For pharmacies on Locumate, posting a job and finding the right staff is simple. Our co-founder Surge shows us how it’s done.
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Category: Locumate Features
Locumate features – We know that by equipping both pharmacies and locums with the right technology, we’re making the locum experience simple, straightforward and empowering for everyone involved.
NSW and QLD, we’re live!
When we launched Locumate a few short months ago in Victoria, we said we’d let you know once we were available in other states.
Well, that time has come.
The Locumate app, and all its features, is now officially available for pharmacies and locums in NSW and QLD.
Pharmacies can start posting jobs and finding the right locums for their business, while locums can start browsing for work opportunities and filling the shifts they want and need.
We started Locumate because we knew there was a better way to give locums and pharmacies, just like you, control of their staff and their careers.
If you’re in NSW or QLD, download our app today and try it for yourself.
What our new automated payments feature means for locums
We recently launched our new automated invoicing and payments feature, and we’re excited about what this means for our community of locums. After a shift has finished, our app will automatically create an invoice and send it to the pharmacy for payment. And once it’s received, it’ll automatically be transferred to the locum by the payment gateway.
Locumate co-founder Surge Singh says this results in a huge time saving for everyone involved. “I think the biggest impact it will have is giving people back time, both the pharmacies and the locums. We did user research on both sides, and didn’t want to build something that no one wanted.”
“People are spending their weekends writing invoices. Submitting them in and if there’s one little mistake, you rinse and repeat the process. Before you know it you spent multiple hours creating an invoice waiting weeks to get paid, if that’s the right amount. By automating that feature, as soon as the time sheet’s approved, everything’s done for them behind the scenes by the application. So all of the data is always correct and handles the process for them.”
This means that locums get to do more of the things they love with their time, rather than creating invoices. Just ask locum, Thi, who says the Locumate app has saved him about an hour a week in invoicing – time he now spends with his family.
“[The invoicing and payments feature is] probably one of the best features that Locumate has. Usually, if I normally do four or five shifts a week, in five different pharmacies, and it could be five different owners or five different locum organisations, then I’ll have to finish the invoice, make sure everything on there is all correct, and make sure I send it to the right person. Some shifts have different timeframes and different rates, so it’s confusing. You start to make mistakes and you send the wrong things. Then I have to follow up to make sure that it’s all good.”
For Kavita Nadan, Locumate’s other co-founder, this feature is just one of many that gives control back to its users. “It’s all about putting a lot of independence back into the locum and the pharmacy’s hands. You now have this transparency over what rate you’re going to pay and what rate you can ask for as a locum, as well as making the process quick and easy.”
“With Locumate, it’s different”: 5 minutes with a locum pharmacist, Thi
We caught up with Melbourne-based locum, Thi, who’s just started using Locumate to find work.
Tell us about yourself?
I’m a community pharmacist. I’ve been a full time pharmacist since 2008, and then last year I started doing some more locum shifts.
What’s the best thing about being a locum?
The flexibility of hours for my needs and for my family. I changed from full-time to locum work, purely because of one reason, and that’s to suit my timeframe for the children and for the family. I found that with a full-time job, it’s pretty hard to take days off even if you plan ahead. But as a locum, if you plan ahead, it’s perfectly doable.
What’s it like being able to choose your own hours and choose the pharmacy that you work at?
It’s great. I’ve never had this feeling before because as a full time employee, you turn up at the set time and can’t really change it. As a locum, it can be a daunting experience to start with at a new pharmacy, because you don’t know where things are, or who the other staff might be. But it’s a matter of getting used to it. Now I find that it’s quite good. Sometimes people might be afraid and sometimes people just thrive on it. So, I guess I’m the second one.
It definitely sounds like you’re thriving! Tell us how you heard about Locumate?
I first heard about Locumate in 2021 through a friend of mine. And he told me, “Oh, look, give this a go. It’s a new platform. They’re just getting things ready and they should be up and running pretty soon, by the end of 2021.” So I put my name on there, registered and did a few shifts.
Why did you decide to give it a go?
When I read online, the Locumate website mentioned some things about being easier for the locum, for processing all the invoicing, looking for shifts, planning for shifts and so on. So I wanted to try it. The way that I normally locum, is basically to have a list of days and times that are available for you, then try to match all of that availability to different shifts.
Now with Locumate it’s different. At the beginning, you set up your rates, the distance you’re prepared to travel and your availability. Whatever shifts come up are filtered to match you. It’s shortened the amount of time that I have to spend to get the shifts and the hours that I want.
You mentioned processing invoicing. Tell us about the benefit of the automatic payment feature.
