Beyond The Net
Coordinate services both online and off
By Janine Warner
I first learned about Walgreens' exceptional online customer service from my mother.
She used the site to print out a history of all of the prescriptions she has received from different doctors in the last few years -- a potentially life-saving record she couldn't have found anywhere else.
She was getting ready to visit yet another medical specialist when she discovered the value of having all her prescriptions in one password-protected website.
My mother also appreciates Walgreens' drug-interaction database, which can warn customers about potential conflicts between prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and even herbal remedies.
Walgreens doesn't charge for these services, but the customer retention value is enormous. My mother will never order a prescription from any other pharmacy.
''Our focus is on helping people better manage their own healthcare,'' said Ron Weinert, e-commerce director for Walgreens. ``Our competition hits with products, but we try to provide services and information. Our core strategy has been to use the Internet as a tool to help drive loyalty and develop a better relationship with customers.''
My mother's experience is just further confirmation of what Weinert has known all along: the Web is about more than just selling products.
What makes the Walgreens site so powerful is not just the Web page itself; it's the fact that it's fully integrated with Walgreens' pharmacy system, enabling the company to coordinate all their stores and online services. Whether you order a prescription online or by visiting a Walgreens store, your prescription history is collected in one database that you can access over the Web, and their pharmacists can access it from any of their on-site computer terminals.
Walgreens does sell more than 16,000 products online, but even with express mail delivery, 90 percent of prescriptions ordered through the website are picked up at one of Walgreens' local stores, located in 43 states and in Puerto Rico.
It's the combination of fully-integrated online and offline services that makes Walgreens a model of Internet customer service.
Web registration is now actively promoted in Walgreens' stores, and all customers are asked for their e-mail address when they visit the pharmacy. A user name and password are then automatically created, and customers receive a special access code through snail mail.
Since it first launched the site more than seven years ago, Walgreens has invested millions of dollars in integrating all of its technical systems and creating a state-of-the-art website. The investment seems to be paying off. Registration on the site has grown 200 percent in the last year and their newest service, an immunization scheduler, is getting great reviews.
Walgreens has also been careful to track how customers use the site, adding new features to meet customer needs. When Weinert realized that the majority of online requests are for refills, he added an auto-refill service. When he discovered most customers still wanted to pick up prescriptions at local stores, he added a notification service that sends an e-mail message as soon as a prescription is ready at their local pharmacy.
No matter what product or service you sell, providing value-added features such as Walgreens' drug database can help keep your customers safer, happier and more loyal.
Consider how you can better serve your customers by combining the power of online services with your traditional business. What challenges do your customers face because their information is managed by different providers? What conflicts arise when they purchase products from multiple locations? How can you make your customer's lives easier and, as a result, make them more loyal to you?
Don't think of the Internet as a new business; think of it as a way to improve and enhance what has made you successful in the past. Invest in doing what you already do in order to make it better.
''We're never going to spin the website off,'' said Walgreens' Weinert. ``It's like our 800 number and 24-hour stores. It's another convenience, another service that helps us take better care of our customers.''
First publication, The Miami Herald, Mon, Mar. 25, 2002