Delivery playbook for pharmacies

A call comes in at six in the evening. An elderly customer has run out of a daily tablet and cannot leave the house. Your pharmacist has the order ready. Now you need a rider, a route and a way to be sure the right person receives it.

Pharmacy deliveries are often urgent, always personal and need to reach the right hands. A good delivery routine protects the customer's privacy and your shop's name.

The delivery challenge in a pharmacy#

• Urgent orders. Some orders cannot wait for the next batch.

• Privacy. The package tells a story about the customer's health. It should not be visible to neighbours or other riders.

• The right person. The order must reach the customer or a person they named, not a stranger at a neighbouring door.

• Accounting. You need to know which rider carried which order, when it left and whether it arrived.

What your customers expect#

• A quick delivery for urgent orders, and a clear time for the rest.

• Discreet, sealed packing that does not show what is inside.

• Someone polite who hands the order to them directly.

• The ability for a worried family member to see that it is on the way.

Your delivery setup#

Riders. Use a small group of riders you know and trust, rather than anyone free on the day. Add each one in the outlet portal with their own login. Remind them that the contents of every bag are private.

Timing. Separate urgent orders from routine ones. Send an urgent order on its own straight away, or give it a short delivery priority so the route plan puts it first. Routine refills can wait for a batch every hour or at fixed times.

Packing and handover. Seal each order in a plain bag, with the customer's name and order number on the outside only. Write no medicine names on the outside. Tell riders to hand the bag to the customer or the person named on the order, and to call the customer if nobody answers.

How MiniDrop fits your day#

1. 1

   Step 1: Create the delivery when the order is ready

   Once your pharmacist has checked and packed the order, create the delivery. Regular customers are saved with their address. Create an order.

2. 2

   Step 2: Send urgent orders first

   Set a short delivery priority on an urgent order and press Dispatch now. Routine orders can wait and go together. See how dispatch works.

3. 3

   Step 3: Approve the route

   You see each rider's route on the map before it is sent. Nothing reaches a rider until you approve. Review and approve routes.

4. 4

   Step 4: Hand the order to the right rider

   Each assigned order has its own pickup code. If the rider app cannot confirm that the rider is at your shop, it asks for the code, and you read it out only to the rider standing at your counter. Read about the pickup code.

5. 5

   Step 5: Share the tracking link with the person waiting

   The customer, or a family member they choose, can follow the rider. The link is private, is not shown on Google and stops working a day after delivery. Share the tracking link.

6. 6

   Step 6: Keep your records

   Every order keeps its status and the rider it was assigned to, so you can check any delivery later. Track orders and history.

Mistakes to avoid#

• Putting medicine names on the outside of the bag. Neighbours and other riders can read it.

• Handing orders to whichever rider is free. Check that the rider in front of you is the one assigned to the order.

• Waiting to batch urgent orders. Send them first, on their own if needed.

• Sharing tracking links in groups. One link, one person.

Careful handover and a clear record protect your customers and your shop. If you are new to MiniDrop, your first week with MiniDrop shows how to get your riders ready step by step.

Your delivery checklist#

• Orders are checked and sealed by the pharmacist before a delivery is created.

• Outer bag shows only the customer name and order number.

• Urgent orders are separated and dispatched first.

• Each rider has their own login and has been briefed on privacy.

• Pickup codes are shared only with the rider at the counter.

• Tracking link sent to one person per order.

• Undelivered orders are checked the same day and the reason noted.

Frequently asked questions#

To see more for your trade, read about delivery for pharmacies and medical stores. Then try it with your own riders.

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