Connecting with customers

In Practice

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Before she began her pharmacy journey, Debby worked at Sainsburys as a chief display assistant, installing new displays and spaces. After some time off to look after her children, an advertisement for a counter assistant position in a pharmacy store window caught her eye. “I decided it was time to get back to work, I had missed it so much, and the counter assistant role was just what I was looking for to carry on my career in retail,” she says. “I’m very much a people person!” After speaking to the manager who told her more about the role, Debby knew it was the right fit and got stuck in right away.

Learning the ropes

“Once I started at Paydens, I did my counter training, I learnt so much from the modules, and how to deal with customers’ needs when they come in for cough, cold, flu, or other general sale items,” says Debby. “I quickly learnt about asking the WWHAM questions before selling items.” Debby recalled how fascinated she was in those early days in the pharmacy, completing seminars and uncovering the links between different conditions. “With these links in mind, there was so much to learn about in pharmacy regarding the medications we all take at some point in time,” she says, and remembered realising that this knowledge would empower her to help others with a wide variety of conditions.

Now, over two decades down the line, Debby has become an expert at spotting symptoms in customers, recognising when someone may need to have a private conversation, and recommending the right product or next steps.

When learning pays off

One such instance turned out to be lifesaving. “We have a lot of [elderly customers] in our area that need help with products, especially when it comes to sanitary products. Often, they come in and have been using the wrong product, which has then made their problem worse.” A specific occasion comes to mind, Debby remembers, when an elderly woman asked for menstrual pads which was surprising given her age.

“I took her to a private area for a chat and asked if she was using these for urine, to which she replied both yes and no,” says Debby. It turns out that she was having incontinence issues as well as bleeding, but hadn’t been able to get to a GP and hadn’t been able to get an appointment with a female practitioner, which she preferred. “We managed to speak to her doctor and get her an appointment that afternoon. It turned out she had cancer.

She wouldn’t be here today if we hadn’t intervened.” Debby is still in contact with the 92-year-old lady, who gives her a big hug each time she sees her. “I just love the way you can help customers with your knowledge and advice, from a baby to an adult.”

Debby’s expertise and commitment to helping customers through the retail offering of the pharmacy has not gone unnoticed. “Her in-depth knowledge, coupled with her remarkable ability to empathise with customers’ needs, has enabled her to provide invaluable insights and recommendations,” says Alison Ware, executive assistant and pharmacist coordinator at Paydens.

“Her proactive approach to refining her skills and expanding her knowledge base reflects her eagerness to provide the highest level of service to our customers.” She is also now spreading her knowledge to other Paydens branches, spending a few days each week visiting other stores, checking that the teams are confident in their product knowledge, teaching them how to use the training platform, setting up displays and making sure they are stocked with products customers are looking for. 

“I also make sure to keep up to date with anything that is out of stock and chase it up so that I have an answer should someone require the item,” says Debby. “I like to be able to point them to another product that could help them instead.”