It’s lovely. I like it. I reckon, it’s probably one of the best features that Locumate has. Usually, if I normally do four or five shifts a week, in five different pharmacies, and it could be five different owners or five different locum organisations, then I’ll have to finish the invoice, make sure everything on there is all correct, and make sure I send it to the right person. Some shifts have different timeframes and different rates, so it’s confusing. You start to make mistakes and you send the wrong things. Then I have to follow up to make sure that it’s all good.
Locumate has online invoicing where as soon as the shift is complete, you’re reminded to do the invoice online. And all you need to do is click a few buttons and it’s done. It’s cut out a lot of the behind the scene things that I had to do.
How much time do you think that saves you?
I reckon if I do roughly about four or five shifts a week, I’d nearly spend an hour doing it all.
And what do you do with that time instead?
Of course, spend it with the children and the family. That was the very reason I chose to be a locum!
Last question, Thi. What’s your advice to someone thinking about joining Locumate?
It’s free to join. So go ahead! It’s saved me a lot of time with invoicing and with shift selection.
Locum referral program
Introducing our locum referral program
What’s better than one locum?
Three!
Do you have a few pharmacist friends who you think might like to join Locumate? We’re excited to launch our locum referral program, to help build our community of dedicated locums, ready to hit the ground running. When you invite three friends to join Locumate and they register, we’ll send you $50. Simple.
Why are we doing this?
We’re building our community of locums and pharmacies on Locumate, and we need you to help us grow it. We know that we couldn’t exist without our wonderful locums and that when more locums join, we can have an even bigger and better impact in the pharmacy sector. We believe the best people to spread the word about Locumate are our existing locums, as they know first hand how our app works, the best way to make our app features work for you, and all of the benefits that come with being a locum on Locumate.
How does it work?
When you refer three friends to Locumate, they’ll receive an email from us inviting them to register. Once they all do, you’ll receive $50. We’ll add this to your next invoice.
New Locumate Update: Feature List
The newest Locumate update was released this week. These updates are available on the web app (app.locumate.com.au) and Android. Unfortunately Apple App Store process takes a little longer but we didn’t want our users to wait to take advantage of all the new features.
First of all, we would like to thank our community. Your feedback has been vital in the features we have released to date. We have listed all new features by user type below.
Locums:
Automated Invoicing and Payments
- The Locumate App will automatically create an invoice and send to the pharmacy for payment
- Once a payment is received from the pharmacy, it will will be automatically transferred to you by the payment gateway.
Action required: Please log into your Locumate account, and connect your account to the payment gateway. You can do this by clicking on the profile icon and ‘Billing’.
Detailed Pay Information
- Detailed breakdown of shift rate information including travel compensation (if applicable)
Additional Job Information:
- Pharmacies now add more job details which will be available for locums to view prior to accepting a shift.
Pharmacies:
Automated Invoicing and Payments
- Ability to make payments online via the Locumate App (Credit Card / Bank Debit)
Budget Insights
- You will know exact spend for upcoming shifts including travel compensation (if applicable)
Additional Job Information
- Provide locums more information about shifts to allow the right locums to accept.
It’s official: our new invoicing feature is here!
If you’re a Locumate locum, you can now stop spending time manually submitting invoices and start thinking about what you’re going to be doing with all that time you’ll save with our new invoicing feature.
We recently wrote about how Locumate is changing the invoicing experience, and we’re proud to announce the launch of our new automatic invoicing feature.
Our latest release means that after a locum submits a timesheet, the pharmacy approves it, and an invoice is simply and automatically created, all from the Locumate app. It also means that once a locum clicks on a job, we’ll show you the pay rate, whether travel costs are paid and what they are, plus expected salary for the shift.
Thi Tran, a locum pharmacist in Melbourne, says the payment process is simple. “Once you finish the shift it reminds you to conclude it and put through the payment. It makes the process much easier. You save time sitting down on your laptop and doing invoices. Basically once you agree to the shift, you turn up to work, finish, and submit the invoice online.”
We know that it’s an incredibly difficult time for pharmacies and locums alike right now, so we’re continuing to work hard to improve our processes and make life easier for our community. Ultimately, we believe locums should be in control of how much they should be paid, while pharmacies should know their expected costs upfront to make budgeting and planning easier.
How Locumate is changing the invoicing experience
Revolutionising Locum Pharmacy: Changing the Invoicing Experience
From using multiple systems to handwriting paper invoices, locum pharmacists haven’t always been paid in a simple or straightforward way Locumate is changing the invoicing experience and paving the way for efficiency and convenience. Let’s be honest: it’s confusing, time consuming and deeply frustrating.
Visit the AppStore or Google Playstore to download Locumate.
The Hassle of Old Invoicing Methods
The traditional method of getting paid required locums to submit their own timesheets and invoices manually – a process that can consume hours of a locum’s time, creating an administrative burden no one needs. On top of that, our community research shows that in some instances, it can take up to three months for locums to get paid.
