Assignment 4. Walgreens’ MIS Strategy. Telecommunications Strategy

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Walgreens’ MIS Strategy
Walgreens is a pharmacy store chain that provides customers with pharmacy, and health and wellness products. It was first established as a single drug store in 1901 by Charles Rudolph Walgreen (Walgreens Factsheet). Over the years, the company provided customers with innovative services that met their needs, such as putting drugs in child-resistant containers in the sixties, to developing a mobile app that enhances connectivity between clients and services providers. In 2014, the company merged with Alliance Boots, a multinational health and beauty company based in Europe, to form Walgreens Alliance Boots (Walgreens Factsheet). This merger was necessitated by Walgreens need to expand their offerings to more patients as well as the need to be more innovative. A case study by Kerridge reveals that most of the success of the retail company has been attributed to its innovation and technology adoption. For instance, it was among the first companies to introduce the Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) technology. Over the years, the company has continued to embrace technology and information systems to enhance customer satisfaction and increase profitability. This case study will explain the MIS strategy of Walgreens by focusing on its telecommunication, internet, and wireless technology strategies. Some of the changes that the company has undergone over the last three years will also be discussed.
Telecommunications Strategy
Telecommunication entails the exchange of information, whether data, voice or video transmissions, through fiber optics, telephones, television, and other mediums. Walgreens has over the years relied heavily on connectedness, especially with its clients. The company’s telecommunications strategy is based highly on partnership and collaboration with major telecom companies. For instance, in 2015, the company formed a collaboration with Qualcomm, which designs telecommunication products. This collaboration provides Walgreens with “a secure and seamless transmission of biometric data from patients’ connected medical devices (Walgreens).” Such an approach in strategy is beneficial because it has allowed Walgreens to not only connect with its clients but also to provide clients with high standard services. For example, Walgreens’ collaborative strategy with Qualcomm ensures that clients are provided with the best healthcare services because they have constant biometric communication with their service providers, regardless of the time and location. Further, patients can also be rewarded points when they choose to be more engaged and informed about their healthcare, and such information is transmitted using Qualcomm-enabled devices (Walgreens). Also, Walgreens has a mobile strategy that has facilitated patient care by not only providing telemedicine to clients but also ensuring that clients stay connected to their providers at all times. This mobile strategy connects clients with their respective pharmacists and as a result, clients can receive individualized services. Walgreens provided clients with Pharmacy Chat, a platform that allows clients to access services at any time, either through the Wal...