By Marisol Rodriguez, ABO-AC, NCLEC

“I've been reviewing the numbers, and it looks like we are down 15% from last quarter.” “I’ve reviewed your orders and it seems like you're not meeting the goals for multiple pairs.” “If we aren't growing, we are shrinking!” I'll be the first to admit it, I used to feel fairly defensive or dismissive when my employers would have meetings and prioritize these statistics. I perceived or internalized this as seeming accusatory, or demeaning, like we haven't done a great job of taking care of the patient. But what if these statistics are viewed as a gauge of patient education and quality of care, not just “sales”?

Every business wants to be successful, to do so, you must pay attention to loss, profits, and areas of improvement. Holiday parties, payroll, offering the latest and greatest products and technology, all of this comes with a cost. When you’re a leader at your establishment, doing performance reviews, celebrating the successes, and addressing the problem areas are also essential. I have been fortunate and worked with wonderful coworkers who always prioritized taking care of the patients. Our employers would acknowledge this, and in turn, gratefully take care of their employees.

Using myself as an example, when I started a new position, I worked for a new employer who would send weekly/monthly goals and graphs showing where everyone's performance stood. At first, my eyes would glaze over. I would internalize this data as, “I have a helicopter mom/dad at work, and they are criticizing how I work with patients.” Don't they know I have done this for over 20 years, and I know what I am doing? I can't work well being “watched.” I was venting to a fellow optician who also was an entrepreneur, and they offered a different perspective. “You cannot improve that which you cannot track.” Applying metrics to performance can reveal areas of improvement, not just for the business, but for an individual's professional and personal development. This helped me look at the situation objectively and focus on how I can meet the needs of the business.

I wasn't meeting benchmarks for occupational lenses. Until I was presented with this information, I wasn’t aware it was due to my lack of product knowledge, and my discomfort with presenting or offering this category of lenses. Taking a deeper dive, it also revealed I wasn't properly engaging in lifestyle questions, and there were visual needs not being met for the individuals I was working with. This was a disservice for the client, the business, and ultimately me as an eye care professional. Now, I have an opportunity to educate myself on how I can improve the patient experience. I focused on educating myself with the product, and I consulted with my peers on how they fit these lenses. Now, when the opportunities present themselves, I am confident in an area that was once a weakness.

The following quarter, and to-date, I was not only meeting, but exceeding our goals, and my overall feedback with patient experience. I still am not a person who focuses on statistics, but realizing it's not a micro-management tool, but a macro-management tool to offer opportunities for the best patient experience. It has made me a stronger, more knowledgeable optician.