It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The phone hasn’t stopped ringing, patients are asking whether their prescriptions are ready before they leave town, and your team is trying to get a week’s worth of refills ready in two days.
Holiday closures can make an already busy week even busier. Patients need to know when you’re closing, when you’ll reopen, and how to get their prescriptions before the holiday. Without a little planning, those questions can turn into a backlog of calls and refill requests.
A few simple steps can help you stay ahead of the rush, keep patients informed, and make the days before and after a holiday easier on your team. Here’s how to prepare your phone system, schedule coverage, remind patients, and share your holiday hours.
Why holiday hours put extra pressure on your pharmacy
When your pharmacy closes for a holiday, the work doesn’t stop. It just gets squeezed into fewer days.
A few things tend to happen at once:
- Refill requests pick up. Patients who normally request prescriptions throughout the week need them filled before you close.
- Staffing gets tighter. Team members are taking time off during a week when there’s already more to do.
- Patients have more questions. They want to know when you’re closing, when you’ll reopen, and whether their prescriptions will be ready.
- Requests pile up. Calls and refill requests come in before the closure and continue while you’re away.
- Seasonal services add to the workload. Flu shots, Medicare plan comparisons, medication therapy management (MTM), and winter illnesses can bring in even more calls.
The earlier you communicate your hours, the more time patients have to plan. And having a process for handling requests makes it easier to manage the ones that come in at the last minute.
Get ready for the holiday rush.
The free Holiday Rush Toolkit has IVR scripts, on-hold messages, social posts, printable signs, and more!
1. Update your phone greeting before the holiday
Your phone greeting is one of the first places patients will check for holiday hours. Make sure it gives callers the information they need without requiring someone on your team to answer.
Include:
- The dates you’ll be closed
- When you’ll reopen
- A reminder to request refills early
- How patients can submit refill requests while you’re closed, if available
Sample holiday phone greeting:
“Happy holidays from Lamar Springs Pharmacy. We’ll be closed Thursday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 25, for Christmas, and will reopen Saturday, Dec. 26, at 9 a.m. If you’re traveling or have a busy week ahead, please request your refills early so they’re ready before we close.”
A few things to keep in mind when recording your greeting:
- Prepare separate recordings. Have messages ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s so you can update your greeting without starting from scratch.
- Keep it brief. Stick to the information callers need: closure dates, reopening time, and a reminder to refill early.
- Use a familiar voice. Record the greeting yourself or ask a team member patients recognize. A natural-sounding text-to-speech option can also work.
- Check your call flow. If your phone system offers automated refill requests, make sure patients know how to use them while you’re closed.
- Test the recording. Call your pharmacy from an outside number to make sure the correct greeting plays and all dates are accurate.
- Set a reminder to turn it off after the holidays. Make sure that your holiday greetings are turned off after that holiday passes to eliminate confusion.
The holiday toolkit includes sample greetings for different closures, along with recordings and transcripts your team can customize.
2. Plan staffing coverage before the holiday rush
A little planning can go a long way when you’re working with fewer people and fewer business days. Get your schedule and coverage sorted out before the holiday week arrives.
Before finalizing your schedule:
- Confirm pharmacist coverage. Make sure you have PIC coverage for every day the pharmacy is open.
- Assign an on-call contact. Decide who will handle any urgent issues that come up during the closure.
- Review delivery and pickup schedules. Make note of any changes and communicate them to patients.
- Take care of recurring tasks early. Identify what can be completed ahead of time and flag prescriptions that may need additional attention.
- Check in with your team. Talk through availability and workload before adding extra shifts. The goal is to get through the holiday without putting unnecessary pressure on the people who are there.
Don’t forget about the first day back
The work doesn’t disappear while you’re closed. Voicemails, refill requests, and patient questions will be waiting when you reopen.
Before the holiday, decide:
- Who will review messages and refill requests
- How outstanding prescriptions will be prioritized
- Who will handle incoming patient questions
- Who will update your phone greeting, website, Google Business Profile, and social media back to regular hours
If your phone system or patient app sends refill requests directly to your pharmacy management system, your team can start with an organized queue instead of sorting through a backlog of voicemails.
3. Remind patients to request refills early
Not every patient will remember that a holiday is coming up or think about how it affects their refill schedule. A couple of reminders can help prevent last-minute requests and give patients time to get what they need.
One week before closing for a holiday
Share your holiday hours and encourage patients to check their prescriptions.
Example:
Lamar Springs Pharmacy
Lamar Springs Pharmacy will be closed Thursday, Dec. 24, and Friday, Dec. 25, for Christmas. We’ll reopen Saturday, Dec. 26, at 9 a.m. Take a quick look at your medications now, and request any refills you’ll need before holiday plans and travel fill up your week.
Two days before closing for a holiday
Send a reminder to request refills early, and how patients can submit requests.
Example:
Lamar Springs Pharmacy
Reminder: Lamar Springs Pharmacy closes Thursday, Dec. 24, for Christmas. If you’re traveling or expect a busy few days, request your refills now so they’re ready before we close. You can request refills in our app or by calling 888-888-8888.
Use the communication channels your patients already rely on, whether that’s your patient app, a texting tool, or automated outbound calls.
Some patients may prefer a phone call, especially if they’re traveling or don’t regularly check text messages. If your phone system supports automated outbound calls with a refill prompt, patients may be able to request a refill during the call rather than calling your pharmacy back.
Only send messages to patients who have opted in, and keep general announcements free of patient-specific health information.
4. Share your holiday hours where patients look for you
Your holiday hours should be easy to find, whether someone visits your website, searches Google, or checks your social media pages.
Update your:
- Google Business Profile
- Pharmacy website
- Facebook and other social media pages
- Patient portal or your pharmacy app, if applicable
Keep your closure dates and reopening times consistent across every channel. That way, patients aren’t left wondering which hours are correct.
Share holiday updates on social media
Social media is also a good way to reinforce your reminders without sending another direct message. Here are a few types of posts you might consider:
- Holiday hours announcement: Share your closure dates and reopening time in a simple graphic.
- Refill reminder: Post a few days before you close to remind patients to refill before they travel or get busy.
- Holiday thank-you: Recognize your team and thank patients for being part of your pharmacy community.
Make holiday hours easier on your team
Your phone system can do more than let patients know you’re closed. Pharmacy IVR gives callers a way to hear important announcements and submit routine refill requests without waiting for someone to answer.
Lumistry Voice IVR is a hosted pharmacy phone system that lets callers use their keypad to request refills. It integrates with more than 30 pharmacy management systems and supports 11 languages, helping pharmacies manage routine calls even when staffing is limited.
Lumistry Voice AI Assistant works differently. Callers speak naturally instead of pressing keys, and it can capture refill requests, share prescription status, and answer questions about hours, locations, and delivery. It answers 24/7 in multiple languages, so a patient who calls on Thanksgiving Day to ask when you reopen can still get an answer.
When holiday hours leave your team with fewer hands on deck, giving patients another way to request refills can help keep things moving.
Let patients reach you when you’re closed.
Lumistry Voice takes refill requests, status updates and answers questions about your hours, even when you’re closed for the holiday, so your team comes back to an empty voicemail box.
