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If you’re a long-time reader of our blogs, you might be familiar with the phrase “___ is the name of the game,” and rightfully so. The pharmacy industry consists of many names for many games, from finances and pharmacy software features to inventory management and cleaning your pharmacy.
However, there is one name of the game that serves as the basis for your pharmacy’s long-term success, an element that goes beyond the financial and even medicinal: your pharmacy’s hospitality.
Inspired by Will Guidara’s best-selling book, here are 6 ways you can practice unreasonable hospitality in your pharmacy.
“We have an opportunity — a responsibility — to make magic in a world that desperately needs more of it.”
Pharmacy work is full of little moments, ranging from the mundane to the essential. The same is the case for the patient experience. Chances are that your patients aren’t exactly jazzed to go to your pharmacy, wanting the smoothest and most pain-free experience possible.
In the pharmacy world, creating a moment of magic consists of doing the simple things in remarkable ways: processing your patient’s insurance right when they drop off a prescription, pushing that ER script to the front of the fill queue so they don’t have to wait long for their medicine, or giving some insightful consultation.
Chris Schaffner, Owner of Schaffner Pharmacy and Apothecary, is a master of patient hospitality. He knows that it’s the little things, those brief but alluring moments of magic, can create lifelong patient relationships.
“Our goal at Schaffner Pharmacy is to provide our patients with the best retail experience anywhere, and not just pharmacy experience, but of any business they patronize. Full stop,” Chris says.
“We do this by making sure that we have the staff on hand to minimize wait times and try to solve as many potential issues ahead of time through proactive communication so when patients present to the pharmacy the experience is as seamless as possible.”
Check out his appearance on the Beyond the Scripts Podcast to learn more about his simple but effective approach to patient care.
“Focus passionately on giving both the people on your team and the people you serve a sense of belonging.”
As mentioned earlier, giving an insightful patient consultation can be the difference between a good pharmacy visit and an unforgettable one.
Connecting with your patients is a vital part of patient care, one that doesn’t require a prescription or insurance. Your patients go to your pharmacy in a vulnerable state, be it physically, mentally, or emotionally.
Though some patients want little more than to pick up their prescriptions and go, a few words — whether in the form of a kind greeting or gentle consultation — can go a long way. This requires reading the room, i.e. your patient’s body language. Chances are you can tell if they’re up for a chat or not. All you need to do is proceed accordingly.
“Nobody knows what they’re doing before they do it.”
Pharmacy work, just like retail or any other hospitality gig, places a high premium on thinking on your feet. No two days are exactly the same in your pharmacy and what you do when the unexpected happens will determine your pharmacy’s success.
Different prescriptions require different ways to be processed or filled, so it’s best to have a pharmacy software to help you be flexible. What's more, your patients require different ways to be cared for: getting a prescription filled, processing an insurance claim, requesting a refill request to the doctor, and more.
All this leads to the conclusion that unreasonable hospitality takes many different forms. It doesn’t take much to make a patient’s day — you just need to keep your eyes on the next opportunity.
“Hire great people, treat them well, and invest deeply into their personal and professional growth, and they will take care of your customers.”
Unreasonable hospitality applies to both sides of the pharmacy counter. Your pharmacy staff helps set the right tone with your patients, whereas you (the pharmacy owner) have to set the right tone for the staff.
Be clear with your expectations. Pharmacy owners have different goals for their pharmacy, so leave nothing to ambiguity. If you want to be more vaccine-centric, let them hear it. Want your pharmacy to be a one-stop shop or healthcare hub? Communicate that clearly.
Doing this will ensure you and your staff are on the same page. Also, positive reinforcement is a fantastic way to embolden your staff. A few simple words of how they’re absolutely killing it will do wonders for your staff’s morale. Small victories are like nickels and dimes: they appear small on their own but can add up over time.
“Restaurant-smart companies can be great businesses, and corporate-smart companies can deliver great hospitality. But their priorities are different, in ways that fundamentally affect the guests’ experience.”
You became a pharmacist for a reason. You opened a pharmacy for a reason, too. Chances are you took this journey to help others and guide them to a better health journey. Providing exceptional patient care through a wide range of products and services establishes your pharmacy’s place as a pillar of the community.
Your pharmacy also has to make money, however. It's a business after all, and businesses need to generate a profit to stay afloat. In the book, Guidara introduces the idea of being both Corporate and Restaurant smart, going over the importance of doing what’s best for your restaurant as well as your business. It is a delicate tightrope act but a worthwhile one.
You likely have great ambitions for your pharmacy, so make sure your checkbook can cash in those ideas. Consult with accountants who specialize in the pharmacy industry, such as Sykes and Company. They will help you weather financial storms as you continue to provide excellent patient care services.
Check out Scotty Sykes’ appearance on the Catalyst Pharmacy Podcast to learn more about the ins and outs of pharmacy accounting.
“Sometimes the best time to promote people is before they are ready.”
Assembling a pharmacy team is more intricate than one might think. Pharmacy work is a form of organized chaos that requires all its players (forgive the sports metaphor) to be on the same page — all while they attend to their respective tasks.
One way to achieve this free-flowing synergy is to give your staff ownership of their responsibilities. In other words, let them do their thing.
If you have a clerk who is a customer service maestro, let them be the main touchpoint at the register. Have your insurance guru be the one processing complex insurance claims (this will be especially important come flu season). Have your fill specialist take over the reins when the fill queue isn’t lowering.
Create an environment where your staff can thrive and hone their skills, benefiting both your patients and the pharmacy as a whole.
To quote Will Guidara: "In restaurants, our reason for being is to make people feel seen, it's to make them feel welcome, it's to give them a sense of belonging.”
Though pharmacy work and fine dining differ on several fronts, they cross at the intersection of hospitality and commerce. Like a happy customer with their meal, a healthy patient with their medicine is what a pharmacist hopes for every day — all while keeping the lights on.
Delivering unreasonable hospitality isn’t impossible. It isn’t even difficult. It just needs an acute awareness of what your patients expect and how your pharmacy can go beyond that. Try to be a little better than yesterday, and the long-term growth will be immeasurable.
