When Chris's family purchased Cypress Pharmacy in 2008, they knew that they would have to bring the nearly 25 year old pharmacy into the 21st century. The Fort Myers, Florida-based independent pharmacy was still using a standard cash register and separate credit card terminals while relying on inefficient and space consuming paper pseudoephedrine and HIPAA records. As a result, the pharmacy was not realizing the many benefits of using a point of sale system. It became apparent that a POS would be necessary to improve efficiency, track sales, computerize the existing paper records, and create an improved checkout experience for their valued customers. 

When the need to become IIAS compliant mandated the purchase of a POS, Cypress Pharmacy chose the Emporos POS because of its two way integration with their Rx30 PMS. Yet, the benefits of the Emporos POS went well beyond the ability to communicate with their existing system. The POS has improved employee accountability, made sales reporting simple, and has enhanced record keeping, just to name a few. The Emporos staff has also been quick to address any issues or concerns that the pharmacy personnel may have while the various webinars have helped the staff learn the intricacies of the system. Emporos was eager to assist the pharmacy with the system well beyond the initial installation.

Cypress Pharmacy looks forward to continuing its relationship with Emporos, especially as it continuously improves its features and benefits.

Medicine World in Nashua, New Hampshire is a unique pharmacy and health food fusion store that has been using the Emporos Systems POS since 2007. “We are a family run business and I like that Emporos has that feel as well. Your staff is very good and when I call with concerns or ideas, I feel like they really listen to me and work towards addressing my needs,” says pharmacy owner Bob Lolley.

With a massive inventory to manage, Medicine World needed a flexible point of sale solution. “The inventory control is why I bought your POS. Your system has really helped me save money by cutting down on my out of dates,” claims Lolley.

Bob also likes the many other features that his Emporos POS has been able to help him with. “Emporos was excellent in handling the SIGIS conversion. I am flabbergasted how well you guys did it and converted me over.”

Bob is also very happy with how easily he was able to aid the local police department in a meth ring bust in his hometown. “I really like the pseudoephedrine tracking; when the local police came into my store I was able to print all the sales I had for pseudoephedrine with one button.”

“Your system also interfaces well with my RX30 system and my IVR and that is a big plus,” states Lolley. With so much information and inventory to keep track of, the employees at Medicine World are very thankful to have system that integrates well and makes their jobs easier.

Laura Powers, the Pharmacy Manager/Owner, of the Medicine Shoppe #1224 in Loris, SC knows that the good customer service and support that she has with Emporos Systems goes hand in hand with the high level of service that she can provide to her customers. As an independent pharmacy owner, Powers relies on her Emporos Point of Sale registers to provide her with straightforward and accurate information.

“The best thing about working with Emporos is the ability to get in touch with real people, who are professional and able to address questions and problems as they arise and get them solved in timely manner.” Powers dreaded calling her previous POS provider, because “…it was a disaster and fiasco trying to get help from them when we had a problem. With Emporos, I know that I can get in touch with someone quickly on the phone if need be and get it resolved quickly. That is what service is all about.”

Powers appreciates the fact that Emporos stays on top of the technology out there and has helped her store make the necessary upgrade changes to stay on the cutting edge of technology. “ I love the touch screen, it is easy to use and read, and the buttons can be set up in a user friendly manner. The signature capture device is also extremely helpful and has made us not dread audits from the insurance companies as much. We will not have to sort through folder after folder to find signatures, we can walk right up to the register, put in the prescription number, and see the signature of the person who picked up that prescription, making the whole process so much easier.”

“During anxiety raising situations, we know that we can count on Emporos to get us through and the confidence we have in your service level helps to put our minds at ease and keep day to day business running smoothly,” states Powers.

Atchley Drug Center began using the Emporos Systems POS solution in 2009. This hometown pharmacy based in Greenville, Tennessee has made the transition from a traditional manual cash register to Emporos’ integrated touchscreen POS system. Tommy Gregg, the store manager, said, “My employees think that the touchscreen is really cool and have enjoyed training on the POS equipment. They appreciate having all of the patient information at their fingertips.”

Atchley Drug Center has completed the process of becoming IIAS compliant. “Emporos helped us keep the paperwork involved in this process to a minimum, and guided us every step of the way. If there was a problem, or if we were not moving forward, the people at Emporos were willing to get to the root of the delay,” said Gregg.

Being able to generate key management reports from the Emporos POS to help with tracking sales is essential. Gregg explains, “I can now identify the departments where we need to increase our sales and come up with a sales plan.” And the ability to personalize the POS receipts, Gregg recognizes, has his customers delighted about how much easier it is to see the detail on the receipts.

Gregg says he is looking forward to learning more about the feature-rich capabilities of his Emporos POS and is appreciative of the training and support Emporos has provided.

Sherri Muha, Director of Pharmacy at the University of Kentucky North Fork Valley Community Health Center Pharmacy, has been using the Emporos POS solution since the pharmacy opened in 2007. According to Muha, the service, technology, and adaptability of the Emporos POS have amazed her. “Even though we are a smaller pharmacy, I like the personal attention that we get with Emporos,” said Muha.

