SK Broadband develops kiosks for pharmacies

An SK Broadband official, right, and a pharmacist pose with a self-serve kiosk tailored for pharmacies. Courtesy of SK Broadband

By Kwak Yeon-soo

SK Broadband, an internet service subsidiary of SK Telecom, has joined hands with Online Pharm to develop kiosks that can be installed at pharmacies, the company said Thursday.

SK Broadband and Online Pharm signed a memorandum of understanding last September to develop kiosk technology and promote smart pharmacy services.

Since then, the two counterparts have gathered opinions from pharmacists and their customers to develop the “on kiosk” self- service equipment.

The “on kiosk” service offers prescription, payment and medication counseling a lot easier and faster.

Customers who visit the pharmacy can fill a prescription through a barcode or QR code without having to interact with a pharmacist. In addition, they do not need to wait in long lines to receive and pay for their medication.

“The pharmacists' responses are even better than we expected,” an SK Broadband official said. “Digital transformation has accelerated non-face-to-face communication while the economic slowdown has pushed many to save on labor costs. We think it was timely to develop kiosks tailored to pharmacies.”

The kiosks are programmed to offer three foreign language options ― English, Chinese and Japanese ― making foreign customers' pharmacy experience more convenient.

The kiosks also allow pharmacists to concentrate on specialized medication and health counseling.

In addition, the on kiosks can lift sales by promoting over-the-counter drugs, such as vitamins, minerals and other supplements recommended by pharmacists.

The company said pharmacies can decide what items to showcase, making it easier to upsell or cross-sell. For instance, kiosks can recommend vitamins or fiber for children while offering calcium for the elderly depending on the patient's age.

SK Broadband also supports point-of-sale (POS) programs that provide inventory and sales management, customer control and more. It also offers after-service and a 24-hour monitoring system.

“Alongside the on kiosk service, we provide a wide array of B2B services, like cloud cam, high-speed internet, IoT, ADT caps and SK Magic, that are mandatory for running a pharmacy,” a company official said.