Partner playbook

Partner Handbook

A reference for the questions pharmacies will ask you, a first-week rhythm that works, and how the program itself operates. Not a script — you know your pharmacies better than any script would. Just the facts you should have ready.

Section 1

Get to know the product

Before you start introducing RxShelf to pharmacies, spend an hour inside the app and read through the Guide. Most of the questions you'll be asked have a demo answer inside the product — knowing where things live means you can show, not tell.

Start here

Our product docs are actively being expanded — check the Guide often for new articles. The core flows (adding products, restocking, running a sale, expiry alerts, staff roles, reports) are covered.

Open the Guide

Section 2

What pharmacies typically ask

Nigerian pharmacy owners tend to raise the same handful of questions. Have these answers ready — in your own words.

Money

How much does it cost?: Three plans — Starter ₦5,000/month, Growth ₦10,000/month, Business ₦15,000/month. Annual pricing is ten months up front (two months free). Prices are per pharmacy, not per staff member.
Is there a free trial?: Yes — a 14-day free trial on any plan. No card needed to start. Full features unlocked so they can properly evaluate before paying.
Which plan should I start on?: Plans differ mainly on product limit and branch count. Starter runs a single pharmacy with up to 500 products. Growth is the same single pharmacy but with up to 2,000 products — a good fit once the shelf gets bigger. Business is for multi-branch operations (up to 3 pharmacies under one account) with unlimited products. Staff and dispenser counts are not restricted on any plan.
Any hidden fees?: No. No setup fees, no per-transaction fees, no upgrade fees. What they see on the pricing page is what they pay.

Setup

How long will it take to set up?: About an hour to sign up, add a few products manually, and run a test sale. A full day if they're importing from a spreadsheet. A weekend or two if migrating from paper books with hundreds of drugs — but they can trickle it in while running the pharmacy.
Can I import my existing inventory?: Yes — CSV import supports product name, generic name, strength, dosage form, NAFDAC number, manufacturer, default markup, and reorder level. There's also a NAFDAC drug database with 7,000+ drugs prefilled — most items can be added with two clicks.
What if I already use another system?: Most switchers export a CSV of their current inventory and import it. Historical sales stay in the old system; RxShelf starts fresh from the day they switch. Nothing prevents them running both side-by-side for a week while they build confidence.
Do you support multiple branches?: Yes, on Growth and Business plans. Each branch has its own inventory, staff, and sales — the owner sees everything rolled up.

Reliability & connectivity

What if the internet is down?: Sales still work. RxShelf has an offline mode — the till keeps ringing sales, deducts stock locally, and syncs everything back to the cloud the moment connection returns. Reports and receipts land in the ledger as if they happened live.
Is my data safe?: Every pharmacy's data is fully scoped — no other user can see their inventory or sales. Daily backups. The data is theirs, and they can export it to CSV at any time.
What if RxShelf shuts down?: Inventory, sales, and reports can be exported to CSV at any time from the Reports section. If the worst happened, they'd have a full backup of every product and every transaction.

Adoption & staff

Will my staff learn this?: It's designed to feel simpler than the paper book most dispensers already use. First sales usually happen inside 15 minutes of first use. Role-based access means dispensers only see what they need — no cost prices, no margins, no admin knobs.
What if my staff resist?: Common. Start with one dispenser for a week. Once they see the receipt, the automatic expiry alerts, and the fact they don't have to remember what they sold — the rest of the team follows quickly. You can also walk them through their first hour to unblock the "I don't know where to click" phase.
Can I control what my staff sees?: Yes. Roles are Owner, Manager, and Dispenser. Dispensers see stock and can make sales but don't see cost prices, margins, or the ability to add/edit products. Owner and Manager get everything.

