in February 2021, the federal government began shipping COVID-19 vaccines directly to pharmacies nationwide. Since then, pharmacies have been inundated with inquiries about vaccination appointments, disrupting day-to-day operations and increasing staff workloads. However, there are several digital tools that can help pharmacies manage vaccination demands while creating a seamless customer experience. 

Streamlined digital tools are key to a successful and effective COVID-19 vaccination program. At a time when people are still concerned about social distancing, pharmacies need tools to help them manage incoming inquiries while keeping themselves and their patients safe. 

Using Digital Pharmacist Tools to Manage Vaccine Inquiries

Our digital tools have helped pharmacies manage vaccination demands by fielding COVID-19 vaccination calls, messages, and in-person requests. These digital solutions offer efficient ways to keep your pharmacy on track and help free up more time for you to focus on your patients

Interactive Voice Response (IVR)

If you’re dealing with a lot of inbound calls, an interactive voice response (IVR) system is an effective way to manage call volume and automate manual tasks. Digital Pharmacist now offers Vow IVR, which is a secure, reliable, and feature-rich hosted VoIP system purpose-built for pharmacies. This cloud-based platform easily integrates into any pharmacy software system to allow customers to easily find information, and communicate with your team like never before.

By setting up an IVR, you will be able to:

• Spend less time on the phone. Focus on one-on-one interactions, rather than answering questions about basic business information. IVR makes it easy to direct patient inquiries and forward calls so you can reduce interruptions to your day.
• Automate manual tasks. IVR allows you to pre-record important information, limiting staff pickups. Set up an automated message letting patients know if you’re currently offering the vaccine and how to schedule an appointment. 
• Provide quality patient care. Care for your other patients while dealing with an influx of vaccine inquiries through IVR self-service. If they have specific questions or concerns, your patients can still choose to talk to a staff member or pharmacist at any time.

Branded Healthsite and Mobile App 

Another way we can help pharmacies manage vaccination demand, is by reducing the number of requests your staff has to deal with manually is by having a website to direct patients to. Digital Pharmacist’s branded healthsites are created specifically with pharmacies in mind.

Heathsites help pharmacies manage vaccination demands with these features:

• COVID Vaccination Opt-In Form. This website form creates a database of patients interested in scheduling a vaccination appointment, so you know when to contact them. Directing patients to your website form will help your staff streamline the process and manage their workload. 
• Patient Portal. Our healthsite patient portal allows patients to set up individual profiles for themselves and their family members. Within the portal, they can set reminders to schedule appointments.
• Health News. We also offer unique access to our health news resource. This will automatically populate daily articles directly to your website so your clients will have first-access to the latest updates regarding COVID-19, vaccinations, and other relevant medical topics.

Patient Engagement Platforms

Our Patient Engagement Platform now offers a Vaccination Scheduler to help with appointment scheduling and outreach. Your team will be able to manage vaccination appointments, reminders, and contactless check-in all in one place. These new features simplify patient communication so you can spend less time managing vaccinations and create a seamless customer experience. 

Vaccination Scheduler features include:

• HIPAA Compliance. The Patient Engagement Platform is data-encrypted so you can be confident that your patient’s information is safe. 
• Secure Two-Way Messaging. Send patients a secure message through our platform reminding them to schedule appointments. You can select who will receive an SMS or upload a list manually. Messages will be sent out until all eligible contacts receive an SMS or your appointment slots are booked.
• Customizable Calendar. Configure your clinical appointment calendars based on your pharmacy’s availability. You’ll be able to customize date ranges, appointment lengths, and maximum number of appointments. You’ll also be able to track upcoming appointments, cancellations, and missed appointments.
• Automated Appointment Reminders. Our workflow will send patients an automated message reminding them of their appointment, streamlining the vaccination process. Use our pre-populated templates or customize your own to tailor messages like appointment confirmations, reminders, check-ins, and vaccine availability. 
• Contactless Check-In. On the day of their appointment, patients will be able to check-in directly from their phones to help you and your staff stay on track. You’ll also be able to see what time each patient checks in for their appointment.