Locumate: Automating Invoicing
We know that there’s a better way and we’re excited to be part of the solution. At Locumate, we’re changing the invoicing experience by automating invoicing so pharmacies and locums can get back to doing what they do best: providing a great service to their customers.
How It Works: Simple and Secure
As soon as a locum finishes their shift, they submit a timesheet via our app. Then, the pharmacy approves it with the click of a button. From there, our secure payment feature creates an automatic invoice to the pharmacy on behalf of the locum, and this can be paid quickly online.
A Real World Perspective
Alan, a locum pharmacist in Caulfield South, says “I do a lot of shifts in different pharmacies and raising an invoice every time I work means I can be generating four or five invoices a week. It gets a bit messy.” Locumate offers a streamlined, reliable solution to this common issue.
Efficiency and Compliance for Pharmacies
For pharmacies on Locumate, all submitted invoices are approved, tracked and audited, and reporting functionality allows easy access for compliance.
A Future-focused Approach
We hope that this is just the start of an improved experience for locums and pharmacies. With exciting additions on the horizon, we’re keen to take the confusion, time, and effort out of invoicing, effectively changing the invoicing experience.
After all, no one gets into pharmacy to spend their time invoicing.
How Locumate Works
Whether you’re a pharmacy looking for staff or a locum wanting work, Locumate is Australia’s number one locum marketplace. You will want to know how Locumate works. We’re transforming the locum recruitment experience by offering a smarter way for pharmacies and locums to connect. Visit the AppStore or Google Playstore to download Locumate.
Here’s how it works:
Pharmacies:
- Create a free account and answer a number of quick questions about your pharmacy, e.g. number of scripts being dispensed, what software you use, and whether you provide pharmacotherapy.
- Create a new job whenever you need a locum. All your details are saved so you don’t need to enter your pharmacy information each time.
- Once a locum accepts a shift, view their profile and communicate directly for a smooth arrival and transition to the job.
- Know exactly how much a locum charges upfront
- Leave a review and feedback to empower locums to do the job well
- Approve shifts and finalise payment with the click of a button
Locums:
- Create a free profile and share your availability and rates
- Browse and get notified of jobs that best fit your preferences and profile
- Understand what software a pharmacy uses, how many scripts are dispensed and if you’re required to provide pharmacotherapy, all before you accept a shift
- Accept a shift and communicate with the pharmacy directly.
- View your schedule in a simple calendar
- Provide feedback to pharmacies
- Submit invoices and get paid on time, with no more complications about invoicing, GST summaries and other sole trader frustrations
We know that by equipping both pharmacies and locums with the right technology, we’re making the locum experience simple, straightforward and empowering for everyone involved.
We’re live: Locumate has launched!
Kavita Nadan – Locumate Co-Founder
I’ve spent the last couple of years imagining, designing, building and testing the idea of a platform for pharmacies and locums to connect directly. I’ve spent an equal amount of time reimagining, redesigning, rebuilding, and retesting everything we thought we knew. So today, it brings me great joy to announce the launch of Locumate!
The launch is a phased roll out across Victoria, with the rest of Australia to follow. As a pharmacist, I’ve had first-hand experience on both sides of our platform; as a bright-eyed bushy tailed pharmacy graduate looking for work, and as a pharmacy manager, desperately wrangling last-minute locum shifts through agencies I had no control or oversight of.
It’s this experience that led to the genesis of Locumate. The feeling that there just had to be a better way, for everyone involved. A way to give pharmacies control of asking for what they need, simplicity in a booking process, and transparency in who they work with and what they’ll be charged. Equally for locums, we wanted a way to choose where and when they’d like to work, clarity over how much they’ll be paid before taking a job, and a seamless way to get paid and view their shifts.
As we forged ahead with this project, it dawned on us that we weren’t alone thinking that there had to be a solution. I’ve always valued innovation, building, failing and learning quickly. But the best way to innovate and to learn is to put your product in the hands of your customers, and to involve them in every step of the way. So we did. A group of pharmacies and locums have been trialling Locumate, and have shared what they think:
“All I’ve done so far is set it up and approve a couple of time sheets. That was all easy. I got an email saying that there were submitted timesheets and to please action, which I was able to do easily. I’d recommend it, we use a lot of locums here. So far so good!” – J.,Pharmacy Manager.
“Locumate has got a lot of merit, I can’t see much fault at all. I like the way it tells you in advance when your shifts are. I like it very very much. I think it’s a very clever step forward in the right direction.” – A., locum.
I’m incredibly proud to launch Locumate today, but I’m more excited for what’s ahead. I’m passionate about building an empowered community of pharmacies and locums, and I think this starts by giving our community choices that they’ve never had before. This includes the ability to make decisions over how they’d like to work, develop and learn together, plus a digital solution to bring it all together.
We know that there’s a better way, and we’d love for you to come on the journey with us. This is just the beginning.
Kavi