Always one step ahead in development

Originally, I was supposed to be a musician, but after upper secondary school and national service I came to help my mother who was a pharmacist to select a new pharmacy system. I settled on Linnea and took part in the implementation process and used the system to create an inventory, for example. During the work, I became well-acquainted with Linnea’s helpdesk.

In 1997, I noticed that there was a vacancy in Linnea’s helpdesk and approached them for the job. CEO Jukka Mäki-Moijala hired me for a one-month trial period with the idea that “the company won’t go bankrupt in a month due to a wrong hire”. I stayed on that path and was with the company when Receptum was established. Among other things, I worked at the helpdesk and provided technical support for the maintenance department, performed pre-installations, and was in charge of internal systems and building a client intranet.

I am in charge of the development of MAXX and new products.Even though the work largely consists of sitting in meeting rooms and talking on the phone, development requires a lot of cooperation with inhouse specialists and partners.

I don’t have a dedicated team, as I cooperate with everyone. In my daily work, the most important teams are the coders and our partners in VallisData. I also work with the testing team, helpdesk, and the technical support. Of our partners, the user interface designer also belongs to my team. So, I move between teams. In the management team, my role is to present guidelines for technical development.

In less than 20 years, we have grown from a 15-person company to a business that employs 67 people. We may no longer be one family like we were in the beginning, but at least we have the same lineage. Our good spirit and drive are still there. I always enjoy coming to work. Even when we are busy, there are no dull days.

To ensure that we have a well-functioning and continuously developing system, which improves the business of pharmacies. Our objective is to keep developing new features and functions, and to be a trailblazer in our sector. I believe we have succeeded in this.

Within a couple of years, we have introduced a self-service checkout, automated prescription desks, mobile prescriptions, and a portable terminal with a 2D scanner. And we are not stopping there: we will soon be able to introduce prescription handling to the portable terminals.

I want to develop solutions that can be used to improve the work of pharmacies and the experiences of the customers further and further. We are already thinking of ways to utilize artificial intelligence to further improve the efficiency of the everyday operation of pharmacies. We benefit from the fact that we do a lot of work in Sweden and Norway, where we have participated in various innovative projects. The lessons learned in those projects will also be introduced in Finland. In my work, my goal is to remain attentive.

The approach of Receptum and MAXX consists of continuous development and looking to the future.

A good example of this is provided by the medicine verification which was introduced on February 9, 2019. We were already aware of the issue in 2015, so we decided to use the situation as an opportunity to reform the entire medication information, i.e. what happens after the prescription has been processed.

We listened to our clients who were worried that the medicine verification would slow down the processing. As you have to hold the container in your hand in any case, we thought about what we could do with that, while providing a service to the customer. Thus, we developed a closing information function for the medicine verification, which allows you to print out calculations the customer might need, renew the prescription, review pharmaceutical databases, and view possible interactions. Alongside all of this, the medicine verification is now done completely unnoticed.

In addition to my field, I actively follow all related development from software to devices. I go to trade shows and listen to specialists from different sectors. For example, the largest trade exhibition in the world takes place in New York, with hundreds of software companies participating. There you can see the latest inventions and consider ways to apply them. Our partners are always telling us about new ideas. It’s also good to go beyond your own sector. For example, new software used in financial management may give you excellent ideas for development.

We use all customer feedback channels actively. All feedback is also passed to me. We take the feedback into consideration as we update the software. We also hear about the clients’ wishes and concerns from Receptum employees who work directly with the clients and discuss them together. Our philosophy is to work together to create the best possible product for the client, taking their input into consideration.

I believe that you do not have to separate work from your free time, but you should ensure that you have a life outside of your work.

Primarily through music. I play the violin in a couple of orchestras and sing in two choirs. In the TYSK mixed choir I sing classical, whereas Tixie Jive is slanted more toward popular music. In addition to a violin, I have a piano, an oboe, a clarinet, a cello, an accordion, and two guitars at home. I recently began taking piano lessons. I used to play badminton until my younger sisters started winning. Today, my sporting life mostly consists of taking part in the activities of my children’s sports clubs, such as judging swimming competitions and organizing secondary activities.

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