Interacting with your customers is a part of the daily activity of any pharmacy such as online pharmacy services. Unfortunately, doing everything live and in person can be taxing on the pharmacy’s resources. An interactive voice response system may be just what your pharmacy needs to continue to meet the growing needs of your customers. These systems take care of some things such as medication refills leaving the more complicated problems to your staff.
Appearance
IVR systems for pharmacies make even the little guys look like sophisticated giants. These systems give the appearance that you are bigger than you are. Adding menu options and multiple voicemail boxes for certain things can create the image that you have a larger operation than your customers are aware of.
Time
An IVR system saves your business a lot of time. If time is money, then an IVR system saves your business substantial money. The amount of time your staff spends on the phone asking the same questions over and over again can be saved. This time can then be used to fill more prescriptions, help those waiting at the counter and stock shelves. The amount of time saved can help you better help your customers.
Availability
A huge help to smaller pharmacies is the ability to still meet the needs of your customers even after hours. The IVR system doesn’t go on vacation, leave the pharmacy or go on lunch break. Since the system is always on, it is always working for you. It answers the phone even when the pharmacy is closed. Many customers like to be able to refill their prescriptions in the evening while they remember, but the pharmacy may already be closed. Instead of making them wait until business hours, the IVR helps process the request. If there are any additional questions, you can call them the next day when you are back in the office.
Attention
There are certain times of the day and certain days of the week that are naturally busier than others. If the customer has to wait on hold for several minutes to simply refill a prescription, they may hang up and call somewhere else. The IVR system lets them feel like they are taken care of while your staff helps others. The system allows your pharmacy to cater to the multiple needs of your customers. The system can even be programmed to answer simple frequently asked questions. The customer can call in and have their question answered without having to wait for an available staff member. The benefits to pharmacies keep mounting.
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