Why Services Are the Next Wave of Pharmacy Growth
Pharmacy services are becoming a core part of building a profitable and sustainable business. As the role of community pharmacy continues to grow, finding new ways to support patients and diversify income beyond dispensing is becoming more important than ever.
By shifting their focus towards services and embedding them into daily operations, many leading pharmacies are seeing stronger revenue growth, attracting more patients and building longer-lasting relationships with the communities they support.
Why Patients Often Miss What You Offer
Many patients still default to booking a GP appointment instead of booking a service with their local pharmacy, simply because that’s what they’re used to.
In fact, a study published in the International Journal of Pharmacy Practice found that 45% of patients were unaware of the specific services their local pharmacy offered.
Ensuring you’re delivering high quality services sets the foundations of your growth, but making your services impossible to miss, easy to understand and available at the right moment are the most important parts of boosting uptake.
If They Can’t See It, They Won’t Book It
Visibility is the first step to engagement. If patients don’t see the services you offer, they are far less likely to take the next step toward booking.
Here are a few simple ways to improve service visibility:
- Add posters and signage to your windows, counters and consultation room doors
- Use clear, benefit-led messaging like “Book your flu jab in minutes” or “Get your blood pressure checked today”
- Include up-to-date service banners and booking links on your website
- Share service offers, campaigns and updates on your social media channels
- Promote your services through the Healthera app and Smart Website
With Healthera, you can establish your pharmacy as the natural first choice by making your services more visible across multiple channels and touchpoints.
Your services can appear in the Healthera app, which is used by over one million patients to manage prescriptions and bookings. Patients can view your availability and book directly from the app as part of their everyday healthcare routine.
You also have the option to launch a Smart Website, a pharmacy-branded site built by Healthera with integrated booking tools. If you already have a website, the same technology can be added without needing to start over.
Everything is managed through Healthera Connect, where you can update services, manage availability and track bookings in one place.
Timing Is Everything When It Comes to Bookings
Once your services are visible, the next step is making sure they are promoted at the right time. Patients are much more likely to act on a message when it aligns with what they are already thinking about, whether that’s a seasonal health concern or an upcoming trip.
To help plan your promotions, here’s a seasonal guide to when key services tend to resonate most with patients:
Planning your campaigns around seasonal health needs makes your services feel more relevant and encourages more patients to book when they see the opportunity.
Market Services in a Way Patients Understand
When patients hear language that feels overly clinical or unfamiliar, they may hesitate to ask questions or take part, while using clear and friendly language can help you build trust and ultimately convince them to book in.
Here are a few examples of clinical terms you can replace with language patients are more comfortable with:
- “Hypertension review” → “Blood pressure check”
- “Cardiovascular risk assessment” → “Heart health check”
- “Smoking cessation consultation” → “Stop smoking advice”
Though these small changes can help patients understand what you’re offering, creating opportunities to discuss your services with patients is equally important.
This doesn’t need to involve anything in particular, a study by the University of Manchester found that 73% of patients are more likely to book a service if they’re given time to talk, so where possible simply have a conversation with your patient and see if there’s a service that could benefit them.
In fact, that same study found 44% of patients are more likely to book a service if a member of your staff suggests it when relevant and appropriate – so here’s a few friendly prompts to empower your staff:
- “Would you like a quick X check while you’re in today?”
- “We’ve got Y service available, would you like to hear how it works?”
- “If you’d like, I can book your Z while you collect your medicine.”
Small, well-timed prompts like these can help patients feel supported and understood, while making it easier for your team to introduce services in a way that feels natural.
Your Community Can Help You Grow
Promoting your services doesn’t have to rest solely on your team either – many local organisations will be happy to support your health campaigns.
Try reaching out to local GP surgeries, care homes, gyms and other health-focused businesses with a short email introducing your services. Many will be open to sharing your leaflets, displaying posters or even collaborating on small community events.
Here are a few simple ideas to consider:
- Blood pressure checks at a local gym or leisure centre
- Stop smoking advice drop-ins at a community centre or library
- Travel health Q&A sessions at a student campus or local travel clinic
- Mini health MOTs in care homes or supported housing
- Flu vaccination awareness stands in workplaces or high-footfall shops
This can help you expand your reach beyond your existing patient base, strengthen your role as a trusted healthcare provider and could potentially lead to further collaborations down the road.
Turn One Appointment Into Even More Value
When someone is already booked in, it’s an ideal moment to offer a second service. This helps them get more done in one visit and helps your team maximise every opportunity.
Here’s some examples:
- An elderly person booked in for a flu vaccination may also benefit from a blood pressure check
- Someone attending a travel clinic may also benefit from antimalarial advice or a quick check on their routine vaccinations
- A patient collecting emergency contraception may benefit from a discreet chat about regular contraception or sexual health support
Additionally, if you know that the patient will need to book the service again in the future, offering to book the next appointment before they leave can help you make the booking experience easier for them.
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to completely change how you work to start seeing more service bookings. Making your services easy to see, simple to understand and convenient to book, while helping your team spot opportunities, can go a long way without adding to their workload.
When patients feel confident and supported, they are more likely to engage and return. When your team has the ability to manage bookings, messages, follow-ups and reporting in one place, it becomes much easier to maintain strong relationships and support steady growth.
Healthera is built to support exactly that. It helps patients view and book your services through the Healthera app or your website and gives your staff a single place to manage all your upcoming bookings.
Powered by our eConsult partnership, which handles over 1 million patient assessments each month, we’re also enabling patients to self-refer to local pharmacies for both in-person and video Pharmacy First consultations directly through their platform.
