A pharmacy owner has options when it comes to their phone provider. The key here is to find a provider that is within budget while integrating with your IVR provider. Let’s take a closer look.

Again we are faced with the options of VOIP vs landline/traditional for our phone provider. Each of these have unique benefits that will help your pharmacy. Most people are familiar with landline phones however VOIP may be a term many pharmacy owners have never heard of. Don’t worry, we go over both options along with pricing for each service.

What is VOIP and you should consider it for your pharmacy.

VOIP phone services or sometimes called “Internet Phone” is simply an online phone system. There isn’t an expensive phone system to buy and install in your pharmacy, you don’t have to hire a phone tech to manage your phone system, and you only need to purchase the phone handsets from your VOIP provider. There are plenty of VOIP providers out there including: Ring Central, 8×8, Windstream and lots more. VOIP has really taken over the business world in the past 5 years because of it’s lower monthly costs when compared to traditional phone service. There is no hefty phone system to purchase and install – you simply buy the phone handsets and your phone system is hosted in the cloud (internet).

Pricing: VOIP services are typically around $22-33 per line/user. It really depends on the features you are requesting. For example: call recording, CRM integration, voice-to-text translation and internet faxing. The number of users can also determine the price – more users typically will get you a better price.

Should your pharmacy be on VOIP?

If your pharmacy has a stable and reliable internet connection then YES your pharmacy should consider switching to a VOIP provider. The money you save every month is incredible compared to analog/tradition phone services. As mentioned above VOIP is an “online” phone system that relies on your internet. If you pharmacy has internet outages or slow internet then you should not consider VOIP and stick with analog/traditional phone services. Just make sure your IVR provider works with whichever VOIP provider you choose. ConfigRX helps pharmacy owners with switching to VOIP for free, contact us if you plan to switch and we can guide you in the right direction for your pharmacy.

Traditional phone services are still viable options for pharmacies.

Traditional phone services like AT&T, Time Warner Cable, Spectrum, Frontier, Century Link, etc.. are often referred to as POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service), copper lines, or cable CO line. These systems are older technology but very reliable. Most pharmacies still utilize this technology. This type of service usually requires a PBX (phone system) installed and managed by a certified professional. PBX’s require an upfront purhcase and these systems can range from $1500-$5000 for a reliable phone system.

Pricing: Traditional landline services are a bit more expensive than VOIP and are $30-37/line depending on your area. If there is only one provider in your area this can easily go over $40/line.

Upgrade your pharmacies phone service.

You can always shop for better phone service through ConfigRX for free. We often have lower channel partner rates than what you can go going to the provider directly. See the form below if you are interested in upgrading the phone service for your pharmacy or inquiring about new phone service for your pharmacy. We work with VOIP and analog phone providers all across the country in all cities!