. This is Big Brother technology. Our strength is our local one to one service. The people I want to aim at are already customers or have heard of us. Not internet pharmacy but part of a multi channel offering.

[Pharmanaut]

I'd rather not although I'm happy to answer questions posted on here.
Unfortunately we don't get to choose the service recording software that the PCT's use. It takes the form of everything from a hand written claim through printed claims, email, up to Sonar and pharmabase where they envisage that the paperwork will be done online during the consultation.
This is a good idea but unfortunately it is not consistent between PCT's and in some cases between services provided to the same PCT.

I have asked this of pharmabase but we only see sales people. Getting different suppliers to work together is also a problem. In theory if the data is in an accessible format there should be no problem creating a script to pull data from the PMR and post it to pharmabase but pharmabase would have to be a bit open about their systems.
I haven't seen Googles geolocation plans. This is Big Brother technology. Our strength is our local one to one service. The people I want to aim at are already customers or have heard of us. Not internet pharmacy but part of a multi channel offering.

You can run into problems with information governance if you start to take or have provided to you patient identifiable data and associated information from PMR systems.
Did the original patient sign up include this?
If not you have to re-sign everyone.

[LeftArm]

PSNC don't seem to think this is an issue for Pharmabase?
Some of the PCT software (Like the EHC one) only requires anonymised data, initials and age. Along with the questions from the consultation. This could be entered on PMR against a patient and still pulled out anon.