Welcome Linda Conlin, our new Managing Editor for Pro to Pro. Linda has been a CE course contributor, specifically for contact lenses and has helped us evolve the contact lens CE offerings; and with her management experience, we’ll see contributions on the way in which an efficient office operates.

I was in a training today, and the discussion leader said, “Train your staff as well as you can, they are the ambassadors of your business.” Well said, I thought. How often have you visited a business only to leave because of poor knowledge or service? Let me suggest that every staff member has a plan for learning specific topics, reviewed by both a manager and staff member three or four times a year. With that frequency, individuals grow quickly, and they require less and less management. I know it takes time to do this but the time invested creates more efficient individuals, and this process reduces the demand on management time.

Pick three to five categories on which to concentrate. Consider Lenses (product knowledge about materials, treatments and new lens designs), Frames (metals, acetate and nylon fiber; their product details as well as adjusting with confidence), Front Office Operations (scheduling, greetings, communicating office policies, fees, etc.), Contact Lenses (insertion and removal training, cleaning regimens, inventory, etc.), Managed Vision Care (plans in which you participate, patient counseling, co-pays, adjudication, the finances of MVC, etc.), Ordering (the office’s supply chain) and Consumer Speak (how to teach the benefits so every customer understands). See where I’m going? There are many lists that you can create. Have a good one—share it with us and we’ll share it with your colleagues.

This month’s CE by Jeff Hopkins titled, “Taking the Measure of Digital Centration Systems, Part 1: What Does ‘Better’ Mean?” teaches the need for greater accuracy and consistency in eyeglass lens fitting measurements, the tangible and intangible benefits of digital measuring systems, as well as the range of systems available in terms of platforms and capabilities to make a digital switch.

• Mark Mattison-Shupnick, ABOM
[email protected]
2020mag.com/education