Personal factors
Personal factors
Patients and customers should be able to expect a helpful and courteous level of service from the pharmacy team.
When a complaint is received, ask whether they were treated politely and offered help to find what they were looking for. Were they able to speak to the pharmacist or an appropriately trained member of staff? And if a medicine sale was made, did the pharmacist or team member ask questions in the right manner?
A common theme in complaints nowadays is the time patients are kept waiting; these complaints can often be unfair, and there is widespread misunderstanding about the time required to prepare and dispense medicines safely. Nonetheless, waiting should be kept to a minimum as far as is possible, and informing customers of how long they might have to wait during busy periods can help to manage the situation.
First impressions
- Is the pharmacy clean and professional looking?
- Is it well stocked?
- Can a range of additional needs be met?
- Is it easy to access?
- Are hearing loops available?
- Is help available to ensure patients can be understood?
- Is everyone treated with respect and dignity?
- Is there an appropriate range of stock?
- Is everything in date?
- Are prices clearly visible?
- Are purchased products fit for purpose?
- Are filled prescriptions easy to locate?
- Are dispensing processes followed by appropriately trained staff?
- For walk in customers, is the waiting time reasonable, and are estimated waiting times given out accurate?
- Are prescriptions handled professionally?
- Is confidentiality maintained?
- Is appropriate advice given?
- Are items in stock?
Of course, customers should always be treated politely, with respect and professionalism. But individual preferences will vary, and as a pharmacist gains experience, they also develop their judgement as to who wants what. For example, some will just want to make an ‘in and out’ purchase, whereas others will want a more in-depth conversation.
Think about the following:
- Do team members have the right knowledge for the service they are providing?
- Does customer service meet expectations?
- Is it provided in a professional manner?
- Is signposting offered where appropriate?
Pause to reflect
Discuss the following scenarios with your team:
- A customer brings back a P medicine he purchased last week. He noticed that it went out of date last month. He doesn’t have the receipt.
- A customer comes in with a box of amlodipine 10mg, which has been labelled perindopril 5mg. She has been taking the medicine daily for a week. She is quite angry and concerned that her blood pressure has been affected.
- A regular customer comes to collect her monthly items, which are on repeat prescription. They aren’t made up yet, but you have the prescription. She has a taxi waiting and is getting frustrated. She is complaining to your counter assistant about the delay.
In each case, how would you handle the complaint? Ask team members what action they would take in each case if they were the first person the customer spoke to about their issue.