SOCIAL

  CONSUMER CORNER

PRESENTING TECHNOLOGY

HOW TO DISCUSS INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND SERVICES WITH PATIENTSc

IF YOU’RE like me, then you know the anguish and frustration of incorporating new technology into your business. From acquisition to training to full integration, the process is often met with questions and fears. And if you and your team, who are the experts in eye care, have questions, how do you think your patients feel?

This is why socializing the technology you provide — whether it be a diagnostic test or the latest lens treatment — is a critical component of the consumer experience. How you explain the benefits of the care you provide, both in person and online, is a great differentiator, and can mean the difference between gaining new patients and losing them to the competition.

Here are two tips to help you discuss technology with patients.

Use the seven-word test to explain your innovative products and services in terms patients easily understand, which can help improve compliance to your recommendations.

GARNER EXCITEMENT

From edgers that can produce a beautifully finished lens in minutes to apps that provide precise measurements for customized digital lenses, technology provides wonderful opportunities to delight and excite your patients. Remember, when you’re excited, so is your patient!

For example, today a single piece of equipment can perform autorefraction, topography and aberrometry. That’s huge for both the practice and the patient. So use it to your advantage to excite the patient:

“Mrs. Jones, you mentioned that your vision at night isn’t as good as during the day. By taking a couple of quick measurements with ‘X’, we can create a truly personalized prescription that will allow you to achieve clear, crisp vision throughout the entire day. Isn’t that great?”

Not only will the patient benefit from a customized prescription, the technology provides a “wow” factor for patients, positioning you and your practice as a leader in eye care.

USE LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN

It’s easy to forget that patients don’t understand the everyday lingo you and your team use. To avoid talking over, through — or, worse, at — a patient rather than talking with him or her, employ the seven-word test. That is, can your team explain the importance of a particular technology in seven or fewer words?

For example, when explaining pretesting measurements, say . . .

• “I’m going to check your eye pressure.” (intraocular pressure)

• “This test will evaluate your side vision.” (visual field testing)

• “Let’s assess the back of your eye.”

The seven-word test can be used to explain products in the optical as well. For example,

• Blue light lenses “shield your eyes from damaging blue light.”

• AR treatments provide “crystal-clear vision, like during your exam.”

To ensure your explanations are easily understood, try practicing them with your friends and family, and get their feedback on your explanations. Another trick is to have your team record themselves explaining your products or services, and then work together to refine the explanation into an easily understood message.

TIME OUT

Remember, adopting new technologies can be scary for both provider and patient. Taking the time to fully explain the benefits of services and products can lead to better patient care and a stronger practice-patient relationship. OM

JAY BINKOWITZ is the president of GPN, an optometric consulting company based in Huntington, N.Y. He has had extensive experience in retail operations, merchandising and marketing. Email him at jay.gpn@gmail.com, or to comment on this article, visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment.