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Digital Signage for Pharmacies

People wait in pharmacies. A screen gives the wait a number, and the waiting time something worth reading.

A pharmacy has a queue, a wait and a lot to say: flu season, the services nobody knows about, the promotion on the end of the aisle. A screen above the counter handles all three, and the queue part alone changes the mood of the shop.

The prescription queue

CastWize has queue management built in. Customers take a number at a small kiosk by the door, staff press a call-next link at the counter, and the live "now serving" number shows on the screen. People sit down instead of crowding the counter, and nobody calls names across the shop. The number is just a number; no personal information goes on screen.

What else goes on the screen

  • Health campaigns by season. Flu jabs in autumn, hay fever in spring, sun care in summer: slides with start and end dates, scheduled a year ahead if you like.
  • Services. Blood pressure checks, travel vaccinations, repeat prescriptions online: the services people don't ask about until they see them.
  • Over-the-counter promotions. The monthly offer with a photo, changed when the offer does.
  • Opening hours and the on-call rota. Constant, in a strip, and edited once when they change.
  • Calm filler. A slow nature loop or the weather between slides, so the screen doesn't feel like an advert board.

Keeping it current and compliant

Every slide has a start and end date, so a campaign that ends doesn't linger. Edits are made in a browser and published after a preview, which means the pharmacist can check a health message before it goes up. A group of pharmacies shares one campaign playlist, edited once for every branch, while each branch keeps its own hours and local notices.

Hardware

The TV above the counter plus an Android TV box or a Raspberry Pi running the free CastWize player; a cheap tablet or small screen works as the ticket kiosk. The player caches content and keeps playing if the connection drops, and the dashboard shows whether the screen is online, with alerts by email, Slack or webhook. Shopping list in Set Up a Screen for Under $200.

Cost

$5 per screen per month, every feature included, first screen free for 30 days. See digital signage for clinics and medical offices for the waiting-room setup, and queue management for how the ticket kiosk works.

Frequently asked questions

Is any patient information shown on the screen?

No. The queue shows a number only, and everything else on screen is what you publish: campaigns, services, hours and promotions. CastWize does not connect to your pharmacy system.

Can campaigns be scheduled months ahead?

Yes. Give each campaign slide a start and end date and it appears and disappears on those dates, in every branch at once if you group the screens.

What do customers use to take a ticket?

A small tablet or screen running the kiosk page, by the door or at the counter. Staff call the next number from any phone or computer with the call-next link.

Ready to put your first screen up?

First screen free for 30 days, no credit card required.