How to have a successful McKesson ideaShare: Attend, network and take action
For more than 30 years, McKesson ideaShare has focused on giving independent pharmacists and owners the knowledge, tools and resources they need to improve their pharmacy’s performance. This year’s conference comes with a warning label:
“Warning: Attendance may cause extreme success. Common side effects include: greater knowledge, improved performance and higher revenue.”
“The warning is a little tongue and cheek, but the message is on target. Whether this is your first ideaShare or your 20th, we wanted to let all attendees know McKesson and Health Mart can help them to achieve maximum results,” said Michelle Gilliam, director of Health Mart Marketing.
Connecting customers with industry experts and peers, McKesson ideaShare will feature more than 124 educational sessions with 80 unique topics. Ranging from theater sessions to small group seminars to “Do-it-with-me” workshops, the conference is designed to provide attendees with tangible, information and best practices that are easy to take home and put into action.
“We’re focusing on giving independent pharmacists and owners the knowledge, tools and resources they need to improve their pharmacy’s performance and maximize profits. This year’s show will highlight Health Mart’s approach to helping independents transform their business by driving improvements in clinical performance and store profitability,” said Steve Courtman, president of Health Mart. “We’ve reimagined the meeting experience to give independent pharmacies more peer-to-peer networking and the opportunity to create a 12-month Roadmap focused on helping them run a better business while becoming a preferred destination for patient care.”
Enhanced McKesson ideaShare mobile app: Matches customer interests with content and solutions
Helping independent pharmacies excel clinically and run a successful thriving business is at the core of Health Mart’s strategy and a driving factor for the introduction of Health Mart Pathway to Better Pharmacy Performance and Profit. Introduced at last year’s meeting, the Health Mart Pathway details a realistic process for members to make practical changes to their business to enhance their profitability. “Based on feedback from attendees, the educational sessions, seminars and workshops at McKesson ideaShare have been developed for pharmacists and owners who are committed to driving greater efficiency both in the clinical as well as the operations side of their business,” added Gilliam. “Every pharmacy may be at a different stage along The Health Mart Pathway and have different goals for what they want to learn and accomplish at the meeting, which is why we are helping them to customize their ideaShare experience to gather the specific resources, tools and expert advice they need to build a successful future.”
My schedule questionnaire helps customize meeting experience quickly
To help attendees get the most out of the conference, McKesson has created a mobile app that matches customer interests with McKesson ideaShare content and solutions; helps build a personalized meeting schedule; and streamlines the ability for attendees to get the tools and knowledge they need to evolve their businesses and increase profitability in the changing pharmacy landscape.
Gilliam encouraged McKesson ideaShare attendees to download the event mobile app “event4me” from the Apple App Store or Google Play to customize their meeting experience. “To use their time at the conference most effectively and focus on what matters most to their businesses, attendees answer 10 questions on their needs and interests. Once the My Schedule questionnaire is complete, they get personalized recommendations for sessions and booths to visit. This includes CE, exhibit floor theater sessions, networking meet-up spots and workshops,” Gilliam added.
In addition to helping attendees create a personalized schedule, the mobile app also:
Provides interactive maps and general show information.
Enables attendees to participate in real-time Q&A during sessions and provide opinions on surveys.
Provides updates and helpful details on exhibit floor sessions and exhibit booths, such as show specials and promotions. Attendees can have digital booth and session materials emailed to them after the show.
Roadmap to success helps owners hold themselves accountable for results
Based on answers to the My Schedule Questionnaire, the app also makes recommendations for a 12-month plan to achieve results for a pharmacy’s performance and profits. This new tool saves time and gives pharmacists ideas by pre-populating strategies and tactics that can be edited. Owners can finish this plan on their own or collaborate with peers in a 45-minute Roadmap Planning Session.
With expanded appointment scheduling (available online only before the show at McKessonideaShare.com/my plan), attendees can request dedicated appointment times to meet with experts about:
McKesson Pharmacy and Technology Services (MPTS) — Learn how MPTS solutions help provide improved efficiency and margins, increased profits and lead to better overall patient care;
Generics — Get details on the 3% rebate on all McKesson OneStop Generics for registered McKesson ideaShare 2017 attendees;
Digital Marketing Consultation — Review the health of the pharmacy’s online presence with a free consultation with a digital expert from the Marketing Hub. Get insights to actively make improvements to optimize the online presence. (Health Mart members only);
EQuIPP — Speak with a PQS staff member to review pharmacy performance and review improvement strategies; and
Roadmap Planning — Work with peers to create a personalized 12-month action plan to achieve maximum performance results and profits.
Tangible ideas to use today to impact performance and business profitability
“Customers attend McKesson ideaShare to network with peers and share ideas and best practices that they can implement in their own stores to improve their performance and profitability,” said Gilliam. “The new mobile app and Roadmap Planning tools are designed to help them maximize their time at the meeting and give them real ideas that they can implement as soon as they get home that will have an immediate impact on their business.”