CUSTOMER SERVICE (4+ PHARMACIES)
GORDONS CHEMISTS BUShMIllS
loCATED 60 MIlES froM BElfAST, ThE QUAInT AnD PICTUrESQUE VIllAgE of BUShMIllS IS rEnoWnED for ITS WArM WElCoME for ThE ThoUSAnDS of ToUrISTS, Who TrAVEl To IT EACh yEAr.
T
hat warm welcome is particularly prevalent at the village pharmacy – gordons
Chemists – who have, perhaps unsurprisingly, picked up this year’s Customer Service (4+ Pharmacies) Award.
Even from the street, the mystery shopper found the appearance of the pharmacy particularly appealing. The outside of the store looked attractive and interesting, with large posters in both windows advertising ‘20 per cent off’ offers proving an immediate draw for passers-by.
Poster apart, the window display was varied, seasonal and colourful and the windows were clean. overall, the shopper found that the store looked in good repair and was extremely inviting.
Inside, the store was very well laid out and the shopper found it easy to move around. It was also well lit with lots of interesting displays on view. The shopper felt that the range of products on offer far and above what would normally be expected in a chemist shop; a fact, which felt made it even more interesting!
It’s probably fair to say that the fact that the area attracts so many tourists means that it is a veritable treasure trove of goods – a ‘one-stop store’ for the thousands, who pass through the village each year. As a result of the extensive range of goods on offer,
the shopper said that she stayed in the store longer than she normally would in a chemist and, as a result, actually bought more things than she went in intending to buy – which is great news for gordons’ retail business!
on entering the store, the mystery shopper was very warmly welcomed, and all staff that she encountered while moving around the shop both greeted her and engaged with her.
The shopper concluded that every member of staff had excellent customer service skills including good eye contact, smiles and warm greetings for customers. She also noticed that they also engaged with customers by asking questions and commenting on issues such as the weather etc.
Customer service is, of course, of prime importance in attracting custom to a business and the mystery shopper, who visited gordons, found that the level of customer service demonstrated by all staff on the premises was second to none.
The first member of staff, who served the shopper, wore a badge indicating that her name was Adele. ‘Adele served me with my purchase and displayed excellent customer service skills, enthusiasm, warmth and genuine interest in me as a customer,’ the shopper said. ‘She made polite conversation regarding my purchase
and made me feel very welcome. She was very attentive, polite and professional and made me feel valued and welcome as a customer.
At the pharmacy counter, the shopper asked if she could speak to the pharmacist. When hannah came out, the shopper explained that her elderly mother was staying with her and wanted her to get her something for acute heartburn. hannah took the shopper over to one of the aisles and showed her the range of heartburn products that the pharmacy stocked.
hannah’s questions regarding the shopper’s mother’s heartburn were wide-ranging and probing. She asked, for example, if her mother had had heartburn long and whether she was taking any other medication especially for particular conditions. hannah said if this was the case there were a limited number of products she could recommend as it would not be advisable to take some products which would conflict.
The shopper said she had heard Pantoloc Control was effective. hannah apologised that they did not stock this brand but said that had a similar alternative, which she showed to her. hannah stated, however, that she didn't think the shopper’s mother should take this medicine and explained that the chemicals in it would make it potentially dangerous for her mother.
The shopper mentioned at this point that her mother was on Warfarin and hannah said that she really advised nothing stronger than rennies or maybe gaviscon. The shopper said her mother was not allowed to take gaviscon and hannah confirmed that Pantoloc Control type products would definitely not be advisable. As a result, the shopper opted for the sugar-free rennies.
overall, the shopper was very satisfied with the information given to her by hannah. not only was the advice correct, but was delivered in a tone that was friendly and ‘gentle’ and which did not make hannah appear too strident. The pharmacist’s tone ensured that the shopper had 100 per cent confidence that the information was correct.
from the moment that she entered the premises, the mystery shopper found every member of staff that she encountered friendly, welcoming and helpful, and it is this team approach, according to pharmacist, Kathryn Kane, that is the key to the pharmacy’s success!
‘I think it’s the atmosphere in the shop that makes the greatest impression on the patients and customers,’ Kathryn told Pif. ‘Everyone gets on so well both inside and outside of the pharmacy and I think that our communal friendship is evident to the patients.’
PhArMACy In foCUS - 25
Kathryn Kane and the team from Gordons Chemist, Bushmills and David Guest, Wockhardt UK
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