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We have compulink in place where I am about to set up a optical store. I will be doing remote traceing, and we are unclear if the dvi software from the lab will interface with compulink. Does anyone have any expirience with this? Also we intend to scan and use bar codeing for frame inventory.Compulink told us this can only be accomplished by adding additional inter face software that will work with frames data.Any input or expirience with this would be helpfull at this point.
Thanks,
Alcart
For the scanning of inventory, when we first signed up for the software (1999) we purchased the handheld barcode scanner from compulink. It hooked up to a USB port and as long as we were in the Search->Stock screen in the Inventory page it inserted the number whenever the barcode scanner could read the barcode (it also worked on the spectacle rx screen as long as the cursor was flashing on the manufacturer block). Which was about 60% of the time on the first attempt, the average frame took 3 attempts before the barcode actually scanned. To this day I'm still convinced it was a scanner issue and not a software issue, but we no longer use the scanner, we know hand type the barcodes. Which works really well, though it gets very tiring when doing an inventory audit. In summary if you can get the barcode scanner to actually read the barcode it works really well, if not it's very time consuming, but still accurate and usable to just type in the barcodes (assuming the person entering the inventory transposes the barcodes correctly if you choose to use the manufacturer's labels, where available).
I do not nor have ever used the DVI interface but we've had fairly good luck with proper transfer of data with outside software (mostly Microsoft Word but I have seen the DVI interface work, just not in our office and I have never personally done it)
We have had compulink in place for 3 1/2 years and medical records for almost 2 years. Goes pretty well.....except we no longer want automatic updates. There is always a glitch that compulink needs to work out. We still cannot get the med records (for forwarding to specialist) to print like WE want them too. They always call us back in a reasonable amount of time. The frames data, barcode system for inventory is very good. The real key to making the program work for you is that you have to be ALL in. Meaning that you must use it as intended, every field must be filled in and done Correctly. When you figure why every detail MUST be filled out, then you will have accurate reports. If you are a stats kind of person this is very valuable!!!! The remote tracing kinda happen. Our Lab worked with us as far as getting visionweb working and tracing properly. Although I have to do the steps independent of the other. Vision web right from compulink. then go to the tracer and send over Rx Wizard the pattern only. Rx wizard was key with the tracing.
When you first got the software up and running for optical, did you input all your own tables/formulas/venders etc. on your own? Or did compulink provide a out line and set this up for you?I really dont trust what there help department tells me. Also do you use it with the frames data disc? Sorry for all the questions but the place I am just beggining to work for feels I should know all this. I feel its more of a IT issue, I have no problem giving optical input to do this part correctly. Whats your feelings?
When we first set up our inventory for Compulink, I did it, I hand entered all of our frame, at the time I was not yet dispensing, but I doubt I would have changed how I entered the frames, at first. After the initial setup (getting in your inventory on hand) it is very important to get a consistent method of entering that optimizes the reports (doing it as an adjustment vs an order). That being said, depending on how big your inventory is, and how much the person entering the inventory is making, if we had to do it all over again, we would have paid Compulink, but our inventory has always been between 700-1000 frames in active inventory. It took me about 22 hours to enter all the frames into inventory, and yes before hand we had an old DOS system that was frequently audited for accuracy, so I know it could have been transfered. While the transfer of data from into patient demographics wasn't perfect, it was easily correctable, at the time it was 16 years of patient records in the computer, so we were happy with the accuracy.
We do use frames data's Spex UPC disk, and I believe it is well worth having.
But as the optician you should be heavily consulted on the inventory portion, because if it is done in a way that you can't easily use, properly tracking inventory (and backorders), while having correct data in the results, may not be in a usable form for you.
