Digitization leaves no industry untouched. Pharmacies are no exception: competition from online retailers is increasing, customers want more digital offerings, the e-prescription is on its way, and at the same time, the Digital Supply Act now provides a legal framework that underscores the ongoing digitization in this industry. So there is a lot in flux - time to reform customer communications as well. In the following article, you will learn how you as a pharmacy can use WhatsApp in customer communication to successfully achieve the digital transformation.
Data protection: Are there risks and side effects?
The good news: If you observe all the requirements of the package insert (in this case, the GDPR), the use of WhatsApp in a pharmacy is completely side-effect-free - in other words, data protection-compliant. However, this was not always the case: before the WhatsApp Business API was introduced in 2018, the use of WhatsApp in a corporate context was problematic and not recommended. With the WhatsApp Business API, however, an interface was then developed specifically for companies, via which WhatsApp can be used in a fully data protection-compliant manner. In concrete terms, this means for you: via a partner like Mateo and the WhatsApp Business API, you can easily use the messenger for customer communication in your pharmacy. All chats between your company and customers are encrypted end to end and cannot be viewed by anyone external, nor by Meta itself (WhatsApp parent company).
Reading tip: We have already written a detailed blog article on the subject of WhatsApp and the GDPR. It tells you everything you need to know about data protection on WhatsApp.
Anwendungsfälle von WhatsApp für lokale Apotheken
The use cases of WhatsApp in all companies that have contact with end customers are diverse, but can be categorized into two sub-areas: Applications for 1:1 communication via WhatsApp and use cases for WhatsApp marketing. In each of the two sub-areas, use cases also open up for pharmacies that can be successfully implemented with Mateo and WhatsApp.
1. Example: pre-ordering medicines via WhatsApp
You are probably familiar with it from your everyday life: customers come to the pharmacy and unfortunately have to leave empty-handed because the medication they need is not in stock at the moment or simply not available. For the customer, of course, this is not a pleasant shopping experience. And you would also have preferred to give him the information before his visit.
The solution: pre-orders via WhatsApp
WhatsApp is a simple and straightforward contact channel through which customers can quickly and conveniently ask about the availability of a particular medication from the comfort of their own home. Either take a picture of a prescription, send you a photo of the medication, or simply state its name. A pharmacy employee then checks availability and orders the medication if necessary. But why not resort to the phone for this, you may ask: The asynchronous nature of WhatsApp is better suited in such cases than a phone call, where both parties always have to be available at the same time. Often, employees are busy at the moment and therefore can't answer the phone, need to call back later but then can't reach the customer, and so on. A WhatsApp message is simply answered when the employee has time. The customer also simply reads the reply message the next time he picks up the phone.
2. example: availability newsletter via WhatsApp
If the result of the above example is that a required medicine is not available at the moment and has to be ordered, it is of course necessary to inform the customer again about the availability of the medicine at a later time. But often there is not only one customer waiting for the medicine. In some cases, an employee would now have to inform ten customers individually about the availability of the desired medicine.
How to do it better: WhatsApp newsletter on medication availability
Intelligent customer segments in Mateo allow newsletter segments to be created based on values stored in the customer contact. Pharmacies use this feature to store in the customer contact which medication the respective customer is currently waiting for. If this medication is then available again, all waiting customers can be informed via a WhatsApp newsletter with just a few clicks.
3. information newsletter via WhatsApp
Conventional e-mail newsletters now achieve only very poor results. Open rates of often less than 20% and hardly any customers who actually read the e-mail advertising. In addition, e-mail newsletters in many cases no longer arrive at all, but end up in the spam folder beforehand.
The contemporary alternative: WhatsApp marketing
WhatsApp is the medium used by 60 million Germans to communicate with friends or family every day. It has a personal character and is only used by a few companies. Open rates of up to 98% are quite realistic for a WhatsApp newsletter. In addition, there is no spam folder, so messages are guaranteed to arrive. With WhatsApp, you can, for example, send your pharmacy brochure or the best health prescriptions to loyal regular customers and thus build a personal customer relationship.
