What do Rafferty’s Rules look like in terms of pharmacy work and traffic flow? When you think about a conveyor belt what mental images are conjured? The classic Model T Ford, beginning at one end of the belt as a “bare bones” metal chassis and finishing at the other end of the line as a completely […]

I have an allegory to share with you. On one hand, it has nothing to do with retail pharmacy, but on the other hand it has EVERYTHING to do with it. I had the need to go to my local Bunnings recently. I was undertaking my latest home renovation project involving applying beautiful period pressed […]

Treat first …. Then relieve After more than 2 years effectively being locked out of retail pharmacy and unable to conduct our processing efficiency and engagement effectiveness audit and benchmarking work, we are tentatively returning to assist pharmacy teams in this way again.  With only a small handful of new audits post-hiatus under our belt, […]

To diagnose ……….. or ascertain the root cause of the patient’s condition? Tautology?  Most likely, yes.  That said, there seems to be quite a dichotomy in the thinking around the pharmacist’s role in “diagnosing” in the retail pharmacy setting.  Which seems curious given the apparent inexorable trend towards pharmacist prescribing functions and role in minor […]

  I  maintain that the greatest under-utilised  asset in retail pharmacy is the array of S3/S2, pharmacist and pharmacy only medications that health consumers can only access from retail pharmacy.   How do you build the engagement skills across the team to be able to conduct the exploratory and complete solution conversations with health customers […]

As so many pharmacies took up the opportunity to participate in the Covid-19 vaccination rollout many were faced with new dilemmas related to workflow and how to encourage vaccine-hesitant customers to take up the offer.  Jenny Blair, The Next Level’s Lead Pharmacist, shares her experiences from the frontline…….. Like so many other pharmacists across the […]

    One of the nine pathways espoused in CP2025 describes the importance of improving business operations and in particular, observing workflows and reviewing procedures to look for opportunities for improvement.  In considering how you might apply this to your pharmacy, it is useful to revisit the basic fundamentals of assembly line theory. A quick […]

“Sell the benefits not the features!”…..but are you REALLY making the emotional connection? Selling features-advantages-benefits has been around since Noah came off The Ark. Most folk in retail pharmacy seem to at least be aware of this concept. But couching the benefit in a way that truly and uniquely connects to the customer’s emotional reality […]

Dequeuing your queues Regardless of all the latest retail pharmacy challenges and opportunities …. ERx, Covid vaccination, generic prescribing, et al …. nothing changes the importance of maximising the customer experience.  Especially so, as the new world order forces retailers of all walks of life to find new ways to excel.  All visitors to retail […]

As Glenn continues to advise pharmacies across Australia we take a look back at his APP2018 presentation, where he explains what 300+ independent and rigorous “time and motion” studies tell us about the ‘how to’ of Forward Pharmacy, and which conventional wisdoms are genuine, and which are myths.