TalkRx is the name of what Vow Data says is an all-in-one communications system for pharmacies. The new system combines the phone and IVR systems into one device. Pharmacy-specific phone features include alerting the pharmacy to incoming calls from doctors so that specific employees can talk to them and call recording for phoned-in prescriptions. Callers can be routed based on caller ID, allowing certain customers to bypass the IVR or be routed to a particular location automatically. The detailed call-reporting feature tracks calls to and from the pharmacy.

Calls routed to remote locations use VOIP technology to reduce the cost and to provide callers with seamless transfers. Pharmacies can also use VOIP to create a central IVR server with customized greetings for each location. The VOIP-based phone system provides enterprise PBX features and is integrated with Vow’s RapidRefill IVR system.

 “By integrating the phone and IVR system into one device, we can route things like caller ID based on which options have been selected from the IVR menu,” says Chip Simmons, CIO for Vow Data.

RapidRefill IVR is an in-house system that can either answer every call or pickup only those when the pharmacy lines are tied up. Voice mail messages can be attached to the refill order, and these voice mails, whether from the patient or the doctor, are archived for future reference. “I am shocked that pharmacies have to keep hard copies of the prescriptions for years, yet the real proof is the voice mail or phone conversation,” says Simmons. “Pharmacies now have a way to produce both, if necessary.”