While business coaching involves a single intervention process with a proprietor or senior manager, management consulting usually embraces the entire business.
Computachem Services envisages that most pharmacist proprietors are proficient at managing the current model of pharmacy that has evolved to this point in time. However, with CoAG recommendations pointing to corporate structures for pharmacies, we see that the assignments undertaken in the immediate future will relate to mergers and amalgamations, the training of middle level executives and the formulation of policies at board level. This will be a totally new environment and experience for most pharmacists, and it is in this area of change management that Computachem Services will specialise in.
While there are basic similarities between coaching and consulting, the
consulting assignment is generally more elaborate, requires a survey of
the entire business, and always requires a number of personal visits to
the place of business (during business hours) to interview all staff and
management. The following are brief details of what we set out to do during
a consulting assignment:
Cost Control:
Computachem Services will review all existing procedures and systems, and recommend changes where required. Assistance in implementing changes will be given. Specific areas that will be scrutinized include stock control and materials handling, cash flow control and recording procedures, job descriptions and the development of incentives or enterprise agreements.
Marketing and Merchandising
Computachem
Services
will provide strategy, tactics and support services to extend the benefits
gained from control of costs. Research will determine what products and
services will be promoted. This will include extensions into individual
pharmacy environments, to communicate market intelligence regarding top
selling products; how to display them, and how to make intelligent pricing
decisions.
This activity will extend to advertising, utilising the most effective
media and technology, including website development for mail order projects
and e-commerce.
Merchandising may include supply of such items as shelf talkers, bin cards,
banners etc. or other marketing aids as appropriate.
Specialty marketing such as the establishment of loyalty clubs, and the
creation of suitable rewards and incentives to win committed customers,
will be developed.
Professional Development
Computachem
Services
believes that pharmacists are often insulated from developments within
the profession through the tyranny of distance, inability to obtain locums
and the pressures of a personalized practice requiring constant attention.
This problem can be partly alleviated through the provision of local "in-house"
seminars and workshops, designed to promote new thinking, expertise, and
provide "hands on" experience.
As you would be aware, pharmacy faces the bleak possibility of just being
an agency for drug distribution or commercial retailing, if pharmacists
do not remain clinically orientated.
Professional services are difficult to conceive, develop and market when
your competitors are doctors in medical centres, nurses, just about any
e-retailer featuring natural therapies and practitioners, global e-pharmacies
and various levels of government.
Computachem Services
has a range of professional concepts that could give the edge over competitors
if progressively and competently introduced, with a "mix and balance"
of individual and consultant support.
How We Do It
The consulting process begins with a basic interview. This interview creates an interchange of ideas, attitudes and values, which, if proven to be positive, proceeds to a formal proposal by the consultant. The proposal is a simple outline of what the consultant can do and step three then occurs, which is a written presentation giving details of each area of proposed implementation. The presentation is circulated in advance of a meeting for open discussion with the proprietor,if necessary, accompanied with other advisers and members of management. Provided there are no major impediments at that point, a formal acceptance is minuted and the assignment begins.
The
first step of the assignment is to ensure that the proprietor will be
present at all consulting sessions and will take control of the assignment.
Procedures are then established to approve major costs and it is a requirement
that the consultant be able to get quick approval for minor variations
of procedure and out-of-pocket costs. This ensures that the consultant
can go about his business quickly and efficiently.
Other questions relating to the assignment should be discussed. For example,
what are the results you wish to achieve? What will be the definition
of success? How will it be measured? Who will do the measuring? What form
of communications do you require? The second step of the assignment is
for the consultant to survey the organization, interviewing each manager
and staff person, polling them on their views (what they would like to
see implemented and what management problems exist currently in their
eyes). This standard procedure takes a few days to complete, plus report
time, and represents a formal business plan that includes an expanded
market plan.
Click here for details of the business plan structure
Click here for details of costings
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