The e-prescription and WhatsApp
The e-prescription is supposed to improve the patient experience in the healthcare system and stop the current flood of paper. But the idea has not been well received everywhere so far: According to a survey by the KBV (National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians), the e-prescription has only been positively received by around 45% of patients. One reason for this could be that patients need to install their own app on their smartphone in order to use the prescription.
WhatsApp könnte hier Abhilfe schaffen: Die App ist auf nahezu allen Smartphones in Deutschland installiert und wird täglich von mehr als 60 Millionen Deutschen benutzt. Über die WhatsApp Business API können auch die Apotheken datenschutzkonform auf den Messenger-Dienst zurückgreifen. So können Patienten schon vor dem eigentlichen Apothekenbesuch den Rezept-Code an die Apotheke ihrer Wahl übermitteln und prüfen, ob die Arznei verfügbar ist. Der Versand per WhatsApp ist für die Patienten völlig problemlos: Falls Sie das E-Rezept von Ihrem Arzt nicht als PDF-Datei per WhatsApp bekommen haben, sondern per E-Rezept App von gematik, kann in der App mit wenigen Klicks eine PDF-Version erstellt oder ein Screenshot gemacht werden und daraufhin per WhatsApp an die Apotheke übermittelt werden.
Übrigens: Dank unserer Integrationen ist es mit Mateo sogar möglich, Kundenanfragen nach der Verfügbarkeit eines benötigten Medikaments vollautomatisiert zu beantworten.
Conclusion: WhatsApp and pharmacies, it fits!
WhatsApp is a good way to help every pharmacy's customer communication leap into 2023. With WhatsApp, you offer your customers a low-threshold contact channel that complies with data protection regulations and, above all, has proven itself in everyday use. You can receive pre-orders, advise customers or send informative newsletters to your regular customers. In addition, the medium can be seamlessly integrated in the online and offline world, e.g. via links on website or WhatsApp QR codes in flyers. In perspective, WhatsApp would also be able to perfectly complement the e-prescription project and create a truly well-rounded patient or customer experience.
For the practical implementation of WhatsApp communication in your pharmacy, Mateo is a suitable partner at your side. We would be happy to advise you in a free, no-obligation demo appointment on how best to integrate WhatsApp into your existing corporate communications. In over 600 customer cases, we have gained the necessary experience to also bring your customer communication with WhatsApp to the next level.
Haben Sie Interesse? Hier können Sie ganz einfach Ihren persönlichen Beratungstermin vereinbaren.
Verbesserter Kundenservice und effizientere Kommunikation dank Mateo bei der Stadtapotheke Dissen
Die seit 1721 bestehende Apotheke Dissen bietet eine breite Palette von Dienstleistungen an, darunter die Ausgabe von verschreibungspflichtigen und rezeptfreien Medikamenten, Beratung zu Gesundheitsfragen, homöopathische Behandlungen und Krankenpflegeartikel. Die Apotheke verfügt über ein erfahrenes Team von Apothekern und pharmazeutischen Fachkräften, die den Kunden eine qualitativ hochwertige Beratung und Betreuung bieten. Darüber hinaus können Kunden über die Website der Stadt Apotheke Dissen Informationen zu aktuellen Angeboten und Aktionen erhalten.
Durch die Nutzung von Mateo kann die Stadtapotheke Dissen von verbessertem Kundenservice und effizienterer Kommunikation profitieren. Das Unternehmen nutzt das Web-Widget von Mateo und Messenger-Kommunikation mit verschiedenen Kanälen. Dank der praktischen Nachrichtenvorlagen, Textbausteine und automatisierten Nachrichten wird der Arbeitsaufwand in der Kundenkommunikation erheblich reduziert. Die schnellere Erreichbarkeit und der verbesserte Kundenservice wird von den Kunden sehr geschätzt. Der hervorragende Kundenservice in Kombination mit dem Bewertungsassistent von Mateo hat bei der Apotheke Dissen zu einer Durchschnittsbewertung von 4,9 Sternen auf Google geführt.
