Improve a patient’s experience. It adds value to the process of choosing and purchasing eyewear.

According to Mary Schmidt of EyeSystems, an optical consulting firm, put yourself in the patient’s shoes. Think of the way that you would want to be treated and make every patient feel appreciated. Whether in front of the person or on the phone, smile, show appreciation, create trust, have fun, be caring and don’t be afraid to recommend products that would benefit each and every one of them. Smile. It’s an easy requirement yet too often hidden. Place a mirror on the monitor screen or somewhere easily viewed while on the phone or when talking to patients. See what the patient sees. Smiling, even when on the phone creates a welcoming attitude and atmosphere. Practice it and make it automatic.

Show appreciation. Let patients know that the office exists because of their wants and needs. In fact, tell the next patient that the staff appreciates their confidence and that you are happy that they chose this office for their eyecare needs. See what happens.

 

Create trust. If a patient is going to spend $350 or more on a pair of eyewear, they need to believe that that is correct and appropriate. Trust makes for a ready audience when suggesting additional eyewear to better meet needs. So to create trust meet all the promises made.

Use optical sound bytes. Patients want to know about eyewear and its options. Opening the door to the many products and benefits can be intimidating for some. An easy way is to create a variety of optical sound bytes that entice, describe and provide patients with an understanding of the best that optical has to offer. Even the cynical patient will listen. More about sound bytes in a later chapter...

Know office capability and health issues that affect patients. Understand each of the parts of the eye exam that the patient will touch in the office, each staff member’s strengths and responsibilities so the patient can be sped efficiently through the process. In this way, there is enough time for all the explanations and care that each patient expects.

Communicate well. Patients really appreciate effective communication. Understanding the use of their time, the procedures to be done in the office and the eyewear selection and purchase process ensures that no expectation created remains unmet.

Take clear patient histories. This allows the office to best assess current eyewear and ensure that future eyewear needs are considered. With a complete history of the patient’s complaints, previous and current eyewear and their impression of their needs, the office is best prepared to provide a comprehensive exam and meet eyewear needs. Do the right job. Accuracy and precision are key for patient satisfaction. It differentiates your practice and confirms for the patient that they made the right practice choice.


Precise Telephone Communication
The telephone ties us together within the office, with vendors and with patients. Make these effective techniques part of every day’s routine. Know office details, answer fast, smile, speak slowly and distinctly, listen carefully, take names and notes, be courteous and not too technical, answer questions with questions and apologize even if it wasn’t your fault. Remember that the day the glasses were ordered is the day that the patient began counting for that 5, 7 or ten day expectation you might have set up. So, keep promises.

The other telephone i.e., the answering machines need the same care and precision. Be sure that all the details about the call message are listed in order. Request that callers state their name and a contact number first and then the reason for the call. In this way, if needed, a return call can be made quickly without having to wade through a very long and often confusing message.

Confirm appointments so each person’s time is used precisely and efficiently. Follow up phone calls show that the office is genuinely interested in the comfort and care of the patient.


Merchandising the Power of Brands
Improving a patient’s experience recognizes that the resulting pair of glasses provides the right prescription but more importantly, meets the emotional wants of the patient, matches’ identity and image wants and therefore improves satisfaction and compliance. It is also the bread and butter of optical.

Everywhere around you, brands help people make decisions about what they wear, buy, how they present and represent themselves. Brands have power and that power can be harnessed to improve everything about optical. A brand is an identity that means fashion, service and/or performance. It represents everything that customers feel about a product. In optical, frame and lens brands are the perfect example of how to combine style and fashion with vision performance. Do it well and a practice grows while patients are provided the best in eye care.

Dispensing great eyewear requires the knowledge of product benefits and how to match them to patient wants and needs. That’s obvious but also a bit boring. Matching a patient to their wants is the hard part because many patients cannot express their wants since it may include a style or fashion that is not obvious. Using the identity and power of brands teaches the optician what patients want in eyewear. For example, the classic sunglass styling of Persol has strength and character. The black frame is glossy and shines so it appears crisp and clean. Match that with the image of James Bond and a patient that wants to connect with that same image of strength and daring is jazzed when asked, “Would you want to try on Persol sunglasses, the sunglass brand that James Bond wears? It easily becomes a wearer’s sunwear. Look for the characteristic silver arrow and Meflecto temples, an ever-present feature of the brand that helps identify the brand as Persol.

Patients might want to try on a Dolce & Gabanna frame. Dolce & Gabanna symbolizes high fashion and sensuality. Consumers are more likely to pay more for brands that they recognize and whose identity they want. A mailing using a highly recognized brand will pull at patient’s emotions and when combined with the message about how their prescription could be easily added, patients call the office.

Brands give your patients something to trust; it’s a reassurance of quality and status.

 Product brand names are important for patient compliance. Consumers are more likely to wear and use glasses and sunglasses the doctor prescribes due to the "fun" elements inherent in fashion/designer frame brands or due to the attributes of the lens. For example, if you sell kid’s eyewear, there’s every chance that once off to school, that new pair of glasses ends up in the book bag only to be worn again as the kid gets home. If the eyewear was hot or the lenses were photochromic, there’s a better chance of compliance.

Consumers are more likely to be more satisfied with the eyecare/eyewear experience when it results in getting a fun, fashion pair of glasses supported by a brand/designer name that resonates with them.

As a result it is important for the staff to know the meaning of the brands they carry and convey that meaning at the point of sale. This focuses the power of the brand and its power to satisfy at the moment of sale.

Use your vendor’s sales representatives, literature and POP materials to teach all staff about the brands that are carried. These descriptions are the building blocks of a conversation with the patient about frames chosen. Realize that a brands’ identity is the reason that a patient may have stayed to buy eyewear. Be sure that all the staff understands the difference between the practice or office brand and the power of the brands that the office carries. They support and expand the brand of the practice.

{Sponsored by Essilor of America and Luxottica Group}
www.varilux.com • www.crizalpro.com • www.luxottica.com