Success story - Terry White
Throughout Australia, Terry White Chemists has an enviable reputation built on personalised, high quality service and advice.
With each Terry White pharmacy owned and operated by independent franchisees, there is a degree of autonomy regarding various aspects, including POS hardware and software – of the pharmacies. For franchisee Mr. George Keskerides, a pharmacist who has been part of the Terry White family for over seven years, that autonomy has resulted in the ability to implement what he regards as an optimum Toshiba TEC POS solution.
Challenge: Establish a solid POS foundation
In early 2008, Mr. Keskerides made the decision to expand his business and open a second Terry White pharmacy, this time in the recently constructed and very stylish The Well at Camberwell. In his first outlet, Mr. Keskerides had been using Toshiba TEC POS hardware, but in a mixed environment. “I learnt the hard way,” he says, “that when POS hardware is crucial to smooth operations and good customer service, you don’t settle for second best.”
So it was that when it came time to selecting the hardware and software that would form the POS foundation for his new pharmacy, Mr. Keskerides set out to investigate and determine the best possible solution.
Solution: Toshiba TEC
After extensive discussions with his own staff members, other pharmacists and POS solution experts, Mr. Keskerides opted to implement a broad-based system consisting of Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals, DRWST-51A cash drawers, B-SV4D label printers and TRST-A10 thermal POS printers.
Reliability equates to great service Given the Terry White focus on providing customers with the highest possible levels of personalised customer service, the decision to implement a Toshiba TEC-based POS solution has paid dividends for Mr. Keskerides from the very start. He explains: “When we serve a customer, our main goal is to ensure they walk away knowing they have been dealt with professionally at every level; and that includes at the front counter.
“I once made a mistake at one of my businesses by deciding to cut corners and purchase a third-party touch-screen terminal,” Mr. Keskerides continues. “Within a month of the terminals being installed, they were breaking down and having to be sent off for repair; and when a terminal breaks down, it’s an immediate disruption to the business and customer service.”
In contrast, the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals that are now in place at both pharmacies owned by Mr. Keskerides have continued functioning without any problems since they day they were implemented. “And the same goes for the cash drawers and printers,” he says. At the dispensary stations, the Toshiba TEC B-SV4D four-inch desktop printers are also playing an important role in the pharmacy’s high standards of customer service and operational efficiency. Used for generating the labels affixed to every dispensed item, the printers are subjected to constant and heavy use seven days a week and, according to Mr. Keskerides, deliver on the dual needs for reliability and print quality. “The reliability and quality of the Toshiba TEC equipment – the touch screens, cash drawers and printers –is something I see as being fundamental to good customer service,” he states.
“The fact that the equipment has obviously been engineered specifically to withstand the rigors of the retail environment means my staff members are able to focus on the customers rather than deal with equipment that breaks down or is difficult to use.”
A performance computing system
For Mr. Keskerides, one of the most important features of the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals is actually what’s not seen by the customers and even his own staff – it’s all about what’s inside the unit. “The terminals are much more than simply fancy-looking cash registers,” he says. “They are crucial components in our network, running a Windows operating system and sophisticated software.
“Where businesses ensure they provide staff with reliable and high performance desktop computer workstations, for many of my staff members, the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals are their workstations. If I’m to provide my people with the best equipment to help them achieve maximum productivity, then it must be reliable and high performing; and they’re key reasons that led me to purchase the Toshiba based solution.”
Contributing to helping his staff “achieve maximum productivity” are features that include the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal’s bright display, and the TRST-A10 thermal POS printer’s ease of paper changing. “In a high volume turnover environment, such as a pharmacy,” Mr. Keskerides says, “it’s those types of features that help create a smooth running retail business.”
Style and class
In order to ensure customers walk away with the best possible impression of his pharmacy, Mr. Keskerides recognises that style and presentation are crucial – and this is where the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals stand out from the crowd. “We pride ourselves on presentation at every level,” he says. “This is right from staff and their uniforms through to store layout and, of course, the equipment.”
“Like most people, I’ve seen all too many POS terminals that look antiquated and have bundles of wires running from them,” Mr. Keskerides says. “They look untidy, cheap and, above all, unprofessional. Compare those to the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals and it’s fairly easy to see why from that perspective at least we went with Toshiba TEC equipment right across the board.
“What it boils down to is that for this type of business, where customer service, presentation and performance are critical, the Toshiba TEC POS and minfos solution is the only viable alternative.”
