These pharmacies topped J.D. Power’s 2018 survey
The pharmacy industry continues to provide superior levels of customer satisfaction in the brick-and-mortar and mail-order segments, according to the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Pharmacy Study, released Tuesday. Health-and-wellness services available in brick-and-mortar pharmacies and the timeliness of delivery for mail order pharmacies are among the key factors driving customer satisfaction.
Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranked highest overall among brick-and-mortar chain drug stores, with a score of 903. Health Mart (890) ranked second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranked third (846). Sam’s Club ranked highest overall among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies, with a score of 892. Costco (860) ranks second and CVS/pharmacy inside Target (859) ranks third. Among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies, Wegmans ranked highest overall, with a score of 906. H-E-B (897) ranked second and Publix (891) ranked third.
Humana Pharmacy ranked highest overall in mail order with a score of 885. Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (866) ranks second and Express Scripts (862) ranks third.
The 2018 study is based on responses from 10,749 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription during the three months prior to the survey period of May-June 2018.
“The retail pharmacy business has been in the spotlight ever since Amazon announced in June 2018 that it’s getting into the space,” J.D. Power senior director and healthcare practice leader Greg Truex, said, in a press statement. “Amazon, or any other organization looking to disrupt the $100 billion U.S. mail order pharmacy market, will have their work cut out for them. Legacy pharmacy players have invested heavily in delivering superior service, while brick-and-mortar pharmacies are starting to reap significant customer satisfaction gains from retail-style clinics offering health and wellness services.”
The study also found the following:
Good Neighbor Pharmacy ranked highest overall among brick-and-mortar chain drug stores, with a score of 903. Health Mart (890) ranked second and Rite Aid Pharmacy ranked third (846). Sam’s Club ranked highest overall among brick-and-mortar mass merchandiser pharmacies, with a score of 892. Costco (860) ranks second and CVS/pharmacy inside Target (859) ranks third. Among brick-and-mortar supermarket pharmacies, Wegmans ranked highest overall, with a score of 906. H-E-B (897) ranked second and Publix (891) ranked third.
Humana Pharmacy ranked highest overall in mail order with a score of 885. Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy (866) ranks second and Express Scripts (862) ranks third.
The 2018 study is based on responses from 10,749 pharmacy customers who filled a prescription during the three months prior to the survey period of May-June 2018.
“The retail pharmacy business has been in the spotlight ever since Amazon announced in June 2018 that it’s getting into the space,” J.D. Power senior director and healthcare practice leader Greg Truex, said, in a press statement. “Amazon, or any other organization looking to disrupt the $100 billion U.S. mail order pharmacy market, will have their work cut out for them. Legacy pharmacy players have invested heavily in delivering superior service, while brick-and-mortar pharmacies are starting to reap significant customer satisfaction gains from retail-style clinics offering health and wellness services.”
The study also found the following:
- The average customer satisfaction score for brick-and-mortar pharmacies was 847 on a 1,000-point scale; mail order was 859, which is favorable when compared to h other high-scoring industries evaluated by J.D. Power, such as direct banks (863), property and casualty insurance companies (860) and full-service investment advisors (839). Among the different pharmacy segments, supermarkets have the highest levels of overall satisfaction (863).
- Among brick-and-mortar pharmacies, the key driver of overall customer satisfaction is the availability of health and wellness services. Availability of these services is associated with a 66-point improvement in overall satisfaction. Such services are currently present in 86% of chain drug stores, 83% of supermarket pharmacies and 75% of mass merchandiser pharmacies.
- Among mail-order pharmacies, the key driver of overall customer satisfaction is having a prescription ready/delivered when promised. Delivering prescriptions on time is associated with a 78-point increase in overall customer satisfaction. Customers also evaluate the speed of delivery, adding 42 points to overall satisfaction scores when prescriptions are received within five days of completing an order.
- •Some of the most significant drivers of customer satisfaction in all pharmacy segments include friendly, engaging service. Among brick-and-mortar pharmacies, the second-most effective driver of overall satisfaction is “non-pharmacist staff greeted you in a friendly manner,” which is associated with a 64-point increase in customer satisfaction. Even in the mail-order segment, a “thank you” from non-pharmacist staff is associated with a 17-point increase in satisfaction.