Boots: Prescription for success

The UK pharmacy sector is undergoing rapid change due to increased competition, patients’ desire for fast and easy prescriptions, and a reduction in NHS reimbursements. Coupled with digitization, Boots needed to adapt to changing climates.

Boots aspires to continue growing its online prescription business by delivering on its purpose to be the first choice for pharmacy, health and beauty. Key to accomplishing this is the delivery of an exceptional and seamless patient experience.

The retailer has been at the cornerstone of UK healthcare for more than 170 years, trading online and through stores. Boots wanted to create a new digital platform that would offer more flexibility in handling patients’ online prescriptions and easily scale to demand, while offering high levels of customer care. This was no small endeavor, and the retailer needed support to deliver this transformational change.

In just seven months, Accenture worked with Boots to deliver a brand new, repeat prescription service that has improved its pharmacy business and laid the foundation for a more patient-oriented omnichannel experience.

Fjord, part of Accenture, worked alongside the Boots team to create a new and improved customer journey that enhanced the user experience. The team placed the patient at the heart of every design decision and tested the solution regularly to create a streamlined customer journey that resonates with patients.

In addition, Accenture created a new cloud-based digital platform for online prescriptions, including environments and infrastructure, and a repeat prescription mobile app.

To help Boots bring new digital products and services to market quicker, we set up a Digital Service Factory (DSF). The DSF was a blended team of Accenture resources with end-to-end digital execution skills to identify, design, develop, test, pilot and launch new products and services.

Boots has new ways of working plus a simple-to-use repeat prescription service that offers patients a more convenient, faster and improved experience.

Accenture coached 100+ Boots team members in scaled agile delivery, set up a digital talent and culture incubation arm, and created a delivery model blueprint for other Boots projects. Boots now has new ways of working that increase digital self-sufficiency and business performance.

Since launch of the service, Boots has significantly increased online dispensing and the volume of online orders. The solution was able to handle a further spike in traffic when the pandemic hit. It also trebled year-on-year online prescriptions and created additional capacity to support future growth plans.

This is just the start of Boots’ omnichannel journey. The platform allows Boots to respond to competitor advances more quickly and offer new, innovative customer services that deliver on its purpose to be the first choice for pharmacy, health and beauty.