“When we started our relationship, I was the only employee because we were a brand new pharmacy for this clinic, so I knew that I would be the one training all of our subsequent employees on your POS. Emporos’ trainer was very patient in teaching me and did an excellent job. When we were finished, I was confident I could train other employees on the POS. And if I did have any more questions, your staff would be right there to answer them,” states Muha. Since opening the pharmacy clinic at North Fork, the June Buchanan Pharmacy has now opened. According to Muha, she has been able to train all the new employees on the Emporos POS. "The Emporos POS is scalable and flexible enough that adding multiple locations and users has been a breeze," states Muha.

“We have a unique situation with both of our pharmacies. Even so, Emporos has still been able to give us all the attention that we need and our questions have been addressed very quickly. The few times we have had to use Emporos Customer Care, they have been friendly and courteous,” stated Muha. Both pharmacies are currently going through the process of becoming IIAS compliant, and Emporos has been there for them. “You guys have provided us with excellent step-by step instructions and information that we needed to provide SIGIS. Emporos has been available and patient with us the whole way,” said Muha.

In addition to being pleased about the high level of service Emporos provides, Muha acknowledges the significant decrease in time and paperwork Emporos POS has afforded her as well. Muha says, “The end of day report is detailed enough for us to send to our product management group to describe the details of our business for the day. Now both pharmacies don’t have to create a separate report to fax to them.”

“Your POS system also makes it very easy to give patients print-outs of the services that they have used and what they have paid as well,” said Muha, “and it makes it easy to see if they have more prescriptions to pick up in the bin right there on the screen.” This saves time for the pharmacist and the patients as well. Because of the integrated signature capture device, “The patients love having only to sign one time for everything at pickup on a device that they can clearly see, as well as using one keypad for credit and debit cards,” says Muha.

In January of 2009, Jeff’s Prescription Shop began processing FSA and HSA cards with Emporos Systems point of sale system. Brad Mills, the pharmacy owner says, “The fact that we are now certified IIAS compliant makes the whole process worthwhile because now I know that we can go toe-to-toe with all the major pharmacies and stores in the area and offer the same services and conveniences. I know that I am not going to lose a customer now to a major chain because I have IIAS compliance in place. It was definitely worth the time and the hurdles.”

Jeff’s Prescription Shop is known for their exceptional level of customer service and their commitment to stay on the cutting edge of technology. “Our service level would not be where it is today if the technology wasn’t there. The technology allows us to focus on service by handling all the details and paperwork by automating them and placing information at our fingertips,” states Mills.

In August 2006, Brad installed his Emporos Systems POS along with an IVR and PMS, a task that would make any independent pharmacy owner shudder just to think about. “The ease of use of Emporos POS was the best; it was the easiest to learn and train on,” remarks Mills.

Mills also loves the Will Call feature that Emporos Systems POS offers because it alerts you if a customer has another prescription to pick up. “By being able to tell customers they have other prescriptions ready for pick up they may have forgotten, makes us look like geniuses and saves time all around,” explains Mills.

Click here to learn more about Jeff’s Prescription Shop.

Wayne Wise’s pharmacy, Wise’s Family Pharmacy, planned to use customer service as a differentiation to build customer relationships and to get people out of the store with their prescriptions in minutes rather than hours. “Moving from a manual entry system to one that’s bar code driven and runs at the POS has been extremely beneficial. The old system definitely allowed for mistakes that let revenue go out the door. Overall, we’ve improved our operational efficiency by focusing these tasks at the register rather than bringing them back to the pharmacy.”

While demands of running a pharmacy mean that you can’t literally keep an eye on the register all the time, “Emporos POS’s robust reporting and software technology let me know exactly what’s happening. I used to work for a big chain and these sales reports were exactly what we were using there to stay informed.” Wise points out that when he first got the POS, a customer left without all her prescriptions. “I wanted to know what had happened, particularly because my new technology was supposed to prevent this very situation. The employee code on the transaction meant it was a simple matter to find out who to talk to in order to learn from the event. Emporos POS has given us a lot more control over our front end, which is such an important face of our business.”

Byrum Kelly’s pharmacy, The Prescription Shop, is almost exclusively a prescription pharmacy, with his front store items limited to over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Kelly’s aim for getting POS was to reduce paperwork. "We used to have to handwrite tickets on everything." But while paper reduction was his original goal, he too has found that POS doesn’t stop there. Kelly now views Emporos POS as part of his workflow.

The two big benefits he points to are keeping staff informed and making patients happy. "Simply scanning the prescription bar code will bring every prescription that’s waiting for a specific patient up on the POS screen. For instance, if a patient has called in a prescription and then a doctor’s office calls in another for that same patient, the POS will show both as ready for pickup. Or if a prescription is on hold, the register staff will have this information for the patient." Kelly’s sure those patients are happy not to have to make a special trip for an errant prescription.