In this article, wevnal, provider of the chatbot “BOTCHAN AI” powered by Pharma Mirai and ChatGPT, sits down for a discussion with Pharma Mirai. We will introduce how Pharma Mirai is taking on the challenge of digital transformation (DX), how BOTCHAN AI is addressing their issues and driving change, and the story behind the collaboration between the two companies leading up to its implementation. This article offers a glimpse into a success made possible by the combined strengths of technology and people.

wevnal AI Engineer Kazuma Enomoto (hereinafter, “—”)
To begin, could you please introduce yourself, Mr. Nakata, and tell us about the area you are responsible for?

Mikiho Nakata, Pharma Mirai (hereafter, “Mr./Ms. Nakata”)
I am an Executive Officer at Pharma Mirai Co., Ltd., belonging to the IT Promotion Department. I am originally a pharmacist, but by a twist of fate I also obtained a practical nurse qualification, and previously I worked on the front lines. I first joined the company during my graduate school years after obtaining my pharmacist license, working part-time at a dispensing pharmacy, and I have remained here ever since.

Mikiho Nakata, Pharma Mirai

One of the main reasons I am currently in the IT Promotion Department is that I would like to share with employees the benefits of improved operational efficiency that can be gained through digitalization.
To put it quite directly, I basically want work to be easier. If we work hard and struggle now in order to make things easier, and as a result the entire company can operate more efficiently, I believe there is nothing better than that.
Also, as I mentioned earlier, I hold a pharmacist license, so about once a month I go to a site and work as a relief pharmacist. By observing how the systems are actually used in day-to-day operations, I am able to help determine policies such as what system modifications to make and how to adjust operational procedures.

— Thank you. Next, please tell me about your business activities.

wevnal AI Engineer Kazuma Enomoto

Mr. Nakata
Basically, we are a company that operates dispensing pharmacies. Under the Pharma Mirai name, we operate approximately 380 pharmacies, including those run by subsidiaries. In addition, we sell over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, and we also visit the homes of patients receiving home care to provide medication guidance and related services.

— Even when we say “dispensing” in a single word, it actually covers a wide range of activities, doesn’t it?
I’d like to move on to discussing BOTCHAN itself. To begin with, what kinds of challenges were you facing before introducing “BOTCHAN AI”?

Mr. Nakata
Our company went through a major merger about 10 years ago. Since then, we have also acquired other companies and pharmacies through M&A, and various companies have come together to form what is now the Kyoso Mirai Group, with approximately 2,000 employees.

Each company originally had its own way of operating, so unifying these has been quite difficult, and as a result we were receiving a wide range of inquiries from each store. Some even said they did not know which department at headquarters they should address their questions to, so things were quite chaotic. Since everything was being handled by people, there were cases where inquiries were passed around from one person to another.

— I see. Regarding that challenge, were you planning from the beginning to address it by implementing a chat-based solution like “BOTCHAN”?

Mr. Nakata
No, to be honest, I didn’t have a very good impression of chatbots.
There are cases where, even after talking with them to the end, the issue is not resolved, and in the end you get transferred to an operations center anyway.
Against that backdrop, when you proposed “BOTCHAN AI” and explained the underlying logic, I got the impression that this might actually work well.

— Thank you very much. Given that the initial level of enthusiasm was rather low, I’m curious what led you to decide to implement it.

Mr. Nakata
Given that both in the pharmacy and in society everyone is talking about DX, I felt it would be wrong to judge it without trying it first.
I thought we should just start using it for now and then think about it afterward.

— I see. Thank you. After you actually decided to introduce it, were there any hurdles or difficulties on the way to implementation?

Mr. Nakata
First, we needed to have the AI learn our company’s data, and it was challenging to collect information of a certain scale from the front lines.
However, with wevnal’s system, by creating answers to questions coming from users, that knowledge steadily accumulated and the AI became increasingly robust.
I was also concerned about whether it would actually be used properly on site, but because we carried out the initial training thoroughly, we were able to complete a highly accurate chatbot from the very start, which made it very easy to use and it spread quickly.
We were also uncompromising about the UI, and designed everything together with wevnal, from font sizes to colors.

