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Building Blocks to Customer Service Excellence All other things being equal, customers will make purchases at your pharmacy regardless of how well they are served. However, their loyalty to your pharmacy and the frequency of their visits is forever affected by even one unsatisfactory experience. Customers who are left unimpressed by their experience are less likely to return, and when they do return they tend to purchase fewer items. You and your staff have the ability to influence customers' shopping habits simply by the manner in which you conduct yourselves. |
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Linking OTCs and the Pharmacy Department According to the Gallup organization, pharmacists rank third among all professions as being the most trusted by Americans; this rank places pharmacists behind nurses but ahead of medical doctors. Americans rely on pharmacists to assist with their day-to-day healthcare in a very different way from other healthcare professionals. Pharmacists in general are more accessible, more approachable, and more aware of common health concerns within a community and among their patients. As a result, a Harris Interactive poll conducted in 2008 found that 80% of consumers would purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) product if it were recommended by their pharmacist. |
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In a very broad sense, merchandising is any practice that contributes to the sale of products to a retail customer. At a retail store level, merchandising refers to the variety of products available for sale and the display of those products in such a way that it stimulates interest and entices customers to make a purchase. |
