J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Pharmacy Staff Interaction With Customers Strongly Impacts Overall Satisfaction With the Retail Pharmacy Experience

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The courteousness, availability and concern exhibited by the pharmacy staff can have a major impact on overall customer satisfaction with the retail pharmacy experience, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 Retail Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

The inaugural study measures customer satisfaction with retail pharmacies in two categories: brick-and-mortar pharmacies and mail-order. Covering retail chain stores, supermarkets and mass-merchandisers, the study identifies six critical factors of customer satisfaction for brick-and-mortar pharmacies: convenience; non-pharmacist staff; medication availability and information; store layout and design; competitiveness of pricing; and pharmacist. Excluding the pharmacist, the same factors are measured for the mail-order segment, which includes online pharmacies.

The study finds that among brick-and-mortar pharmacies, there is a very positive impact on overall satisfaction when the pharmacy staff asks if the customer would like to speak with the pharmacist. While asking this question is generally a benchmark for pharmacy companies -- and a requirement in many states -- only 63 percent of customers report that they received the offer. Overall satisfaction is particularly higher (817 points on a 1,000-point scale) among customers who were asked if they would like to speak with the pharmacist than those who were not (746 points). Additionally, the pharmacist has a much less significant impact on overall satisfaction due to low levels of customer interaction.

"Asking customers if they would like to speak with the pharmacist doesn't necessarily increase the likelihood that they will actually want to do so, but making the offer, at the very least, exhibits a sense of concern from the pharmacy staff about the customer's understanding and comfort with the overall process," said David Stefan, executive director of the healthcare practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "This is one area where brick-and-mortar pharmacies in particular can really improve their customers' satisfaction. For mail-order pharmacies, it's slightly different in that courtesy and the appeal of the website are especially critical satisfaction areas."

Medicine Shoppe leads the retail chain segment with 866 points and receives the highest ratings in all factors driving customer satisfaction. CVS/Pharmacy and Walgreens follow tied at 786 points with the chain drug store average.

With a score of 851 points, Publix ranks highest in the supermarket segment, receiving high ratings in convenience; pharmacy staff; medication availability and information; and store layout and design. Wegman's follows with 838 points, and Safeway ranks third in the segment with 827 points.

Among mass merchandisers, Target ranks highest with a score of 826 points, performing particularly well in medication availability and information, and store layout and design. Sam's Club (823) and Kmart (818) closely follow Target in the rankings.

In the mail order segment, Caremark leads with 818 points, receiving the highest ratings in convenience and availability of medication. PharmaCare Management Services follows with 813 points.

In addition to the pharmacy staff, the study finds that the convenience factor is critical in satisfying retail pharmacy customers. Across all brick- and-mortar segments, customers are satisfied with the amount of time it takes to complete the overall ordering process, with the majority of customers experiencing an average wait time of one to 10 minutes to receive their prescription. More than 70 percent of customers in each segment also indicate they received their prescription on time as promised by the pharmacist. Customers in the mail-order segment also note particularly high levels of satisfaction with the availability of medications and usefulness of information via the Internet.

"Although pharmacies are doing well in providing a convenient experience, the percentage of customers who aren't offered contact with the pharmacist is still alarmingly high," said Stefan. "Among those who did speak with the pharmacist, customers older than 50 report lower levels of counseling, including the important prescription safety issue of food and drug interactions. Overall, it appears that pharmacies may not be taking full advantage of the pharmacist to help demonstrate value to customers and ensure their safety."

Additionally, only 5 percent of all customers report experiencing problems while filling their prescription, and less than 1 percent cite accuracy issues with dosage, quantity or correct medication.

The 2007 Retail Pharmacy Customer Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 6,543 consumers who filled a new prescription or refilled prescription in the three months prior to the survey. The study was conducted online in October and November 2006. Visit JDPower.com to view customer satisfaction ratings for retail pharmacies, vision retailers, vision plans and health plans.

  Retail Chain Segment
  (Based on a 1,000-point scale)
  Medicine Shoppe                                      866
  CVS/Pharmacy                                         786
  Walgreen's                                           786
  Retail Chain Segment Average                         786
  Longs Drugs                                          776
  Rite Aid                                             776
  Brooks-Eckerd                                        768
  Duane Reade                                          726

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size is: Kinney Drugs.

  Supermarket Segment
  (Based on a 1,000-point scale)
  Publix                                               851
  Wegman's                                             838
  Safeway                                              827
  Jewel-Osco                                           820
  Kroger                                               802
  H-E-B                                                801
  Supermarket Segment Average                          797
  Giant Eagle                                          788
  Albertson's                                          771

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size is: Winn-Dixie.

  Mass Merchandiser Segment
  (Based on a 1,000-point scale)
  Target                                               826
  Sam's Club                                           823
  Kmart                                                818
  Meijer                                               810
  ShopKo                                               803
  Mass Merchandiser Segment Average                    787
  Wal-Mart                                             771
  Costco                                               769


  Mail Order Segment
  (Based on a 1,000-point scale)
  Caremark                                             818
  PharmaCare Management Services                       813
  Mail-Order Segment Average                           806
  Medco                                                804
  Walgreen's Health Initiatives, Inc.                  802
  Express Scripts                                      795
  PrecisionRx.com/WellPoint                            777
  CIGNA Pharmacy Management                            770

Included in the study but not ranked due to small sample size in alphabetical order are: Drugstore.com, Prescription Solutions, Rite Aid Health Solutions, and Wal-Mart Pharmacy Mail Service.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies:

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2006 were $6.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

  J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:
  Jeff Perlman                         John Tews
  Westlake Village, Calif.             Troy, Mich.
  (805) 418-8976                       (240) 312-4119
  jeff.perlman@jdpa.com                john.tews@jdpa.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate