By Brett Dupree, Product Manager, Emporos
From small, independent pharmacies to outpatient pharmacies in integrated delivery networks, grocery store pharmacies, long-term care facilities, and more, the most important success metric is always the same: patient and staff satisfaction. Yet the pharmacy space continues to fall behind compared to other customer service industries like retail or professional services.
For years, pharmacies have been facing the same challenges that hinder the employee and customer experiences. We constantly hear things like:
- “Our pharmacy is growing quickly, and our technology can’t keep up!”
- “Manual processes are slowing us down, burning out our staff, and holding up patients.”
- “We have to have so many vendors and they don’t work together.”
With a mission to make pharmacy commerce safe and simple, we’re always looking for new ways to help pharmacies, their staff, and their patients. That’s why we created the Emporos Lighted Will Call solution, in partnership with scripClip.
As the industry’s only POS-integrated light will call system, our solution helps pharmacists automate medication location, consolidate vendors, and improve operational efficiency, satisfying customers and staff. Of course – you’re bound to have questions when exploring an exciting new product. We’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions and answered them below.
Why Emporos Lighted Will Call?
Emporos Lighted Will Call is a browser-based web application that integrates seamlessly with our MerchantSoft POS system. Prescriptions are placed within scripClip wireless battery-powered bags, clip-ons, and beacons to help pharmacy staff quickly locate and dispense medications whether they’re on the rack, in the fridge, or in any other unique storage areas. Its primary use cases include:
- Medication location: When a patient arrives for pickup, pharmacy staff can locate prescriptions within the POS. With our integrated lighted will call, the patient’s Rxs will immediately light up or make a noise to indicate its location in the pharmacy.
- Packaging safety checks: When loading a patient’s prescriptions into a scripClip lighted bag, the system triggers an alert if you try to load more than one patient’s medications into one bag.
- Return to stock (RTS): Pharmacy staff can search for medications by number of days they have been in will call or by co-pay amount. This allows you to see patients and phone numbers in the results, so you may try to contact them. A single button click will light up bags with unclaimed medications. This streamlines the RTS process, allowing for quick and systematic restocking of medications.
Common Questions, Answered
With my old lighted will call solution, I had to switch between my PMS, POS, and pick-to-light solution to search for the patient, find the bags, and complete the sale. How is this any different?
The biggest difference is the integration to the POS. The POS becomes a “one stop shop” for what typically requires multiple vendors (POS, PMS, and pick-to-light). After a quick patient search in POS, you’ll know immediately where the prescriptions are located, and you can ring them up easily – and most importantly, safely.
My staff hates doing Return to Stock. Because of this, we only do our RTS once a week, or even longer – and we frequently run out of popular medications. How can lighted will call help?
The Emporos Lighted Will Call solution allows you to easily search for prescriptions based on days in will call or co-pay amount. Instead of printing reports and searching through bins and racks, the corresponding bags will light up and/or make a chirping sound.
I have a small pharmacy footprint. Will this take up a lot of space?
The Emporos Lighted Will Call system is very scalable – up or down – with a minimal hardware footprint. You can use your own hanging racks at whatever size fits your pharmacy. Plus, our solution is cloud-hosted, so there’s no need for additional server hardware. For a quick installation overview, check out our brochure on the topic here.
I have a large pharmacy footprint. What happens if two registers try to light scripClip bags simultaneously?
Each register or workstation can be assigned a different color to avoid confusion, allowing multiple transactions and workflows to proceed without interference. We have up to 10 color options available and you can easily change the color assigned to a POS.
How are the lighted bags, beacons, and clips powered? How long do the devices last?
Each device is powered by two AAA batteries, with a typical battery life of 12-18 months (assuming average usage). All LWC bags, clips, and beacons come with a three-year warranty.
How much does this system cost?
Our Lighted Will Call solution offers a low-cost barrier to entry and the number of bags depends on your pharmacy’s footprint. We encourage you to reach out to us for a custom quote based on your pharmacy’s size and specific needs.
Get Started with a POS-integrated Lighted Will Call
Emporos Lighted Will Call is designed to give your pharmacists more time back in their day, keep patient satisfaction rates high, and find medications lightning quick. With lighted bags that are integrated with the POS, Rx location, medication dispense, and return to stock has never been easier or faster.
For more information check out our recorded webinar: The Power of Lighted Will Call: Safe, Convenient, and Efficient Medication Location.
Feel free to reach out with questions to [email protected] or request a demo to learn how a POS-integrated lighted will call system can improve your pharmacy’s operations.