Jpways, you seem to have a grip on this software thank you for your help so far. We are in the process of doing the lens pricing.When was this software written? I know technology moves fast but no transisitions at all, you cant write any wholesale price over 99.00 in lens coatings. Did you set up the lenses also? If so did you use all the lense catagories based on power and cylinder increases? Or just simplify them? And now I just find out I need to purchase integration software for compulink to work with the tracer which is using DVI remote and a santinelli 910 tracer.Do you guys use compulink to take the sale at the fitting table? Thanks for any answers you have. My email is alcart@optonline.net maybe I could get your number and bother you at work (just what you need) but the IT dude where I work has it in for me and I need to try and get a leg up on this stuff.
I can't attest to the wholesale prices, because I don't put those in because there are instances where we have multiple suppliers on the same coatings, but I'd call technical support (1-800-888-8075, I've called this number plenty of times at our office so I have it memorized, because I'm the IT guy at my office.) and see what they say, I wouldn't be surprised if they tell you they have to work on it, but I would doubt that fix for take that long.
Yes we use our lens pricing table in the dispensary (using the charges screen that is available from the Spectacle rx screen)
As for the setup of our lens pricing table, we do have all of our somewhat frequent lenses in our lens pricing table and yes I have it by sphere and cylinder increases, however I don't go per diopter over the base lens powers (even if that is what we are charged) because the table would be too freaking big, we group together common powers and charge a fixed amount per increase.
The best way to do this, if you're trying to do more then 5 lines at a time, is to export a starter table to excel and fill in the information from there. How a define a starter table depends on the user.
Method 1 (Advanced method): enter a least 1 line into the table out to every column you are using, so you can see format and go from there.
Method 2: Enter the first line or two for every lens style and then expand your prescription add-ons from there
I'll send you my table in .txt format, one thing I have to warn you I have accidentally taken out the 88 and 99 lines, which the software does need to run optimally (that 88-88 in sphere, which controls balance lenses and 99-99 in sphere which controls 1 lens only orders), so you will need to add them, but this will give you an idea of how the tables should look.
And, before I forget, it is amazing how many components Compulink has deciding are not core components and therefore not necessary. We do not have a tracer and we manually enter all of our DVI orders, so I cannot assist you in setting up the lab mapping tables.
Anybody subscribe to Frames Data Spex UPC...
We do although we don't use it. We also have compulink and use it for our purposes but not to it's potential. The tables seem to be the biggest hindrance in fully using it. We end up in the ledger line by line getting prices right. It works for us and we have found a way to be accurate and efficient in the optical. It might be different if our Dr. really wanted accurate stats but he does not seem to be interested in that piece.
The frames data upc disc is great with compulink, as long as you only add the frames one by one. The problem with the manufacure add is it will always be Vendor: vender/line and Manufacture: Vender/line make for using the reports very hard. Great for checking to see if a frame is made / just not added to your inv yet, and allows for simple pricing as you add the frames in based on your markup table. We've used it, but when someone does do a manufacure add, they have to go through that whole line and fix the vendor / man information for each frame.
I've tried the Frames Data disk before using Mgmt+, didn't like the setup on the disk and industry changes too fast if you are into carrying boutique lines. Now I use compulik and its better although we don;t have barcoding since we are much smaller than my previous place. That being said there is no reason why you cant use a barcode scanner. Any decent windows compatible barcode scanner is simply what is called a HID (human interface device) like a keyboard. Its driver scans a barcode and outputs numeric equivalent. You can be in literally ANY windows program and scan a barcode and the screen will display the numeric equivalent. Same if you punched each number on a keyboard. Now if you enter your inventory with frame 1 as SKU 00001 and then continue from there to Frame n as SKU 0000n. You are ready to start barcoding. Get a dymo label printer, the software comes with it to print "rat tail" tags or whatever size you need. Simply enter the SKU # and the software generates a standard type barcode. Then when you are in the compulink just scan the barcode in the ledger to manually input the frame. Or in the order detail screen, click on the frame "manufacturer" box and scan. Done!
Very true. I have noticed, however, that CCD scanners seem to have trouble with the frame barcodes. I've upbraded most of the stations that need frame tag readers to laser scanners.Quote:
Originally Posted by erichwmack