The pharmacy is a busy place. On average, the pharmacist’s workflow is interrupted at least once every 19 minutes¹, and most of the time by patient enquiries². Interactive voice responses (IVRs) are automated phone systems that allow callers to provide and receive information using voice or menu inputs without having to wait for a live representative. For every major pharmacy chain, IVRs serve millions of patients each year without requiring staff to pick up the phone. So why isn’t it used more often in independents? Let’s weigh in on some pros and cons.

Why IVRs Might Be The Best Investment for Your Pharmacy 

1. Workflow Efficiency: If you work in a pharmacy, then you KNOW how often it can feel like you’re ACTUALLY working at a call center. Think about all the time that is freed up if your team isn’t busy answering unnecessary calls. If you are working in a smaller volume pharmacy, either working alone or with limited staff, IVRs can be even more impactful by ensuring that no call goes unanswered. 
2. Enhanced Customer Experience: Many patients love the convenience of IVR systems as evidenced by their long standing usage at every enterprise pharmacy brand. They run 24/7 and allow pharmacies to increase their capacity without having to hire extra staff. By providing patients with the choice of submitting simple refill requests by IVR or speaking with the pharmacy, you can increase patient accessibility, convenience, satisfaction, and save money in the long run^4,5! 
3. Better Communication: How often do you get simple calls about store hours or flu shot availability? A well-designed IVR lets you promote new services, make announcements and saves you an incredible amount of time by providing valuable and up-to-date information upfront.
   

Why IVRs might not work for you

1. IVRs can feel like a Hurdle: Sometimes you just want to talk to another human being. Slow, outdated, and generic IVRs can feel like they are needlessly getting in the way. Even worse, if your IVR is too complicated or the narrated options are lengthy! This has been shown to negatively affect customer satisfaction^4,5. Furthermore, if you serve a community that often doesn’t speak English, your IVR can be an even bigger barrier. 
2. Difficult to Use: Traditional IVRs can only accept inputs in a specific way which can make it difficult to use. For instance, Does your IVR require patients to input complex and long prescription numbers for each item? Some patients may not know what their Rx numbers are or may not have the dexterity to enter them in time. Also, what if patients have to refill multiple items? Manually inputting these numbers can be a frustrating task. 
3. Costs and Maintenance^4,5: IVRs can save you money in the long run, but there is almost always an upfront cost of hundreds of dollars to setup and a $100+ monthly fee as well. This makes it difficult to justify for smaller pharmacies. 

Are Newer AI-powered IVRs the Solution?

Not sure if IVR is right for you? At MedEssist, our pharmacists have set out to build an IVR system that works for independents of any size. Here’s what’s different about our IVR:  

1. Completely Customizable: MedEssist IVR is completely customizable from start to finish! Share new pharmacy services or news with your patients on the fly straight from your dashboard. For instance, you can let your patients know the minute flu shots have arrived through your IVR system. Our IVR can even be customized to have menu options in an array of different languages. We’ll even translate any messages left in other languages back to English for you. 
2. Efficient Appointments and Prescriptions: With MedEssist IVR, patients are not only able to refill their prescriptions 24/7, but they can also schedule appointments or record messages. We know some patients don’t mind typing in their prescription numbers, but many more would rather just tell you what they need!  Let patients record messages and our AI-integrated transcriptions will make actioning them incredibly easy. 
3. Amazingly Affordable: MedEssist IVR is priced so low that any pharmacy will see tremendous value. For just $25/month, even the smallest pharmacies can now offer the same convenient experience as a big box pharmacy. Plus if you're the only staff member at your pharmacy, you'll feel good knowing no phone call will ever go unanswered 24/7.

At MedEssist, we’re building the most user-friendly and customizable pharmacy IVR, all at an affordable price. To learn more, visit medessist.com/ivr to learn more.

References

1. Karia, A., Norman, R., Robinson, S., Lehnbom, E., Laba, T. L., Durakovic, I., Balane, C., Joshi, R., & Webster, R. (2022). Pharmacist's time spent: Space for Pharmacy-based Interventions and Consultation TimE (SPICE)-an observational time and motion study. BMJ open, 12(3), e055597. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-055597
2. Reddy, A., Abebe, E., Rivera, A. J., Stone, J. A., & Chui, M. A. (2019). Interruptions in community pharmacies: Frequency, sources, and mitigation strategies. Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP, 15(10), 1243–1250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2018.10.030
3. https://www.snetconnect.com/blog/stop-your-ivr-from-turning-customers-away/#:~:text=How%20to%20Get%20the%20Most,because%20they%20reached%20an%20IVR
4. Kraft, M. R., & Androwich, I. (2012). Interactive voice response technology: a tool for improving healthcare. NI 2012 : 11th International Congress on Nursing Informatics, June 23-27, 2012, Montreal, Canada. International Congress in Nursing Informatics (11th : 2012 : Montreal, Quebec), 2012, 224.
5. Reidel, K., Tamblyn, R., Patel, V., & Huang, A. (2008). Pilot study of an interactive voice response system to improve medication refill compliance. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 8, 46. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6947-8-46