Benu Slovakia is part of Europe's largest network of pharmacies

• Customer since  2021
• 110,000+ SKUs
• 186 pharmacies in Slovakia with floor sizes from 17–173 m²

Dominika Vašková  |  Category Management Specialist

What was your motivation to look for a new system for space planning?

Our motivation to look for a new system for space planning was based on the need to simplify the creation of planograms. As the number of pharmacies grew, this process was becoming more and more challenging in the previous system. At the same time, we needed more functionalities than the existing solution was able to offer. We were therefore looking for a more comprehensive approach to category management that would effectively support our processes. Quant not only allowed us to improve planning, but also to respond flexibly to specific exceptions that required an individual approach.

As a company that manages a network of pharmacies, we needed a consistent and clear way of managing categories and space planning. At the same time, it is important for us to be able to address all requests in one online environment that meets the needs of our growing BENU pharmacy network.

“Quant has brought us not only Category Management, but also the management of Regional Managers’ visits, audits and above all requests (tasks). The platform comprehensively covers multiple requirements and optimizes the use of various tools, which has allowed us to simplify the work in the store, i.e. in the pharmacy. By switching to this project, we have improved processes, communication and employee satisfaction with the processes themselves.”

Martina Marcineková | Head of Category Management, Benu

Why did you choose Quant?

We chose Quant because it provided us with all the necessary features we were looking for at the time. Creating planograms, sharing them to pharmacies and communicating with suppliers – we found it all in one system. Quant is versatile and easy to use, which was key for us. We needed a tool that would efficiently cover the requirements from head office and those of our business partners. And that's exactly what Quant delivered. What’s more, ease of use was also essential for our employees. Therefore, the decision was clear.

When did you start using Quant?

We have been using Quant in our pharmacies since 11/2021.

What were your expectations at that time?

We expected, first of all, simplified creation and publication of planograms, which we managed to do. It was important for us to have all the information about individual pharmacies in one system, together, which Quant fully meets.

What were the biggest obstacles and how did you overcome them?

The biggest obstacle for us was the initial concern of pharmacies towards the new system and the more detailed control of the display. Like any innovation, it took time for Quant to be implemented and for us to understand the reasons why we were introducing it. Gradually, we explained its advantages and benefits to the pharmacies. Our internal manual, which describes all the functionalities we use today, has helped us a lot. And, of course, a lot of patience.

How was the implementation of the system and what were the first benefits?

In the beginning, we presented Quant as a tool for CAT MAN, which mainly helps the head office. Later on, we were helped in its implementation by regional managers who were directly in the “field”, i.e. in the pharmacies, explaining the benefits of Quant and the way it also helps the pharmacy employees. The initial concern in the pharmacies has passed and today even the pharmacists appreciate the speed, comprehensiveness and clarity of Quant.

Have you been able to integrate Quant with other systems like ERP and automate data transfers?

Yes, right at the beginning of the implementation, because we needed the data from the pharmacies already when we implemented Quant.

How has Quant web proved to be a tool for publishing planograms and communicating with stores?

For us we can say that Quant has proven itself and pharmacies have learned to work with it quite quickly. Thanks to it, we have reduced e-mail communication and redirected it to Quant. Today, for certain types of information, we only have this method of communication. We think Quant web is clear for pharmacies and they have no problem communicating through it.

In the past, we communicated with pharmacies mostly by e-mail, which caused an enormous amount of messages. Many times it was the same thing from different pharmacies. Today, 90% of communication is redirected to Quant. There is a certain kind of information that is only communicated in this way.

At the same time, we see several benefits:

1. The number of e-mails has decreased.
2. We are planning to remove the distribution email addresses. They are hardly used at all anymore.
3. Pharmacies enter requests about as quickly as if they were writing an email.
4. Requests are typologically categorized, which speeds up the process.
5. We have an overview of the fulfillment/non-fulfillment of the request.
6. The request is “dropped” into an email to the person who is responsible for resolving it.

In Quant, you use the Fixture Reservation module. What was the motivation to start using this module? How was it deployed?

Based on our request for this booking system, we developed it together with with Quant team. We needed this module mainly to eliminate communication directly with suppliers, and also to increase the visibility of the capacity of each piece of equipment. It was an important overview for us, but also for the suppliers, which we needed to implement in terms of work efficiency. The deployment went smoothly, with no complications. The contractors quickly got used to this method, and likewise, it made the rental process as easy as we needed it to be.

You recently implemented shelf labels via Quant. How was the deployment of this module?

From a pharmacy perspective, this functionality was considered a priority. Shelf labels were done through Quant, while we were still working with the shelf labels from NRSYS. Prior to launching the data for the shelf labels, we selected three pilot pharmacies to test the printing and accuracy of the data. After verifying functionality at these pharmacies, we started printing shelf labels for the entire BENU network. With this step, we stopped the printing of promotional shelf labels through the marketing agency and facilitated the printing of regular shelf labels directly in the pharmacies. This change has of course also brought economic benefits in the form of savings. For the pharmacy, the biggest advantage is that the shelf label shows the exact location of the products within the planograms and store.

You have recently started using the Task Management and Forms modules. What was the motivation to start using these modules? How was it deployed?

Our need was to manage the needs of pharmacies and stop the clutter of communication via emails. In many cases, pharmacies were burdening the “non-owners” of the process, causing issues/requests from the pharmacy to go unaddressed. As the number of operations increased, the operational needs to handle them increased at the same time, resulting in increased FTEs and costs.

The deciding factor was the use of one system that, in addition to the basic need, would allow us to add additional services to one platform so that operations would not have to learn to work with new tools.

As a result of using the Task Management module, we have gained a complete overview of the types of requests, set up our handling process and strengthened those areas that were our bottlenecks.

Implementation is never easy as we change employee habits, but after six months we can see that the system has been adopted and we are able to manage our processes more efficiently thanks to the Task Management in Quant.

How do you rate the quality of support from Quant Retail?

We have no problem with the quality of support. They always promptly solve every situation or every problem that comes up. We evaluate the approach exclusively positively.

What are the main results of the project and what do you plan for the future?

In the future, we plan to extend the complete secondary exposure management in Quant. Our expectation is to change and add some functionalities. The goal is to automate the process, prepare the documents for POS printing and ensure the transfer of invoicing to the BI department.