customer interaction

[Defblade]

Pt confidentiality is sufficient to prevent checking where others than the pt can see the clindamycin cream or viagara etc. Viagara was never dispensed at front of dispensary, nor levonelle.
johnep

I had the same argument when Rowlands introduced "window" bags. Upon inquiry, I was told that "sensitive" products should be placed inside a paper bag, in the bag.

I can't see this as acceptable (and nor did Rowlands, who dropped the window bags eventually) - I don't think that we get to decide for the patient what is "confidential" or "embarrassing" - I've had one chap cheerfully telling a shopful about the wonders of his Viagra; I'm sure there are plenty of people who don't want it widely known that they have, say, a heart problem or depression or anything else.

[johnep]

No! If you are checking a multiform script, then finish checking that particular form and ensure items checked into the bag. Then deal with the customer and explain will attend to them as soon as finished checking remaing thre forms etc.

Mystery customers are hot on being acknowledged and this could be no more than a smile and ' Will be with you soon'.

johnep

[Andy K]

No! If you are checking a multiform script, then finish checking that particular form and ensure items checked into the bag. Then deal with the customer and explain will attend to them as soon as finished checking remaing thre forms etc.

Mystery customers are hot on being acknowledged and this could be no more than a smile and ' Will be with you soon'.

johnep

which is still an interuption to your train of thought whilst checking and dangerous if you ask me.

[PtitpupUK]

Mystery customers are hot on being acknowledged and this could be no more than a smile and ' Will be with you soon'.

johnep

That particular point in the mystery shopper questionnaire is just plain stupid.

Imagine, I have a queue of 12 people and am dealing with a customer... am I supposed to stop looking at the customer I am serving (remember - questionaire says "did you feel like you were taken seriously") to acknowledge every single person in the queue !! Imagine W question - stop look smile - W question - stop look smile - H question - stop look smile - A question stop look smile etc...

Anyway -- I am anti-mystery shopper. Those mystery shoppers that prompt assistants to go and check they don't need any help when simply browsing the shelves... because when I go and browse... I just want to be left alone ! If I need help I can still shift my backside and go and ask !

[howe928]

based on what you've told us, it sounds like your manager is being an arse.

First thing to do is prioritise your checking. Are you checking ALL scripts out in front of the patients or just the ones you call up to the counter? If it's the former then i suggest you to a slight re-jig of things and check your callbacks, deliverys etc at the end of the dispensing bench, thus giving waiting customers the hint that you're busy and less able to be interrupted.

Sit down with this arse and ask them what they think the best way to do things is. Then ask them if they think that interruptions when checking a prescription could lead to an error. Then point out what can happen to a pharmacist when the CPS wants to throw its weight around. Also point out that you seem to be working for them as the most highly paid counter assistant they've ever had.

Has this arse been involved directly with the events which took place or did they hear them all 'second-hand' from a 'helpful' member of staff? Does one of the other pharmacy team members have an axe to grind and want to set the manager against you?

Also, where the bloody hell is the counter assistant? Why on earth do they have a non-employee of the company standing at the front of shop wasting a large amount of time doing essentially what almost anyone else could do?

With regards to the written complaint - they happen. Customers frequently feel that you should be able to stop time, heal all diseases, circumnavigate the globe, cook dinner for them, deliver half the contents of the shop and know the exact stock levels of every chemist within a 70 mile radius, regardless of chain, all whilst doing their prescription, in your lunch break (ha!). Try to focus on all the people happy with your service and advice than the one moany git with nothing better to do than whinge on paper.

Remember this - you are a professional, as a locum you're your own boss, and the only time you need to start taking crap from people is either when you've genuinely done something wrong or when you can't easily find work elsewhere. Happily, this won't happen for quite some time. Cancel your booking and head to pastures new.

If it's a chain (the one with an R in it jumps to mind) then i would also flag this up to an area manager

agreed.

check waiters, then call backs and today deliveries then next day call backs and deliveries

what is that counter staff doing? if there are more customers to serve then one more staff can come and serve or get the axxx over there to serve

check the SOP, some SOP may direct you to avoid distractions while checking

the axxx failed to evaluate facts over what was heard from staff? fabricated claims against you? if so, they want you to leave

i think you made the right decision

I do try to give every script out myself and have a few words (more if needed!) - it's been commented on favourably by the staff at a lot of the places I've locummed.

good to hear that happening

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I have been working at a pharmacy where the last pharmacist has moved on, and they can't get a replacement. She did everything for the customers. They tell me she never even took a break - maybe she left from kidney failure or just starvation.

All this has done is to give that store lots of customers who expect you to do everything for them. They are also probably the most rude bunch of people I have ever met! If you are gone for even 10 minutes for a bite to eat, the staff get grief from them. If there is a queue, just even a 5 minute one, they want to leave their script and expect one of us to drop it in to their house on our way home! Obviously I refuse, but this is what they expect because the last pharmacist was so passive she would agree to do that! Hell I have waited longer for a kebab!

