Pharmacy Daily | Who gives a fax? Sigma goes digital

PHARMACEUTICAL wholesaler, Sigma Healthcare, is continuing its moves to streamline its ordering process, with a number of digital solutions "on the cusp of being released".

Speaking at software and technology company, SAP's virtual Sapphire Now conference, Sigma's Head of e-commerce, Luke Shaw, outlined how technology has improved the company's ordering system, iTnews reported.

Shaw told delegates that Sigma has transformed its wholesale ordering platform, which has been developed using SAP's commerce cloud and Qualtrics products.

"Not so long ago our pharmacies were ordering from us via fax - and that's within the last 12 months," he said.

"So this technology [is] a huge leap forward."

Shaw said the company launched an ordering platform project in 2018, which found its technology was not compatible with its customer-focused objectives.

"Our legacy systems were antiquated and very fixed, and so we partnered with SAP to provide a new wholesale ordering platform, and ultimately that's what we thought we needed to deliver a better service," he said.

"The SAP commerce cloud platform enabled personalisation [of pricing, promotions and offers] for our stores.

"The Qualtrics technology gives amazing analytical capability to a simple business user to be able to understand and plot and make decisions on what's going to happen next."

The new systems also made it easier for pharmacists to order stock, allowed them to get "out on the shop floor and help patients, which is obviously what they want to do as well."

The SAP systems have also enabled Sigma to improve its customer communications.

"We're able to not just blanket email the entire customer base but use that technology to clearly deliver information and help keep them up to date in what's happening and what is best practice," Shaw said.

He added that the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated Sigma's moves to deliver online.

"We've had three or four initiatives that were ticking along [but] what was due to be released later this year is right on the cusp of being released now," he said.