On May 17 of this year, Tech Insider reported about a new kind of pharmacy opening in New York City. The pharmacy, called Capsule, (capsulecares.com) states they never want you to visit a pharmacy like Walgreens or CVS again. Instead, they will deliver your pills to your home or office for you—for free. This pharmacy has just one location and a great app so that you can refill all of your prescriptions online and a pharmacist is always willing to speak with you.
Now check out PillPack, (pillpack.com) another independent pharmacy start-up that simplifies the pharmacy experience by offering multi-dose strip packaging, delivered for free, and here is the best part, they sync your medications and make sure they are delivered to you at the same time. All the patient pays is their insurance co-pay.
Hmmmm, you may be thinking. I offer free delivery and my pharmacists are always available to help a patient. Why is this different? Now, most of you are thinking, I offer multi-dose packaging and I have a great sync program. Why is this suddenly news?
It is because the young pharmacists who are boldly starting these pharmacies, have learned what the pain points are for people and they are addressing them. Did you notice that neither one promoted their drive-through window? And neither pharmacy gave a long list of services? No, they address one pain point—having to drive to a pharmacy and wait in line, having to make multiple trips each month to the pharmacy, taking the confusion out of taking multiple medications. Then they explain why they are different while still offering personal and caring service. Finally, they promote the digital component of online refills with an app in one case and a great website in the other. These start-ups speak in a language the consumer can understand and make their story about how they are going to make a patient’s experience better.
How often do you take the time to let patients know that you can get rid of their pain points for them? Sure, everyone wants fast and friendly service but, let’s be honest, that is expected today. This is about taking a look at what you offer and marketing those specific services that could really impact someone’s life. It doesn’t matter whether you are a pharmacy or a different type of business that serves consumers, it is imperative that all businesses take a look at what they offer and make sure it is what the consumer wants. Then think about ways that you can refine your message so that it is simple to understand and simple to remember.
Take a lesson from our young and bold new independents and let patients know what you are already doing. Simplify your message, solve the patient’s pain points and watch your business grow.
