I am just curious to know what you tell your patients when their glasses have been delayed or are taking longer than usual to come in. I am looking for something that will keep the patient confident about using our services and wont condemn the outside lab we use. thanks for your help.
Not trying to me a smarta**, but how about just telling the truth? Seems to work for us.
IF it's the truth. We say something along the lines of "Your glasses failed inspection. Yea, I know the first reaction is to yell at them. But think about it for a minute. That's what we pay them to do: Quality work. We want them to inspect the glasses and redo them if they're not within tolerance. We're sorry it's taking longer than we expected. We'll call you as soon as they are finished"
The patient can't very well turn around and yell at you if you're genuinely sorry and trying to do quality work.
Also, always under promise and over deliver on estimated completion times. If you say seven days and they're ready in five, you're a hero. If you say four days, and it takes five, you just another jerk.
News of a delay is always better received when you call them and let them know whats going on as soon as you find out, don't wait for them to call you!
I have found that honesty is always the best policy!
Something like " our lab has an extremely stringint final inspection process and does not send out inferior product. Unfortunately your lens did not pass final inspection and they are remaking it. I apologize for the delay and will keep you informed of the progress."
and then keep your word and keep them informed!
~ Erin
ABOC
i agree that honesty is the best policy and we always try to keep our patient up to date on the progress of their order if something slows it down. and thank you, that is exactly what i was looking for. i just wanted to hear what some else tells their patients.
Not trying to me a smarta**, but how about just telling the truth? Seems to work for us.
i honestly didnt think of that....not trying to be a smarta**
I think it is very important to explain that you send them out to specialized lab with very sophisticated lens grinding and finishing equipment, and state of the art application of AR coating, etc, instead of doing them in-house within one hour like some opticals. I think that especially if someone is paying a lot of money for a progressive lens, they will appreciate that quality takes longer. When I got my personal Zeiss Individuals 8 years ago, they had to be sent to Germany and back which took a couple of weeks, and I had no problem with that.
Having worked for said optical that promises 1 hour service.
Explaining outside lab work is probably one of the hardest, especially when 95% of the time, I am not the one that took the order or gave the estimated time.
I agree with the above, however I like to keep things simple.
There's always a real reason for a delay.
Misplaced tray, backordered frame/lens, missent, canceled due to out of range, failed initial inspection, etc.
Or the most common is an inaccurate time estimate given to the customer.
I normally do not go into specifics unless the customer makes a counter argument after you first apologize for the delay, then give a good reason that is likely out of your control.
If the reason you give was your/coworkers fault, I would be prepared to apologize again, take responsibility, regardless if it was your fault or not, then offer something to make it up,
be it calling them everyday till the order arrives, a free cleaning kit, a discount. Anything to stop them from cancelling and going somewhere else.
I guess working in retail for a major chain store for four year prior to working in the optical field was good for something :/
It's helpful to write the expected delivery date on the front of the tray, makes it really easy to keep on eye on any overdo jobs. I agree, it's best to call the patient about a delay before they call you.
I had this situation today. I had received a drilled rimless from the lab this morning, the lenses in the frame I sent to them were her old rx. The new lenses were to be 2mm smaller than the previous lenses, they made them the same size. I called her and left a message on her phone, explaining what had happened and that I was returning them. She walks in the door about 30 minutes later and wanted to see them, so I unpacked them and she put them on and says "they are fine, it's that big of a deal" so she paid for them and all is well. She has been coming to me for many years. So, it pays to make that phone call and advise them on the status of their glasses. It is far better to let them know before they call you wondering where their glasses are.
We certainly don't want to have "a failure to communicate." Give the customer a reasonable lead time and explain that there are occasional delays beyond your control when the order is written up. Should there be a delay contact the customer immediately and let them know what is happening. Openness and honesty right from the get-go will usually be rewarded by an appreciative and loyal customer. BS will probably terminate you relationship with the customer.
Treat the customer as you would like to be treated.
This was exactly what I wish I could have put into words.Originally Posted by rbaker
"You're glasses aren't ready. I screwed up..."
Ophthalmic Optician, Society to Advance Opticianry
I tell the truth also, but sometimes a limited amount of it. If the lab royally screwed something up (rare, but it happens) I don't want them patient to lose confidence in the glasses they're getting, so I won't get into the details that make anyone look incompetent. I'll apologize, explain that they didn't pass our inspection and we sent them back to be redone. Then I check status daily and give updates until we have them ready for pickup. If it's a delay at the lab, then it didn't pass their inspection. If someone insists on knowing a reason, I'll generally say they found a scratch on one of the lenses, or that I'm not sure what it was, but that they've been restarted already. Our lab generally runs at about seven days, so I always quote ten.
ETA: Johns has a point, as usual. If I've screwed up, I say so. "Mrs. Smith, your glasses came in today but without the Transitions you wanted. I remember talking about it and the color you wanted, but somehow I didn't put that on your order. I'm so sorry, and I've sent in a new order the way you wanted it. I'm not going to charge you the price difference since it was my mistake. I'll let you know just as soon as those are back." Amazingly, the few times it's been totally my fault and I've owned it, the patient was super nice. It seems to impress them that I'm not passing the buck or making up a story to cover my behind.
Last edited by tigerlilly; 04-16-2014 at 11:19 PM. Reason: Johns is right, too
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