You’d have to have been hiding under a rock somewhere if you haven’t yet discovered that there are some companies offering glasses for your patients to purchase online. (And at prices that are hard to compete with.) So, it’s here, people. The apocalypse that has long been predicted. But, I don’t think it is as scary as the nay-sayers think. I actually think the advent of online creates opportunities for human opticians to become great. So, while the internet is trying to pass itself off as an optician, what can actual opticians do to distinguish themselves?

My nephew called the other night. Mark is a 36-year-old bachelor in a demanding profession, so I don’t hear from him often, and understandably so. This time he had an “eye question.” He’d just been to the eye doctor and got a mild minus prescription for night driving. “I think the salesperson was trying to upsell me,” he said. “He told me I needed some kind of trifocal lens for the computer, but I don’t need the glasses for the computer. The salesperson sounded like he was reading from a script and told me about blue blockers. Do I need blue blockers at night? I don’t think he knew what he was doing.” Mark left without purchasing glasses.

I recently joined a new “online community” for my neighborhood. It’s a great forum where people look for recommendations for babysitters and handymen, recover lost pets, buy and sell household items and discuss neighborhood concerns. The other day, someone posted a question about getting an adjustment on a pair of glasses he bought online. I gritted my teeth when I saw he lived in the wealthiest part of town. I couldn’t bear to chime in. I couldn’t come up with an answer that wasn’t snarky, but my “neighbors” quickly filled the void. Several told the gentleman that local opticians and optometrists were “glad to do it – free.” While I know that’s true, I secretly hoped he would have to suffer a little longer with poorly fitting glasses.

Whether you work for a large corporation or for a small business, answer the following questions. Is there enough time during the day to properly train your staff? Is there a formal training plan in place for new and current employees? If you answered yes, you are in better shape than many of your peers.