Trust

Who else uses this?: RxShelf is built specifically for Nigerian community pharmacies. Share your own experience — the pharmacies you've already onboarded, what they say about it, why you personally recommend it. Nothing beats a first-hand reference.
Can I speak to another pharmacy using it?: If you have a happy pharmacy on your book, ask if they're willing to be referenced. Nigerian pharmacy communities are tight — one warm reference converts more than any brochure.
How long has RxShelf been around?: RxShelf is a newer product built for the Nigerian pharmacy market — it isn't a legacy tool from another country retrofitted to Naira. That means faster response to Nigerian pain points (NAFDAC numbers first-class, Nigerian bank support, FEFO batch tracking by default).

Data ownership

Can I export my data?: Yes — CSV export of inventory, sales, and reports at any time. It's their data.
What happens if I stop paying?: The account is locked and every sign-in lands on the subscribe page — no access to inventory, sales, or reports until they resubscribe. The data itself is preserved, so when they pay again everything is exactly where they left it — no re-onboarding.

Section 3

A suggested first-week rhythm

This is what tends to work — not a mandatory checklist. Adjust to how much time you and the pharmacy owner both have.

Day 1
Signup + first product
Sit with them for 30 minutes. Sign up, walk through the onboarding wizard, add ONE product manually. Just seeing the flow end-to-end builds confidence — they realise it's not scary.
Day 2–3
Load real inventory
They'll want their real stock in the system. Either walk them through the CSV import (if they have a spreadsheet) or the drug database search (fastest when there's no spreadsheet). Aim for at least 50 products by end of Day 3 — enough to feel real, not so many they burn out.
Day 4–5
First real sale
Have them run one real sale end-to-end while you watch. Real customer, real payment, real receipt (printed or shared over WhatsApp). This is where the "aha" moment happens for the owner — the automatic stock deduction, the itemised receipt, the whole thing takes 30 seconds.
Day 7
Check in
A quick WhatsApp or call. What's confusing? Walk them through the Reports section and the Expiry Alerts. Show them the daily sales summary. Answer lingering questions. Most pharmacies self-serve from here — your job flips from onboarding to occasional check-in.

After week one, most pharmacies handle themselves. You stay a familiar face for the pharmacy owner — the person they call when a question is bigger than tapping a button. Technical questions we handle; product questions go to Guide; strategic questions can come back to you.

Section 4

Program mechanics — for you, the partner

How and when do I get paid?: Every time a referred pharmacy pays their subscription, your commission (80% of their plan price) appears in your ledger as pending. We batch pending balances into payouts periodically — usually weekly. Once we transfer to your bank account, we mark the payout paid. Your bank statement is the source of truth: if we say "paid" and your bank says "not received", tell support and we'll trace it.
What if a pharmacy churns after 3 months?: You keep every naira you've already earned. Your commission stream simply stops that month. The pharmacy still counts toward your milestone total (3-month rule was met). If they resubscribe later within the original 12-month commission window, commission resumes automatically.
Do milestone bonuses stack?: Yes. Hitting the 10-pharmacy milestone doesn't erase the 5-pharmacy milestone — you earn both. But each milestone level pays out only once — you won't get the 5-pharmacy bonus twice.
Can I edit my bank details in the portal?: For security, no — this prevents a compromised login from redirecting your payouts. Email support@rxshelf.ng with the new details and we'll update after verifying it's really you.
Where do I raise a technical issue?: Email support@rxshelf.ng. Works for both your own issues and issues your referred pharmacies raise. Include the pharmacy name and a description; we typically pick it up in hours.
Tax — do I need to invoice RxShelf?: Not required. RxShelf tracks commissions in your ledger, which you can export at any time for your tax records. If your accountant needs a formal invoice, we can generate one on request — just email support.
Can I refer myself if I own a pharmacy?: Yes. As long as the pharmacy owner meets the same terms (real signup, real payment, 3 months on plan for milestone counting), the referral is valid. Nothing in the system checks whether the pharmacy owner and the partner share contact details.

Section 5

When things get technical, we're on it

Technical questions — from you or from your pharmacies — go through us. Product questions have answers in the Guide. Your job is the human layer: introductions, first-week hand-holding, and being the familiar face.

How to reach us

Support (general): support@rxshelf.ng
Payout issues: Reply to your last payout email — we'll trace
Urgent escalations: Email with subject "Urgent — <topic>"