Your Chain Pharmacy Could Benefit from Centralized Scheduling

December 13, 2019

Your Chain Pharmacy Could Benefit from Centralized Scheduling

Scheduling for a pharmacy chain presents a unique set of challenges, as the store manager or lead pharmacist is responsible for scheduling store staff, technicians, float staff, and pharmacists for numerous locations. This rings especially true for those pharmacies still relying on outdated, manual scheduling methods, such as pen and paper or online spreadsheets.

Spreadsheets Had Their Turn

While spreadsheets may have served their purpose in the past, things have evolved and spreadsheets have far too many limitations. When it comes to effectively handling pharmacy scheduling, especially when attempting to manage scheduling for multiple pharmacy locations, you need a better way.

· Spreadsheets are much too time consuming, especially when dealing with multiple staff members across numerous pharmacy locations.

· Spreadsheets can’t be automated or customized, which means there’s no way to set up recurring shifts to repeat, quickly reference which employees have availability to cover shifts, and they also lack the ability to create payroll timesheets.

· Spreadsheets are prone to errors and are difficult to edit due to the high volume of data to decipher. Plus, all edits and changes must be entered manually, leading to the possibility of even more errors occurring.

· Spreadsheets aren’t perceptive and don’t have the ability to notify you of any shift conflicts, such as double-booked shifts, employees rapidly approaching overtime, or open shifts that haven’t been filled yet.

Consider the benefits of Centralized Scheduling

It’s time to toss the spreadsheets and start saving both time and money with centralized scheduling.

With pharmacy scheduling software by Schedule360 you can:

· Optimize floats while managing time-off requests for store staff across numerous locations.

· Quickly backfill shifts with float staff within store rules and certifications.

· Allow pharmacy managers to utilize rule-based pharmacy technician scheduling.

· Instantly communicate with all pharmacy staff in all pharmacy locations, using text messaging, or emails, for last minute shift needs.

· Centralized management of complex float pool scheduling for multiple locations.

· Manage a pharmacy technician work schedule locally and regionally.

· Automate and create a pharmacist schedule template to help backfill shifts.

· Track shift schedules and manage coverage gaps in real-time.

· Maintain union and non-union requirements with automated labor rules.

· Easily configure multiple staffing regions or groups within large enterprises.

· Manage schedules with real-time analytics and advanced labor reporting tools.

Additional Benefits of Centralized Scheduling for Pharmacy Chains:

· Allows employees the ability to exchange shifts.

Using pharmacy scheduling software that allows staff the ability to swap and cover their own shifts greatly eases the scheduling burden off of the scheduling manager.

· Allows you to match up your employees geographically.

If your pharmacy has multiple locations within a close proximity of each other, it’s always ideal to schedule employees for those locations they are closest to. Scheduling software makes it much easier to keep track of employees and their locations by giving you a view of the big picture in real-time.

· Allows you to optimize floats.

Ensure that everyone is optimized for the hours they need to work before making overtime available as you manage shift exchanges. Floats establish an agreement upon employment to going to any store in their qualified areas. Scheduling software allows floats to post their preferred days off, which can easily be accommodated as long as it meets the needs of the pharmacy. Having all of this information together in one place that is accessible anytime is a huge asset to anyone in charge of pharmacy scheduling.

Improve Efficiency

While scheduling for a pharmacy chain can be challenging, centralized scheduling can improve efficiency in the scheduling process. Schedule360 can save you time, money, and stress. For more information on how to implement scheduling software for your pharmacy, contact Schedule360 today. We’d love to show you a customized demo of our scheduling software so you can see what a difference implementing our software could make on your bottom line.