— If it didn’t actually get used in the field, it would be meaningless, so I distinctly remember feeling very reassured about that aspect. Since implementation, our company and yours have been in regular communication; how has that been from your perspective?

Mr. Nakata
At first, it was difficult to understand because there were many AI-specific terms, but gradually we adjusted to each other, and the analytics you have been sharing in the regular meetings have been very easy to understand. You at wevnal also consolidated the points that are hard to grasp just from the screen, and thanks to that we were able to properly measure how the stores actually feel, as well as improvement rates and satisfaction levels, so we are very grateful.

Also, being able to get in touch with Enomoto-san by phone right away whenever something came up gave me a great sense of reassurance. These days, I assume that support is generally handled by email or chat, so I was really impressed by that level of support.

— Thank you very much for your kind words. I also learned a great deal through our interactions with Pharma Mirai, and we are very grateful for the feedback that has directly led to updates to the core product.
What would you say has been the biggest change since you implemented it?

Mr. Nakata
That’s right. Our company has an intermediate layer called “block managers” who stand between headquarters and the stores and handle management. That department’s main role is management work, but on top of that they were constantly getting all kinds of questions from the stores by phone. It was causing delays in their work, and I really wanted to make things easier for them.
The fact that those phone calls have clearly decreased is probably the biggest benefit of introducing the system.
In the end, rather than focusing on whether introducing a tool makes life easier for headquarters, we put top priority on making it easier for people on the front line to work. This is just an example, but if introducing a tool increased the workload at headquarters by 10%, while cutting the workload at the stores in half, I would say that is extremely valuable.

— I see, I see. So you’re operating with that much focus on what’s happening on the ground.
From the field’s perspective, that makes you a very trustworthy organization.
In that context, we’re very pleased that “BOTCHAN AI” can play a supporting role.

Mr. Nakata
Thank you very much.
As I mentioned at the beginning, I still work on-site about once a month, so it may be that I find things easier to understand, or rather, that I am able to maintain a genuinely on-the-ground perspective.

"BOTCHAN AI" is becoming an indispensable presence that connects our stores with headquarters. It temporarily handles the wide range of questions that come from stores and, so to speak, organizes and routes them.

Even when an issue cannot ultimately be resolved within the chat, it guides the user to the appropriate department, and based on feedback about what could not be resolved, we can further train it so that it can respond appropriately the next time and beyond.

There is also a benefit we had not anticipated: we once received a question from a store about internal systems related to working styles. (Because the chat is used via store-specific accounts, it is designed so that individuals cannot be identified.)

In situations like that, it helps us recognize that this particular store may need some care, which in turn leads to earlier intervention and support.

— I see—that’s an unexpected benefit for us as well. As the developer, I’m very pleased that new insights are emerging from the communication we’ve enabled. Thank you.
Please tell us what you expect from “BOTCHAN AI” going forward.

Nakada
This is exactly what we are working on right now, but we would like to have all the PDFs and other documents our company holds fully trained into the system, and then be able to update it further.

—Yes, absolutely. Let’s move forward.
Lastly, we would appreciate it if you could share a brief piece of advice for other companies that are considering implementing this in a similar way.

Nakadashi
On that point, there’s no such thing as an all‑knowing, all‑powerful person who can always give a spot‑on answer to every issue employees are facing. Everyone has their own area of expertise, so you end up with situations like, “For this, ask A; for that, ask B.” And if a team member doesn’t know who to ask, there are many cases where they simply can’t reach a solution.

However, with BOTCHAN AI, any employee can access it and get an immediate answer, which effectively standardizes the overall knowledge level. As a result, I believe we’re starting to break away from the dependency on specific individuals—where only certain people know certain things and others do not.

If you feel you can entrust that part to us, then I genuinely think it’s worth at least trying it out on a trial basis to start with.

— Thank you very much for today. I look forward to working with you going forward.

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