Most pharmacy software now comes with a phone app, and most of those apps try to put the whole billing screen on a five inch display. That is the wrong idea. The counter has a keyboard, a printer and a queue. Your phone is for the moments you are somewhere else and want to know whether the shop is all right.
The questions you actually ask away from the shop
- How are sales today, compared with a normal day?
- Is anything about to expire that I should deal with?
- Is a medicine a regular needs running low?
- Who owes us money, and how much?
- How much cash should be in the drawer?
A good pharmacy app answers these in the first screen, without digging.
What it should do
Show today at a glance
Sales so far, the number of bills, and how today compares with the same time yesterday. Seeing sales by hour tells you whether the afternoon was quiet or the shop was busy.
Warn you about expiry and low stock
A short list of batches close to expiry, with their value, and medicines below their reorder level. You should be able to act on it with one phone call to the shop.
Let you check a medicine
When a doctor friend or a customer asks whether you have something, you should be able to search your stock from anywhere.
Show money owed
Customers on credit, overdue amounts and what you owe distributors, so you can follow up at the right time.
What it does not need to do
Full billing and purchase entry are better at the counter, where there is a keyboard and a printer. An app that tries to do everything usually does the important things badly. The one exception is a quick bill for a delivery or a home visit, which is useful if it stays simple.
Things to check before you rely on one
- It shows the same numbers as the counter. Open both at the same time and compare today’s sales.
- It works on a mid range Android phone, not just the newest ones.
- Access can be limited. Staff should not see margins or money owed unless you decide they should.
- Losing the phone does not mean losing the shop. You should be able to sign out a lost phone from the counter.
How the SyrupDesk app works
The SyrupDesk app opens on today: sales against your trading hours, what came in, cash in hand and anything that needs you. Stock shows near expiry and low items, and money shows who owes what. Billing and purchase entry stay on the counter, where they belong. The app is on the way to the Play Store and the App Store.