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Make an Impact

Use these tips to create a positive consumer experience in your practice

JAY BINKOWITZ

Our success as eyecare professionals depends on the experience we provide, the perceived value of our products and services and how we explain it all to patients.

With this in mind, let’s look at some ways you can create a positive consumer experience in your practice.

1 Create attainable goals

Let’s talk about a concept I refer to as “spiking,” a strategy that teaches and supports failure. Picture this: You ready your team for a particular initiative, such as increasing AR sales. At first, the numbers “spike.” However, after a few months, the momentum slows, and the numbers decrease again.

The way to avoid spiking is to create small attainable goals. For example, instead of setting a goal to grow your contact lens annual supply sales by 25% this year, make your goal to grow by 5% each month. Small steps through time create behavioral changes that lead to long-term, sustained results and should be supported by creating staff rewards.

2 Study the competition

Your team’s ability to explain your services, products and fees in a way that makes your patients feel comfortable and appreciate the value of what you provide is what matters. Too often we scare our patients away by over explaining and confusing them, ultimately driving them to a big box retailer that makes it all sound easy.

When was the last time you and your team visited a big box retailer to experience and learn what they do, from explaining services and products to the technology they use? Remember, experience + perceived value = success.

3 Perform spot checks

How do you assess, in real time, the results of the interactions with your patients? Performing spot checks is the way to learn, teach and refine what you are doing as a team. It can easily be completed in just minutes.

Randomly review 10 jobs per week for net profitability (total revenue from the patient and vision plan - your cost of goods). You can — and should — do this for 10 transactions of each plan per month.

4 Provide staff with consistent feedback

Hold regular office meetings to discuss the results and progress of goals, and how, if necessary, to refine current procedures. The best question to ask your team is what they want to try in order to impact your goals. As a leader, it is your job to create an environment in which you all practice, learn and problem solve together.

Talk the talk

The real goal is to make sure our patients are happy. That includes the products and services we provide, but starts with how we talk the talk. OM

MR. 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. E-MAIL HIM AT JAY.GPN@GMAIL.COM, OR SEND COMMENTS TO OPTOMETRICMANAGEMENT@GMAIL.COM.