Unlock pharmacy efficiency: The benefits of using a POS system

Pharmacies are a unique retailing environment. They provide a service quite unlike any other retailer, and so have particular requirements when it comes to efficient business management.

As with any other retail business, processes must be efficient and accurate. Operations are even more specific for the pharmacist, as they must also adhere to strict medical industry regulations and standards.

Discover the benefits of using a point of sale system designed with pharmaceutical retailers in mind.

Unlock pharmacy efficiency: The benefits of using a POS system.

Transactions

Secure and fast transactions at the point of sale help your business run smoothly, and EPOS manages this for you. Touchscreen tills, portable tablets, and self-service screens, paired with the latest in pharmacy specific software means you have instant access to all the information that you and customer require, at your fingertips.

Quickly scan items for product information or add them to a sale. In addition, facilitate multiple payment options for your customer, and you have everything you need for fast, efficient transactions.

EPOS also retains and manages all of your transaction details for later analysis or audit requirements.

Inventory management

Pharmacies require detailed and accurate inventory information. It’s essential that you can quickly find key product data, while tracking and manage stock efficiently.

Product information

Monitor and manage inventory with up to the minute, real time data. EPOS enables you to access and update product information instantly, either on-site or remotely. Set customised locations, categories, and departments to keep your stock organised.

Automation

EPOS enables you to set low stock warnings, or automatically reorder products at a specified level. You’ll also be able to keep a close eye on your dates, to manage short dated and out of date products correctly.

Suppliers

Manage and monitor your supplier options for every product, allowing easy traceability and communication.

Stock takes

Carry out your regular stock taking and revenue reporting with useful, categorised, stock print outs. Check stock levels quickly and easily with barcode scanning. Once counted, new figures can be input and updated, and EPOS collates the required information for accounting reports.

Reporting

POS assists pharmacies in complying with regulations. You can access hundreds of pre-programmed reports, or customise your own, to make sure that your pharmacy is compliant and audit-ready. Popular examples include:

• VAT analysis
• Adjustments
• Product sales and waste
• Stock detail, e.g. by product expiry date

Drill down reporting features also help you to organise your transaction data and optimise your business strategy. Examine the information that’s important to your business, such as

• Stock levels
• Margins
• Slow moving stock
• Hourly/daily/weekly sales data
• Promotions

EPOS reporting can help you manage all aspects of your pharmacy business, from customers, to sales, to staff. Reduce your workload by setting your favourite reports to print automatically at time that’s convenient to you.

Patient information

Pharmacies need access to reliable and accurate information about their customers. Patients must be able to trust in their pharmacist to support them with their medical care.

EPOS for pharmacy provides unique features to help you provide the best care for your clients, including:

Custom alerts

Create custom alerts at the counter, for example on restricted products. Alerts can remind your staff to check for patient I.D., obtain age verification, or provide important product information at the point of sale, such as allergens or supply limitations.

Prescription retention

Pharmacies must keep accurate details of prescriptions and dispensing. Many patients now prefer an e-prescription, sent directly from their G.P. to their pharmacy for their regular medicines. EPOS can help you manage and control all of your patient and prescription data.

Product information

Many of your products will come with directions, details and warnings. Update and retain this information with your EPOS back office for fast, any time access.

Automated reordering

It’s always inconvenient when your customer needs something that is out of stock, and it can be vital for pharmacies to ensure they never run low on specific products. Low stock warnings and automated reordering can eliminate this issue.

Integrations

Integration capabilities are a key requirement for modern pharmacy EPOS systems.

With integration options, your EPOS system can work together with countless third party services and applications, uniting software and sharing data to create a better experience for your business and your customers. This not only gives you gives you more choice, but it also makes your processes more efficient and accurate.

One of the most common POS integrations is with payment services. Most retailers will benefit from having their payment terminals work seamlessly with their EPOS system. The payment terminal receives the transaction information directly from the point of sale, where it accepts and records the payment, sending the data back to your EPOS system for reconciliation. With integrated payments, transactions become simple, fast, and accurate.

Pharmacies can make the most of the latest pharmacy technologies via integrated services. Modern stores working with Retail Solutions EPOS systems are enjoying features such as:

Self service touch screens

Large self service touchscreens give your customer the option to complete their purchases quickly and independently, increasing efficiency and privacy. These slimline screens can also be a great advantage when your shop floor space is at a premium.

Automated/robot dispensing

Robotic picking and dispensing technology is now available for pharmacies. It works particularly well with self service touch screens for a complete, state of the art pharmacy.

The Gollman automated loading and dispensing system is custom made to maximise your storage space. It also manages and monitors your inventory by camera for advanced processing and error reduction.

Loyalty

Pharmacies can integrate their EPOS system with their chosen loyalty supplier to improve customer loyalty and retention. Integrating the 2 systems also allows improved reporting through transaction data so you can create targeted, useful campaigns.

Electronic shelf edge labels

ESEL’s offer a sleek, modern look compared to paper price labels. Not only this, but they allow for instant price changes throughout the store at the touch of a button

Ecommerce

Ecommerce integrations enable you to manage your business on multiple platforms. If your pharmacy also has a website, or web shop via a third party website, integrating these with your EPOS system allows you to manage everything centrally, using a single inventory and price file.

Who are we?

Retail Solutions is a market-leading EPOS provider with over 25 years of business experience. Our leading sectors are convenience stores, supermarkets, forecourts, pharmacies and coffee shops.

We are dedicated to providing your store with the most up to date and reliable point of sale hardware, along with software management tools to help you manage your business effectively.

Our self-checkout partners are NCR, who are global leaders in self-checkout technology.

Want to know more?

Take a look at some of our EPOS solutions for pharmacies here: https://retailsolutions.ie/product-sector/pharmacy/

About the author:

Susan McGuire is originally from London, United Kingdom, and has now lived in Galway, Ireland, for 15 years. She has been with Retail Solutions for 7 of those, and during that time has enjoyed various roles within the areas of Maintenance, Finance, & Marketing. You can follow her on LinkedIn!