workflow to web 2.0—evolving your business to increase profits

NCPA 111th Annual Conference New Orleans, LA

Workflow to Web 2.0 Evolving Your Business to Increase Profits

“Pharmacy Software That

Thinks Like a Pharmacist”

What is “WORKFLOW?”

Workflow is a process not a technology

You can improve your workflow – simply by making process changes

You can improve your pharmacy’s workflow without new investments in technology



Workflow, is People, Technology, and Process

• Paperless• Fax servers

• Robots• Scanners

• Automatic Computer Processes• Automated Phone Service

Technology is secondary to the purpose it serves which must be a specific business need, planned outcome, and ultimate goal.



Workflow Assessment Questions:

1.What 3 components in your daily operations are needed to increase your efficiencies?

2. How does your customer play in the design and process of your operations?

3.Do you currently use “technology” in your operation and does it really help?

4.What areas in your operations can you improve that will increase your bottom line?



The Pillars of Building Workflow Efficiencies

•Communication•Accountability

•Consistent Practice



COMMUNICATION

• Open communicationHow often do you talk with your staff?

Review the plan, process, and progress

• All Departments- interactiveHow often are your departments working together?

Understand each others challenges

•



Accountability

• Everyone in organization must be held accountable for work

State & explain the importance of employee excellenceThe affect of the company, patients, and their career



Consistent Practice

• Commit to improvements to your pharmacyMake it operational policy

Don’t bother spending the time and money improving your operations if you don’t consistently practice the new processes

• Set evaluation time period of the new processAsk your staff for feedback

Remind the team to engage the process and ask questions

•Rinse & Repeat - ongoing process



Technology Widgets or Technology Solutions?

What are you expecting to accomplish?

• If we invest in ____technology we will increase our profits?

During Vendor Exhibits – ask the question:

“How will this product / service help my business become more productive, compliant, and profitable?”



•Time is not money

•Rather – Time is Opportunity

•Opportunity for what?



•What will you do with this Time?

•Shop on Ebay?•Stand around & gossip?

•Or spend more time with your customers? •Increase services •Counseling sessions •Growing your business

Leveraging the “new” Internet to help grow your business.

Pharmacy & WEB2.0

Evolutions in Marketing & Advertising

What is WEB 2.0?Turning the Internet into a COMMUNITY

Connecting People to each other – 1stand then to their products & services

Building credibility & trust

Compared to any networking organization:Shriners, Masons, VFWChamber of Commerce

National Community Pharmacist Association

The best companies are the best collaborators.The next layers of value creation are becoming so complex that no single firm or department is going to be able to master them alone.

Why Participate in Web 2.0?

Communication with others with common Interests – via the

INTERNET

Web 2.0 Tool Set• Blogs and Microblogging

– own content • Wiki – participatory content• Google, Gmail, maps, Ajax

– enriching the user experience• Social networking - Facebook• Photo sharing, tagging - Flickr, delicious • YouTube – video, tagging, viral videos

Growth of BlogsGrowth of Blogs

• 133 million blogs • 900,000 blog posts every 24

hours• More than four in five

bloggers post product or brand reviews

Pharmacy Technology Resource Blog

Example - Hospital CEO Blog

Microblogging – Twitter• Between texting and

blogging• Limited to 140

characters• Persistent awareness,

ambient intimacy• Business uses –

immediate communication

24

Physician on Twitter

25

Healthcare Uses of • Press releases• Emergency communication• Personal Health diary• Weight Management support• Daily Health tips• Brainstorming• Updating families during procedures--------------------------• What are you doing?

26

Wikipedia

27

Social Networks• MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn• Like a personal web page with links to “friends”• For patients – development of condition-related

communities – opportunity for disease management?

• “One-third of all online type 2 diabetes patients are using Health 2.0 sources “

• Social Networking for business - LinkedIn

28

LinkedIn – professional network

29

http://www.linkedin.com/?trk=hb_logo

Social Networking for the Independent Pharmacy

• CONs – Time– Unclear Value– Privacy for patients and professionals

April 16, 2009 Digital Consumer 30

PROs Expanding professional networks Extending relationships developed at national meetings Research collaborations Recruitment

Inside & Outside the Pharmacy

• Using Web 2.0 within your organization• Social networking to encourage cross-

department collaboration, innovation• Wellness social network• Wikis as a reference tool

31

Minimizing Risks• Monitor what people are saying about you• Manage your online reputation• Enter cautiously• If you launch a blog, require that comments be

approved before posting• Think about a tagging strategy which will enhance your

brand• Consider Web 2.0 a new tool set, not a solution looking

for a problem• To block or not to block from work site?

32

Where to start• Develop a strategy• Claim your brand in the Web 2.0 world• Monitor your brand• Experiment• Explore • Build Partnerships

33

Develop a WEB2.0 Strategy• Integrate with marketing strategy• How will it strengthen:

– your brand? – your online reputation?

• Establish a presence – YouTube Channel– Twitter Account(s)– Facebook group?– Expert Blog– RSS feeds consolidated– Sharing tools – Delicious, Digg, etc.

34

How-to-Use?

• LinkedIn or social network for member recruitment• Pharmacy blog for community out-reach• Social Network for pharmacist networking• Community Pharmacy Video channel on YouTube• Twitter links to news, stories, website & Event promotion• Send press releases, interview offers to bloggers with solid

reputations• Twitter for links to associations – best practices• Special Twitter account for communicating internal network,

employees 35

APhA2009 Recap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0l6YwDzBVU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0l6YwDzBVU

Pharmacies Using Twitter for Communication

• Create a unique Twitter account• Secure updates: In the setup, select, Protect My Updates –

this allows some protection from others seeing your updates• Invite specific press contacts to request your updates• Do not accept requests to follow from people you do not

recognize• Start posting updates with links on a daily basis to keep the

press engaged• Include embargoed items?

36

Partnerships• Consumer social

networks – new patients

• Scientific/Research communities - collaboration

• Physician/provider social networks - referrals

• Nursing social networks – recruitment• Develop criteria to assess partners

37

5 Best Practices For Social Nets In Business

• Test The Waters• Set Modest Expectations• Don’t Let Fear Strangle Growth• Don’t Forget About Search Potential

38

What’s the ROI of WEB2.0? • Soft Results (Marketing)

– Transparency– Brand enhancement– Worker efficiency, networking, satisfaction

• (Y-generation)

• Hard Results (Sales) – Drive internet traffic to website, events, announcements– Recruitment– Wellness – employees and patients– Physician referrals, CME attendance – Clinical trial recruitment

39

40

For More Information on Pharmacy & WEB2.0 please visit:

www.pharmacyweb20.com

For additional information on how to improve your pharmacy’s

workflow:

www.RxKey.com

41

Please come visit us

Booth 804

THANK YOU!

workflow to web 2.0—evolving your business to increase profits

Documents