Look up the word ‘service' in the Collins dictionary and you'll find 27 definitions. It is an elusive concept, yet we are all very clear what constitutes bad service, whether that be in a restaurant or from a call centre.

Graham Henderson, Operations Director

Graham commented "McLernons has been looking after the needs of pharmacists for over 75 years - there is no other company in the country that understands the way you work quite as well as we do. And nowhere is this better highlighted than in the importance we place on our customer service and support."

"Our seven-strong team of highly trained, graduate IT experts who man our helpline are able to give high quality, pertinent advice. Headed up by Gareth McConnell, assisted by Amanda Woods, they work hard to ensure that your pharmacy systems work hard for you. And with the largest pharmacy customer base on the island of Ireland, we would know very quickly if we weren't delivering on these standards!"

What is different about pharmacy?

If we were to paint a picture of a typical office environment, it would most likely include a number of fixed PCs, a trail of computer cables and – perhaps – a sales person sitting in reception tapping away on a laptop. In this picture a computer malfunction is rarely likely to be a matter of life in death. Normally, what will happen is the person will cry with frustration or sigh in a resigned fashion, place a call to the IT support desk, switch to another desk, log in and start again.

The world of pharmacy is the polar opposite of this – it is simply not possible to ‘shut up shop', place a call, and be told that you are the 19th person logging a fault that morning and you will be the 19th person to receive a call back.

Should your landline fail, your mobile stop working or your laptop fail, your call is not prioritised in the call centre. Whether it be a simple error or a major malfunction, all calls are treated the same and there is no ‘triage' to assess which customer's needs are most pressing. In the pharmacy, your PC is the heart and the brains of your business – without out you simply cannot function. Hence the need to have a highly responsive, fast and reliable support service.

Pharmacy hardware and software programmes are critical to the functioning of your business and you cannot afford to sit and wait for a couple of days to have the matter rectified.

What is different about our service?

Amanda Wood

At McLernons we take great pride in offering the highest levels of customer service in Ireland – that's why we keep winning awards, voted by you, the customer. Our helpdesk was recognised as being ‘the best in the business' by the IPU, and our trainers consistently gain plaudits for their expertise.

We offer a service which aims to provide a four hour response time (ferry timetables permitting for our more remote customers!), which compares extremely favourably to the ‘someone will be within you within a couple of days' which you'll hear when you phone a major ICT provider.

When you telephone our customer services, highly technologically competent professionals will assess your needs and assign an engineer based on the urgency of your problem. Using the latest tracking technology they can see at a glance where your nearest engineer is, and when they are likely to be with you.

In this way, we retain control – and the importance of your emergency and the reason for you phone call has a real bearing on the speed in which you receive assistance. With our customers those whose needs are most pressing – such as those who've experienced a total loss – are given priority.

Specialists

Our customer services team are your first port of call, so it is important that they are fully conversant with your particular ICT needs. Our professionals are constantly receiving training on our products, are fully briefed before each new product update and are in very close contact with our software designers. All of them have ICT qualifications, often to third level, and we are confident when we say that they are the best in the business.

Amanda Wood and Gareth McConell

Each customer is assigned their own engineer who will work with them to ensure that they are getting maximum benefit from their PC for their business. All of them are constantly sitting exams and acquiring new qualifications to ensure their pre-eminence as the leading team of engineers in Ireland.

And not only do they have the technical expertise – they also carry a full stock of equipment so you can be sure that when they arrive they will not leave until your problem has been resolved. Compare this to other business sectors where an engineer turns, up, scratches his head, telephones Head Office to order a part, disappears for a week or so and then turns up unannounced to install it – usually a time when you're out!

They will also co-ordinate the retrieval of lost information – having repaired the kit, they will reinstall the programmes, and restore the back up.

A premium service

McLernons acknowledge that the costs of pharmacy service support is greater than that for, say, a mobile phone. We hope we have gone some way to help explain the reasons why. Contractors pay a slightly increased premium and in return receive a premium service:

· Unrivalled knowledge
· Highly trained professionals
· Quicker response times
· Priority depending on need
· A real understanding of your business
· Award winning support team.

As pharmacy contractors, your ICT demands are high and your needs are critical, and McLernons provide the people and expertise to meet these.

Contact Details

Dublin Office
Fox & Geese House
Naas Road
Dublin 22
   
Computer Sales & Admin
Tel: + 353 1 450 1916 / Fax: +353 1 450 3927
Email: enquiries@mclernons.ie