[Sponsored Report] SK Broadband puts kiosks in pharmacies

On Kiosk makes pharmacies more convenient, even for patients speaking English, Chinese and Japanese. [SK BROADBAND]

SK Broadband has paired up with medical marketing firm Online Pharm to develop electronic kiosks for pharmacies.

The new machines, dubbed On Kiosk, are part of an effort to make smart pharmacies a reality. In the age of the fourth industrial revolution, it is easy to spot electronic kiosks in restaurants, fast-food chains, airports and now even pharmacies.

On Kiosk is an electronic kiosk service that can process prescriptions, credit card payments and instruct patients on how to take medicine.

“It is much more popular than what we expected before launching the machine,” said an official from SK broadband. “To cut down on expenses, a lot of pharmacies are aiming to replace people with these.”

Once a patient gets to the pharmacy, they can simply scan the barcode or QR code to input information about their prescription and make payments with their credit card, which is expected to save time for the patient as well.

There are guidelines on their receipt of how many pills a patient must take and how often, which makes it possible for patients to not deal with anyone in person.

What is more convenient is that On Kiosk works in three different languages - English, Chinese, and Japanese. This makes it much easier for foreign patients to visit pharmacies.

Pharmacists are also able to focus more on health consulting and work with patients that require more care, which is another positive part of changing to a smart store.

On Kiosk can also show popular products based on where it is located, which can be a way for pharmacies to advertise specific products.

For instance, if the pharmacy is near a pediatrician, it will show vitamins for kids, and if it is near an area where a lot of elderly people live, it will show health products for the elderly.

SK Broadband designed the point of sale program to make inventory management much easier with On Kiosk, and as the program is free, pharmacies are able to cut back on expenses for efficient management.

Last September, SK broadband and Online Pharm signed a memorandum of understanding to develop On Kiosk and have since collected data from pharmacists and patients to finally come up with the service.

In order to ensure that use of the electronic kiosk didn’t undermine customer service, SK Broadband decided to provide a 24 hour surveillance system through its subsidiary, SK Broadband Home & Service.

Four different models of On Kiosk are available, differing in terms of usage for different size pharmacies.

SK Broadband also offers various corporate services including its cloud camera, Giga internet, internet of things technology, ADT Caps, SK Magic appliances and other things a company needs to run a store. It has vowed to ensure the system is convenient, both for patients and pharmacists.

By Kim Seung-jun [kim.seungjun@joongang.co.kr]