I get it, you’re busy. You’ve ordered about 20 jobs just this morning, you’ve got a line of patients who are waiting for you to adjust and dispense their eyewear, and about four voicemails to return when you do happen to have a minute. I get it because I’m busy too. I’ve been in your shoes, and I absolutely understand really having to use the bathroom, but you can’t spare a moment to run there.

Why have I painted this frantic picture for you? Because often this is what the patient sees when they come into your office. I know you’ve tried to mask the panic from your face, but your patient sees it. When they’re waiting in line for you, they hear the exasperation in your voice, and this makes them feel sorry for having come in. No one wants to be a bother to someone else, and often our patients feel like their needs are a “bother” to us. Guess what happens when our patients think they’ve become a “bother” to us? They stop coming in. They begin to think that they need to go somewhere else or that maybe someone else has more time for them. Hadn’t considered how your behavior might be perceived by your patient? Start thinking!

Experience Seekers

So when it comes down to it, every interaction we have with our patients is an opportunity to
WOW them. Yes, I realize this puts a lot of pressure on you. It is intended to. In today’s world, people are really looking for an experience rather than a product. Of course they want the product too, but they want to know why they should purchase something. They want to know about the company they are working with, they want to know about you, and also they want to be SEEN and HEARD. These words are capitalized because I want to make sure you stop and think about how you interact with your patients. Do you validate that you have seen them for the individual person that they are? Have you asked the lifestyle dispensing questions of your patient and have you heard their answer? Are you taking this individual person into account when you’re helping them and making sure to tailor your fabulous optical skill into a solution custom made for Jane, and not for patient #125? Because that is what today’s consumer wants.

They expect a product that works, but they also expect the education behind what makes that product a good fit for them. Oh, and also, they want you to be a super hero. Really, they want you to solve their optical conundrums. They want to work with the best, and they want you to be the best at what you do. Truly, they’re pulling for you!


Don’t Let Them Down

Often we don’t realize that our patients really do want us to be the best. They want to tell their friends that they work with the best optician out there. They were styled by the best and have custom made lenses that were tailor made for them by the best optician ever. Who doesn’t want to tell that story to their friends and family? (Now I want to preface this by saying that we DO NOT have to cut one another down in order to be the best, but we do have to put our money where our mouth is, and we have to deliver on what we promise to our patients. We have to up our own game and the rest will take care of itself. In today’s world, people are already resistant to trusting us or they see us as only sales people, DO NOT add to that storyline.) Truly, if you want to do what is best for your patients, read up on some topics in which you aren’t fully confident, and take a weekend course. Join your state association and go to their educational conferences. Take the leap, educate yourself because it really is in the best interest of your patients.


Have Some Fun Already

When you’re in the trenches and you feel like that line of patients is a mile long, give yourself a second and take a breath. Make a joke with your patient about the wait, (my go to is “I’m so sorry about the wait, but I’m so glad you’re here.”) Make sure you or a co-worker tries to make the waiting customers comfortable, offer them something to drink and assure them that the wait is worthwhile and you will concentrate as fully on them when it is their turn. Let there be laughing. Laughing is contagious and immediately makes people feel at ease. So if the wait is going to be long, make sure the patient is greeted and let them know it is going to be a bit. If they have an errand to run encourage them to do so, but let them know they’re welcome to wait. Imagine that, you’ve welcomed them to your office and asked them to wait! This way it’s not a surprise to them and they know what they’re in for. This often takes the edge off for the patient and lets them know what to expect.

Next, deliver the experience the patient is so desperately wanting. Tell them about the company that makes their frames, tell them why you chose the particular lenses for them. Educate them on why proper fitting of their glasses is necessary and describe to them what you are adjusting while you are doing it. Tell them why caring for their lenses properly matters and supply them with the products they will need in order to do so. Lastly, thank them for their business and compliment them not only on their purchase, but for being wise enough to work with a professional who is trained to help them. Indeed, they made a smart choice by choosing to work with you!

Learn more about implementing a service-oriented approach to patient care with our CE, Engineering an Experience, at 2020mag.com/ce.