Why do we seem to have so many people like this in pharmacy? Helping people is one thing, but when they just expect to treat you like trash, and walk all over you that's another. I once got reported at a large chain I used to work for, accompanied by a solicitors letter, because of a comment somebody made in the queue behind the person I was serving! How the hell can I be responsible for what other people say?

Why are so many pharmacists passive little mice? Is it the universities fault? Are they churning out wimps? What the hell's going on???
.

some pharmacists just being too kind and this kindness was being taken advantages of
yes, pharmacists skip (not because they want to but they are forced and pressured to) toilet break and lunch break because customers keep coming in, eventually got time to visit the loo have to hurry some pharmacies toilets warning not to dribbles, aim accurately, leave the toilet seat down and keep it dry, remember if you cannot relax you cannot release properly

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Hi Everyone

The shop I mention in the first post has just had a young Polish lad placed there. It's such a stressful shop I once had the girl on the front counter having a panic attack from the abuse she kept getting. She couldn't stop crying, and it takes me all my experience to keep myself calm.

So they put a young guy in who's first language isn't even English!

If he's not left, or had a heart attack by the end of the month I'll eat my new Koi for tea!

He cost £200 so it could be an expensive tea!
.

was your Koi survived?
Heard some pub starts to serve this as their Fish and Chips

Let's see YOUR face when your elderly mother's script has been screwed up(once again...) by the surgery on a friday afternoon before a Bank Holiday and she's running out of insulin and the Pharmacist tells you to sort it out yourself with the Doctors!
This is the Real world, my patients are real, with real health problems and really sloppy surgeries; My staff and I do a lot of 'phoning around and badgering (within reason), but come Christmas we are left in no doubt that this is much appreciated by our patients, and I wouldn,t have it any other way.
As for queues and waiting times, I have trained my staff in the "two minutes per item" rule: if someone comes in with scripts for 12 items, they are told it will take 24 minutes, and that they can either take a seat and wait, or call back later. I have never had a negative response to this, apart from the Area Manager, who seems to think that this is not a "customer-focussed attitude to service (quote)"... he obviously would like me to stick a broom up my A*** and sweep the floor as well as everything else.
Whilst I admit that it is very hard not to reply to rudeness with rudeness, I have also come to the realisation that it is impossible to please all the people all the time, and some people are impossible to please anytime, you just can't win with them, so just fight the battles you can win, do your best to treat people like you would want to be treated, and you will go home in the evening with a clear conscience.I too used to have lots of parients who rang up saying I'd forgotten to give them their atorvastatin etc...; but ever since the surgeries started printing on repeat slips "last issued on the../.../2006" next to each item, I can now prove to the patients that the sloppiness is on their surgery's side, not ours. This has helped us enormously, but the GPs must be cursing us!
.

the best way for patients to thank a pharmacy is to write a thank you letter to the boss of the pharmacy, with some chocolates or biscuits to the pharmacy and help defend the pharmacy team from impatient customers

some battles are not worth fighting for as you know you will never win, the more you fight against it the more enegy it drained from you, in that case, head down surrender leave it to the God who will take care of it and you, save your enegy to fight for something worth fighting for

good piece of advice from Zoggite

[stargirl]

Re:Customer interaction

The sad fact is that currently pharmacists are under a lot of pressure.
When you are stuck out at the front you have to dispense and check prescriptions while customers are staring at you watching your every move. All they care about is how long it will take . Meanwhile you are short of staff in the dispensary and only have one dispenser at the back trying to do the 10 item scripts as well as trying to answer the phone etc. When the customers come back to collect their prescriptions you have not had a chance to get into the back to check them so they get annoyed as you check it in front of them.
The multiples now want all pharmacists to be visible out at the front to sell the services but you have to check the PCS,answer customer queries, sort out prescription problems, do MURS and it gets very difficult when you are short staffed.
In an ideal world there would be enough staff to cope with the workload, they would all get on , there would be no resentment, managers would not be nasty and bully their staff, customers would all be grateful and not complain, we would all be happy in our jobs and love going into work but unfortunately the reality is very very different!

Maybe we should have chosen hospital pharmacy or a different career!

[bobbin]

eventually got time to visit the loo have to hurry some pharmacies toilets warning not to dribbles, aim accurately, leave the toilet seat down and keep it dry, remember if you cannot relax you cannot release properly

Oh my gosh, where did this come from?!

[Shaeeb]

I agree with Jhonep, patient confidentiality is important...you wouldn't want the whole world to know you're injecting cavaject in to your penis or shoving a rod down it (alprostadil muse).

The company policy of having to check in front of patients is ridiculous, it's not some kind of fashion show where you have to be imminently visible to everybody!

I've had some issues with hoots too...just the one store but thats another story for another day.

[Pharmanaut]

Oh my gosh, where did this come from?!

SOPee?

[culchie82]

I will be very clear and concise people - checking scripts under the gaze of waiting customers is an unmitigating disaster and who ever formulated this ingenious practice clearly never had to do it themselves. This problem is exasperated by a lack of staff and the fact that you're dispensing as well as checking. I'm fed up with the customers coming into your line of sight and interrupting you when you are checking a script for a customer who is already waiting.