Customer loyalty comes from the customer's experience in your pharmacy. Being made to feel welcome is one factor, but the speed and accuracy of service and having the right product at the right time also matters.

• Ergonomics €“ Speed of service can be improved by adopting proper systems and processes. Ergonomics in the dispensary are very important. Did you know that the top 50 generics account for more than half our dispensing? Locate fast moving products to close at hand. Have a proper workflow in the workplace to improve efficiency and reduce errors: patient safety is paramount.
• Stock management €“ Better buying improves your margin, but don't forget the 80:20 rule. Only 20 per cent of the products are worth focusing on. Get the rest from the wholesaler and free up time for customer-facing functions. Good category management is vital. You must avoid being out of stock in the dispensary and neither should you carry excess stock. Live stock control on the PMR is not as difficult to achieve as you may think and helps to reduce stock holding and out of stocks. As far as the OTC business is concerned, you must have the right products on the right shelves and have the right facings. Try to find planograms that are easy to understand and implement. Having a proper EPOS system is of great benefit. Apart from having improved security on cash, it helps manage the stock and profitability.
• Cost reduction €“ With an ever-shrinking NHS margin and strong competition from the supermarkets on the front-end sales, you can achieve cost reduction without affecting service levels. With the deregulation of telephone and utilities, one should shop around for better deals. Corporate social responsibility is important and hence one must avoid unnecessary use of bags and packaging material by educating staff and customers and at the same time help save the environment and money. Trading for the right number of hours and having the correct staffing levels to coincide with customer flow also can reduce any unwanted staff costs. Proper training and improved efficiency means fewer costs and more output.