Expanding pharmacy installs robust system
With the continued growth of their business, Thompson Pharmacy was looking to expand their point of sale (POS) functionalities and incorporate a system compatible with a multi-store format. It became apparent that their existing POS system would not be able to meet their changing needs, accommodate their expansion and manage the multi-store layout. After an in-depth assessment of vendors, the company selected the Epicor Eagle business management solution.
“We had issues with our previous system not being able to successfully integrate with our prescription management system or manage the multi-store system that we required,” said Mindy Baker, IT and store manager for Thompson Pharmacy. “Epicor Eagle integrated very well with our QS/1 pharmacy management system (PMS). It's imperative that we know when a prescription has been checked out. We now have immediate access to that information at all of our locations.” “We were also looking for a system to provide more business efficiencies and reduce labor-intensive tasks-something innovative and more accurate. With our old system, all we could do was check inventory levels and pricing with a UPC gun-that process was very inefficient and removed our employees from other significant responsibilities,” said Baker.
Thompson's new process for inventory consists of taking the handheld units to the sales floor. “We can adjust prices, quantity on hand and even make labels,” said Baker. “The old process often led to many trips out to the sales floor than necessary. I would also have to scan a section for new labels and come back to the receiving area to print them. If an item wasn't in the system right, I would have to walk back to adjust the item and then print another label. The 'old process' was not efficient.”
“Our decision to select Epicor has allowed us to keep our labor costs down,” said Baker. “If we would have stayed with our previous system and not switched to the Eagle solution, we would've had to hire an additional person to help manage our company's POS. Now, we are able to control the inventory for all four stores with only two people managing the POS system. The Eagle system operates in real time, and automatically uploads to our QS/1 PMS, rather than us manually uploading it. This is a huge improvement for our business.”
Customer loyalty on the rise
Thompson Pharmacy is proud of the personal level of service they deliver to their customers. As the company continues to multiply, the importance of a well-developed customer rewards program is even more significant. “Our customers that receive extra savings are more likely to return to our store,” said Baker. “Our previous customer loyalty program was very difficult to run prior to the implementation of Eagle. Each month we had to print out vouchers [hundreds per month], stamp them and use precious employee labor hours stuffing and mailing envelopes-it was very expensive. Since implementing Eagle Loyalty we have saved thousands of dollars per year because the program is electronic.”
As Thompson Pharmacy continues to flourish and expand their business, the Epicor Eagle solution will become an even more critical element to their success. They are excited to recommend the Eagle solution to other pharmacies. “Word of mouth referral is the most convincing factor when considering new processes for your business, and Epicor had great customer references,” said Baker. “Everyone we spoke with had great things to say about the solution. We will continue to pass on that same message. On a personal note, the system has relieved a lot of stress for me. I have a lot of work to do, but I can now use Eagle to get it done quickly. I don't have to wait hours for reports to run; I can run all the reports I need in a span of 30 minutes. The system is just so efficient, it allows me to complete my everyday tasks so much faster and I get much more done.”
