Automate refill reminders with Ferbz’s AI journey and keep your pharmacy running smoothly

Below is a step‑by‑step walkthrough of how a typical independent pharmacy—let’s call it Greenfield Pharmacy, Kingston‑upon‑Thames—sets up and runs AI refill automation for its chronic‑care patients. The description mirrors what you would see on screen, using the exact navigation labels from Ferbz.

1. Prepare your patient list

1. From the main dashboard click Patients on the left‑hand menu.
2. Choose Import CSV and upload the latest export from your practice management system. The file must contain at least: patient name, mobile number (WhatsApp‑enabled), medication name, last sale date, and next refill due date.
3. Ferbz validates the columns, flags any missing phone numbers, and creates a new Patient record for each row.
4. After import, use the filter bar to view only patients whose next refill is within the next 30 days. Save this filter as “Due Soon” for quick access later.

2. Record a sale and generate the reminder trigger

1. Go to Billing → New Sale.
2. Search for the patient (e.g., Mrs. Eleanor Hughes).
3. Select the product—Metformin 500 mg—enter the quantity, and set the Next Refill Date (automatically suggested based on the prescription duration).
4. Click Complete Sale. Ferbz instantly creates a PDF receipt, stores it on the patient’s profile, and shows a Shareable Link that can be printed or emailed.
5. As soon as the sale is saved, Ferbz checks all active Automation journeys for a trigger that matches “Days until due = 7”. Because the Refill Reminder journey is active, Eleanor is enrolled automatically.

3. Build the refill reminder journey with AI

1. Navigate to Automation on the sidebar.

2. Click Create New Journey and type the plain‑English goal:
   “Send a WhatsApp reminder 7 days before any chronic prescription is due, then follow up if no reply is received within 2 days.”

3. Ferbz’s AI drafts the flow:

   • Wait – 7 days before the next refill date.
   • Message – “Hello {{patient_name}}, your {{medication}} prescription is due on {{next_refill_date}}. Reply ‘YES’ to confirm you’ll pick it up, or call us at 020 8425 1234 if you need a new prescription.”
   • Branch – If the patient replies “YES”, end journey. If no reply, wait 2 days.
   • Message – “We haven’t heard from you, {{patient_name}}. Please let us know if you need assistance with your {{medication}} refill.”

4. The canvas shows each block as a draggable card. Click any block to edit the template, insert variables, or change the wait period.

5. Save the journey as “7‑Day Refill Reminder” and toggle it Active.

4. Verify the reminder on the Reminders board

1. Open Reminders board from the top navigation.

2. You will see Eleanor’s entry:

   Patient: Eleanor Hughes
   Status: Scheduled → 7 days (waiting)
   Journey: 7‑Day Refill Reminder

3. Hover over the entry to view the exact send time and the WhatsApp template that will be used.

5. Monitor delivery and act on responses

1. When the 7‑day wait expires, Ferbz sends the message via the official WhatsApp Business API.
2. The Reminders board updates in real time: Sent → Delivered → Read.
3. If Eleanor replies “YES”, the branch automatically marks the journey as Completed and the status changes to Closed – Confirmed.
4. If no reply is received, the second message is queued, and the board shows Waiting 2 days.

All interactions are logged on the patient’s profile under Automation History, so staff can see at a glance whether a patient has confirmed or needs a phone call.

6. Review performance in Reports

1. Click Reports → Automation.

2. Select the date range (e.g., 01 Apr 2024 – 30 Apr 2024).

3. The report shows:

   • Total reminders sent: 124
   • Delivered: 119 (96 %)
   • Read: 112 (90 %)
   • Confirmed pickups: 78 (62 % of sent)

4. Export the CSV for bookkeeping or to discuss with your accountant regarding VAT‑eligible services.

7. Top up credits for continued operation

1. From the top‑right avatar menu select Wallet.
2. Enter the amount of credit you wish to add (e.g., £250) and confirm.
3. Each WhatsApp reminder costs a fixed number of credits; the wallet balance is deducted automatically as reminders are sent.

Full Worked Example

Greenfield Pharmacy has 312 chronic‑care patients. In March, the pharmacy recorded 48 sales of insulin pens, each with a 30‑day refill cycle. After setting up the 7‑Day Refill Reminder journey, the following occurred:

Out of the 48 reminders, 31 patients confirmed via WhatsApp, 10 required a follow‑up call, and 7 did not respond at all. The pharmacy saved an estimated 3 hours of manual phone‑calling time and recovered £1 210 in sales that would otherwise have been lost to expired stock.

Time saved – Before Ferbz, a pharmacy owner or staff member would spend roughly 5 minutes per patient each week checking a spreadsheet, dialing the number, and noting the response. With 150 chronic patients, that adds up to 12.5 hours per week. After automation, the same information is captured automatically; only the handful of non‑responders need a quick call, cutting weekly admin time to under 2 hours.

Revenue recovered – In a typical month, a small UK pharmacy loses between 5 % and 12 % of its chronic‑care sales because patients forget to order refills. For Greenfield Pharmacy, the average monthly turnover from chronic prescriptions is £9 850. By sending 7‑day reminders, the pharmacy saw a 12.3 % increase in refill pickups (≈ £1 210) and a 4 % reduction in expired stock, equating to an extra £480 of sell‑through on medicines that would otherwise have been written off.

Fewer errors – Manual entry of refill dates often leads to duplicate reminders or missed patients. Ferbz’s single source of truth—the Patient profile—stores the next‑refill date, and the Automation engine calculates the reminder clock automatically. The Reminders board flags any failed sends, so nothing slips through unnoticed.

Compliance and professionalism – All WhatsApp messages are sent through the official Business API, meaning they carry the verified pharmacy name and a consistent sender ID. This avoids the pitfalls of personal‑number work‑arounds, keeps communications GDPR‑compliant, and presents a professional image to patients.

Clear financial tracking – Because each reminder draws from a prepaid credit wallet, the pharmacy can see exactly how much it spends on messaging versus the uplift in sales, as shown in the Reports module. This transparency makes it easy to justify the expense to accountants and to align with HMRC guidance on VAT‑eligible services.

Overall, AI refill automation for pharmacies turns a repetitive, error‑prone task into a measurable, revenue‑protecting process that fits neatly into the daily workflow of a small, counter‑driven business.

Ready to stop losing sales to missed refills and free up evenings for patient care? Sign up for a free trial, import your patient list, and build your first AI‑driven refill reminder journey in minutes. Visit the dashboard at https://dashboard.ferbz.com/ and explore the Automation tab, or email support@ferbz.com for a personalised walkthrough. With Ferbz’s prepaid credit model, you only pay for the reminders you send—no hidden subscriptions, just a smoother, more reliable pharmacy operation.