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If you’ve called the pharmacy in the past couple of weeks, you’ve likely encountered our newest AI (artificial intelligence) helper, Agent Phil (like “fill” a prescription!). Rest assured, Phil is not replacing any of our wonderful staff. It is a new technology that we know everyone—including our team—is still adjusting to. This AI agent has been deployed with the goal of helping us better manage our daily workload and ensure our staff members are able to address the needs of all of our patients and customers, both inside our business and those calling in from the outside. In a situation where call volume is heavy, staff members are challenged with answering the telephone and assisting our in-store patrons at the same time. This creates frequent interruptions and long hold times while trying to juggle multiple tasks at once, which can be frustrating for both staff and customers alike. Frequent interruptions also increases the risk of error, which in a pharmacy can be a serious problem.
We’re at a point in our business’s life cycle where we’re trying to strike a delicate balance: we can’t afford more staff for both financial and logistical reasons, but we also acknowledge that we can’t have any less staff than we do now. What we can do is offload some of the telephone traffic that we believe can be automated using new technology. Phil, the Agent, is not limited to answering one call at a time—he can literally answer hundreds of calls simultaneously and deal with each one individually, eliminating delayed answering, waiting on hold, or the need to leave a voicemail during business hours.
Another pro to having Phil is that you no longer need your prescription number to request a refill. You can ask him to refill a type of medication, such as an antidepressant or a diabetes med. You can use the brand name of the drug or the generic name (e.g., brand name “Prilosec” vs the generic name “Omeprazole”). Phil knows how to handle these requests and, in many cases, can do it more efficiently than a non-clinical staff member. For instance, you call and ask to have your antidepressant medication refilled, but don’t have the prescription number handy and can’t remember the name of the drug—a non-clinical pharmacy clerk would need to interrupt the technician to discern which one of your medications is the antidepressant before being able to assist you. Phil knows how to do this on his own and can handle that sort of request very easily.
We know that Phil is a change, and with change always comes some friction. We ask that you give Phil a chance and continue to share your feedback with us about your experience “working” with him. Some tips: Do your best to speak in full sentences such as, “I’d like to refill my cholesterol medication” or “can you check to see if my prescription is ready?” Just like our human staff, Phil will need to verify your identity by asking a few questions; however, he starts that process before your call is even answered. Based on the Caller ID, the Agent Phil tries to locate the corresponding patient file that is associated with your telephone number; pairing that information with a birthdate validates identity and Phil can then help you with your request. If you are calling on behalf of someone else and your telephone number is not listed on their profile, additional name and birthdate validation will likely be necessary to proceed.
Please know that we are constantly making improvements to refine the flow of these calls. If you have feedback to share with us, please do! Noting the date and time of your call will help us find the recording so that we can use it to improve this new tool. And, really, that’s all Phil is—a (technological) tool. He is not replacing our wonderful staff and if, in the long-term, he’s not the right fit for our community, we’ll pivot.
Finally, know that we are always here for you. If you have a detailed request or need clinical information, just ask to speak to a staff member and Phil will transfer you immediately. Your willingness to let Phil handle the simple things helps us help you—we appreciate you giving him a shot (pun intended from John 💉!).
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