A good customer loyalty program can make a world of difference in your pharmacy. But in many pharmacies, customer loyalty is thought of either as unnecessary, or representing too much effort and cost to make a difference. But is that really true?

In a new article, published in this month's Computer Talk, RMS President & CEO Brad Jones explores the reasons why pharmacies need a customer loyalty program and provides some helpful tips to get you started.

If you dive down the rabbit hole of trying to better your business in any meaningful way, you're going to run into the idea of "strategy". It's become so prevalent it almost seems like a buzzword. And it's easy to start to think it might not really apply. After all, you're not playing a board game or planning a hostile takeover. You're running a pharmacy. Do you really need to think about strategy?

At the most basic level, a strategy is not a game of chess. It's not you pitted against anyone else either. It's a plan that you use to achieve a goal.

But if it's that simple, and that sensible, why doesn't everyone use a more strategic approach to growth and profitability in their pharmacy? Well, like most things the big picture is just that. Way too big to tackle in one piece. Breaking it up into smaller pieces makes everything much more manageable. Here's how to do it.

What could be more convenient than picking up prescriptions, OTC medications and other pharmacy necessities in the same building that you work in? It seems like a given that employees would default to their own pharmacy for any of these purchases.

But as much sense as it might make for employees to swing in for that box of band aids and the bottle of antibiotic ointment over lunch or after a shift, pharmacies large and small still face competition from grocery stores and chain drug stores that carry everything an employee might need and more.

At the end of the day, your pharmacy and health system employees are like any other customer. They'll respond to pricing, convenience, and service. The one difference is that their expectations are likely to be higher. Employees will expect more out of the experience than your average customer.

Over the last several years, we've seen an increased drive to create a solid customer base out of pharmacy and health system employees. Along with creating special employee pricing and other incentives, payroll deduction has played a major part in this initiative.

While it might seem like a relatively small piece of the puzzle next to something like employee discounts, pharmacy point of sale systems with an integrated payroll deduction solution can play a big role in how many health system employees make use of a pharmacy's services.

In 2011, pharmacy point-of-sale looked a bit different. There were lots of different options for software functionality, but the general footprint for all systems was pretty much the same. PC, monitor, receipt printer, barcode scanner, signature pad, cash drawer, fingerprint reader and maybe a customer display thrown in. If you wanted to shrink down the footprint or do something different, an all in one system was used to eliminate some of the hardware needs.

Yes, you read that title right. We're closing in on the last few weeks of 2018. Well 3 weeks and some change, but we'll round down to allow for at least a few days where we'll hopefully all be munching on cookies and celebrating the season.

And yes, I really do mean that there are a few extra things you can get done before the year end. But don't worry, they won't cut into time set aside for attending holiday parties or spending time with family.

The calendar doesn't change. There are 12 months in a year, and 2 of those months are always spent in a flurry of holiday and year end activity. It doesn't seem to matter how much we think about preparing for it. No sooner has the Halloween sugar rush wears off, we're jolted again by the sudden flip of the calendar into November. Thanksgiving month. The month of family gatherings, too much food, and of course the holiday retail marathon that starts on Black Friday.

Outside of any deals you intend to nab on Black Friday, the day won't likely matter too much to you from a business perspective. In fact, it might even be a bit slower than normal for retail pharmacies open on November 23rd. Black Friday is a day for retail giants with huge marketing budgets and margins big enough that price slashing won't hurt their bottom line.

But black Friday isn't the be all, end all of holiday shopping. Instead, focus your efforts for kicking off the holiday shopping season on Small Business Saturday.

Originally launched in 2010 by American Express, Small Business Saturday is a nationwide event that gains support and momentum every year. If you aren't quite convinced that Small Business Saturday is for you, here are a few helpful facts about the holiday shopping season to help.

Running a business today isn't just about what you sell. In fact, it's probably less about what you sell than it's ever been before. More and more, customers are looking to identify with the companies they do business with. They want to understand what drives your business and learn your story.

Customers also want to know that the money they spend isn't just lining pockets, but actually doing some good in their community. This is where charitable giving in your business comes into play. A 2015 study showed that 70% of millennials state they'll spend more with companies that support charitable causes. This isn't a number that can be ignored, and it's not the only benefit to charitable giving.

Pharmacy point-of-sale is way more than just a cash register. And we spend a lot of time talking about that fact.

But as much as all the cool features and integrations might seem more innovative and interesting, the fact remains that every single dollar spent in your pharmacy still goes through the point-of-sale. And how you accept those dollars matters.