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Thread: The Eternal Conflict

  1. #26
    OptiWizard KrystleClear's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drk View Post
    What doctor do you visit that's "fun"? Your proctologist?

    This is why I think even adults should get a treat for going to the doctor. Good job showing up for your visual field test, Karen. Here's a Snicker's bar. Don't know if that would fly at the dentist. Could be good for business, actually! Proctologist might suggest something without nuts...

    I like the LaramyK Optician Works take on it. Optical is separate from medical. Yes, we are filling a prescription, but it is also a shopping experience and we *should* try to make it more fun. That's why so many people just go online now. Yes, price is a factor, but also, they've had bad experiences with optical shops before. Before I got into this field, I also hated picking out glasses. Being a "welfare" kid, my parents and I were always directed to the medicaid section and that was it.
    Krystle

  2. #27
    Master OptiBoarder
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    Quote Originally Posted by KrystleClear View Post
    This is why I think even adults should get a treat for going to the doctor. Good job showing up for your visual field test, Karen. Here's a Snicker's bar. Don't know if that would fly at the dentist. Could be good for business, actually! Proctologist might suggest something without nuts...
    OMG! I almost spit out my coffee! BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

  3. #28
    Rising Star OptiBoard Silver Supporter
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    Quote Originally Posted by sakora View Post
    Wondering what solutions offices have come up with to tackle "The Eternal Conflict" between the Front Desk/Pretest and Dispensing.

    How are you guys tackling patients walking in for adjustments/pickups/repairs?
    I haven't implemented appointments for pickups. I'm sitting here confused as to why this guy who I thought purchased glasses in 4/22 hasn't picked them up, and now realize he bought them in 8/21, and 4/22 is the last time (of dozens) we attempted to contact him! No voicemail can be left. He may be out of the country for all I know. Lucky we typically collect all the money up front.

    Anyway, people want contacts before their trip, and then actually get them a month later. People beg to get a pair of glasses made as soon as possible, and then take weeks to pick them up. I'd like drk to explain how likely those patients are to actually come at the allotted time. I'm happy if they just show up for their exam time... can't expect them to show up twice on time in a week or so.

    I just had a patient call about a frame he got 2-3yrs ago that had broken. I told him he could email us via our encrypted email and send some photos of what is broken and I could advise from there. It is a balance between having them pop in and capturing another appointment, and my real goal which is to make dealing with us "easier" and different than the local opticals.

    With online scheduling, I was hoping to direct everyone to select a pick-up slot when we inform them their glasses have arrived. We could make pick-up slots only at specific times when we knew staff would be available.

    My current office skews younger and tech-literate. Most of them don't want exams. They want "results" or "the numbers" or the "subscription so they can buy somewhere else." Judging from facebook ads, they have many ethically/legally dubious ways to now do that.

  4. #29
    What's up? drk's Avatar
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    One trick is to make sure you collect the whole payment at ordering.

  5. #30
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    For the most part, my patients show up on time and I don't get a lot of cancellations. I do get some, but not many. Sounds crazy, (remember we are a slow office) but we schedule pick ups for 30 min. Some times it only takes 2 mins to dispense and others it takes longer and maybe the have a lot of questions and maybe they now want to try on some fitovers. It allows the time to take care of those that need it. Maybe they can't find parking spot (it's a problem here as we are in a large hospital setting) and it allows them to be a few min late without stressing. If it was a quick pick up and I have time before the next patient I use it for insurance submissions etc. It works for us. If we were busier and had more opticians that it would be a different situation with different solution.

  6. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by optical24/7 View Post
    I always operated as you did Krystle. Why would you want to make it one more level of difficult for your patients to come in and see you? Every encounter is a relationship builder. What do you do with walk-ins? Say, “Hey lady! Appointment only!”. You’re just another PIA in your patients life. You should strive to make it a place people ​want to come to…..

    ...Folks understand (usually) when they walk in and your busy. They take a seat or they say “I’ll come back when you’re not so busy”.

    Who doesn’t b*tch about customer service? Why on earth would you want your paying patients to put you in that category? Create an atmosphere of wanna go to, rather than have to go to….
    Big +1! I don't understand how you could tell someone that came in to pickup their glasses SORRY, you don't have an appointment, please come back at your scheduled time. Especially if you are not overflowing. That would be the last time I buy glasses from you.

    I was going to buy an iPhone the other day and apple would only do by appointments because they wanted to sell their protection plan and case and screen protector etc. I said I don't need an appointment, I literally want to just pay you $1,000 dollars and I want you to hand me the phone and I will leave. They said we don't work like that. So I said ok then, go F yourself and I went and bought an android. I am much happier.

    Quote Originally Posted by Barry Santini View Post
    Hmm. I’m am sorry to hear the routine needs of eyewear clients are upsetting the rhythm of your day’s scheduling.

    Go figure.

    B
    Barry gets customer service.
    Last edited by NAICITPO; 07-28-2022 at 12:20 PM.

  7. #32
    Master OptiBoarder AngeHamm's Avatar
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    For the record, patients have a hell of a lot of fun in our office. We have fun people at reception, fun pre-testers, fun opticians, and an amazingly fun doctor. We have 2.5 opticians (I'm the .5 since I cut my hours back after my third baby was born last Fall) for one very busy doctor, we are busy all the time, and our next available appointment is in November. You do you, but what works for you isn't universally true.
    I'm Andrew Hamm and I approve this message.

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