The Numbers Matter

When visiting clients, it is common for practices not to have a reporting system for their optical shops. Most point-of-sale (POS)systems do not have the best optical reporting. It's cumbersome to pull the numbers, especially for an individual optician. I cannot stress enough; that the numbers do matter. If you can find a way to extract the data, you should.

Be warned; once you can assess the numbers, your Opticians will be slightly nervous. I can almost guarantee someone will say, "it feels so corporate." I don't blame them for being scared. In the past, they were probably negatively judged by those numbers. Their fear is real. However, when the data is used as a road map for training and development, the Opticians will want to know their stats and strive to excel.

The data is so important because when you don't have the data, the conversations are much harder. Without the data, you're managing with feelings instead of facts. Numbers don't lie. For example, I once worked with an Optician with 30 plus years of experience. I had the data in front of me. I asked him how well he believed he educates his patients on the newest technology lenses. Of course, the response was he thought he was terrific at educating his patients. But unfortunately for the Optician, the data showed that 90% of the office's progressive wearers were fit into a 40-year-old lens design. Does that lens work? It does. Is that patient seeing the very best they can? Most likely not.

Fortunately, I had the data. I was able to start a conversation with the Optician without them dismissing me. The numbers backed me up and allowed me to see, without a doubt, that this seasoned Optician became complacent with their knowledge and needed a deep dive into the benefits of the newest technology.

Let's look at another example. Multiple sales percentage is one of the most important KPIs, key performance indicators, in the optical world. A patient who buys multiple pairs of eyeglasses is most likely given the benefit of education. One pair of eyewear does not work for every situation or lifestyle. A pair of progressives may work for everyday life but may not work perfectly for a patient sitting in front of a computer screen for eight to ten hours daily. Those progressives may be causing the patient neck pain from 'trying to find the sweet spot.' The same progressives may not be perfect for a patient who plays golf. The patient probably doesn't know there is a solution for not being able to see the ball when they put it. Hopefully, you know where I'm going with this. The great part about multiple pairs of glasses is multiple pairs of lenses are sold the next year or the year after.

When I look at the data, and the multiple percent is below standard, I know immediately the patients aren't being appropriately educated. The important part is to use the data for positive reinforcement. Use it to start a conversation about the Optician's habits and how excellent patient care includes education. Remember, the Optician's job is to educate, not sell. The data will help you assess whether the education process is happening.

Another example is, are refractive patients making it into optical to finalize a visit? If your patients aren't making it into the dispensary, are they being educated on what lenses benefit their lifestyles? They're not. They're walking out of your practice without information on what they went there for in the first place. They're not getting glasses from your practice if they didn't even speak to an Optician. Most likely, they'll be back for a recheck because they went to another subpar Optical that didn't take the time to educate them. How do you be proactive and ensure your patients are educated properly? You track who is delivered to optical and share your finding with doctors, techs, and front desk staff. For the most part, every optical knows the benefit of capture rate—viable refractive Rx's written, compared to the number of patients that purchased eyewear. Unfortunately, most practices do not realize this number has two components. 1, are your Opticians educating and selling glasses, and 2, are the patients getting too optical? I can tell you from experience that if your capture rate isn't where you want it to be, it's from reason two. Feel free to read my last blog, "Why Your Optician is NOT a Salesperson," for some tips on how to raise this number. I can also tell you from experience that trying to move the needle without this data is near impossible.

The data should be assessed minimally, monthly, with every optical employee. Coaching is tough. Everyday operations take up so much of a manager's time. It's easy to allow employee assessments to fall by the wayside. However, your employees make or break your business. I know practices that fail to do yearly reviews, let alone monthly or quarterly reviews. That's truly unfortunate for the employee. Imagine being put on a PIP (performance improvement plan) without having any conversation about expectations or areas of improvement. Disciplinary action such as this happens all the time. Your employees deserve a half-hour-to-hour conversation one-on-one once a month. They deserve a set time to go over actual data and subjective observations. Give your team the respect of an open conversation and use the data as a road map to open the door. Monthly reviews are not meant to be used for disciplinary reasons. They are meant for training and development. If you consistently have these conversations, you will either 1, prevent any bad behavior, or 2, have the documentation needed to have the difficult conversations. Any employee should never feel blindsided. If you use this method, expectations are clear, and communication remains open.

Fortunately, having access to data makes the coaching process easy. After a few months, the employee assessments will go from an hour to fifteen minutes for each employee, and the door to communication will still be open. You can use your findings to train and develop your staff and share them with other department heads to create a culture of interdependency. Coaching and culture build a practice. Use the numbers for your roadmap to success.