The optical in Dr. Stewart’s office. Having doctors and staff ready to educate patients about why to buy from the practice’s optical versus online goes a long way toward capturing sales, she says.
By Jennifer L. Stewart, OD
Sept. 22, 2021
Patients have many options today for where they buy eyewear. Capturing the prescriptions you write in your office requires educating patients about why they should buy from your optical rather than from an online retailer or another seller.
Here is how we keep eyewear sales in our office, despite the lure of online and big-box retailers.
Be Ready to Respond to Patients Who Want Their Prescription to Buy Elsewhere
We have a wide variety of frame styles and price points available, including budget/low-cost frames to combat online ordering. If a patient asks for their prescription to buy online because it is less expensive, I invite them to work with one of our opticians to see if there is a frame and lens package that can fit within their budget.
Often patients have a perception that online is always less expensive, but we have packages that provide patients with high-quality frames and lenses at all price points. Also, patients don’t always know what they are entitled to with their vision care plans, so we show them their potential savings.
Explain Why Your Spectacle Lenses Are Better than What They Can Find Online
I let patients know I am a stickler for precise, sharp optics, and I want to make sure they see as well through their glasses as they do when I am refracting them. Patients frequently don’t know there is a difference between lens qualities online versus in our office, so I talk about that in a non-confrontational way.
I educate patients about all of their options, so they can make the most informed decision that is best for them. We often assume the patient is dead set on taking their prescription with them, but education can go a long way to keeping that patient from walking. I genuinely think most patients want to buy from us; we just have to make it easy for them to do so.
I also discuss with patients the issues I have seen when patients buy online. That includes prescriptions that are reversed, lenses that are inverted and lenses that are de-centered. I let them know how frustrating it is for the patient to go back and forth with the online vendor and us to check the prescription and troubleshoot. I let patients know we stand behind our prescriptions and products 100 percent, and will do everything to make sure they are happy.
In addition, knowing the story of the frame lines you feature is important to showing patients the benefits of the (likely more expensive) frames in your office. Is a frame line handmade in France? Is another made in the U.S.? Is the patient buying from you able to mix and match temples or have clip-on sunglasses? The why behind the cost makes patients feel better about the experience and “buy in.”
Educate Patients About the Value of Blue-Light Filtering Lenses You Sell
Blue-light filtering glasses exploded in popularity during the pandemic. That means patients may already be using a pair they found online, or they may reflexively decide to take your prescription for blue-light glasses and shop around online for the cheapest pair they can find.
Blue-light glasses are readily available online, especially on Amazon, and patients are quick to purchase online. We have high-quality, non-prescription blue-light filtering glasses available in our optical and are successful in selling these to patients of all ages. When discussing the difference between our glasses and those found online, I let patients know that all blue-light lenses are not created equal.
Knowing specifically what wavelengths of light they filter (if any!) is important, and there are many fake and counterfeit products out there. We ensure the lenses we use are giving patients the highest protection and benefit, and feel strongly that they should know what they are purchasing. My favorite saying is, “If it goes in or on your body, don’t buy it from Amazon!”
Train & Brainstorm with Staff How to Keep Sales In Your Office
We have discussions with support staff about how to increase sales and keep our prescriptions in-house. I am always monitoring our capture rate, so if I notice a decline, I ask my opticians about common push-backs they get from patients, and how can we solve the problem.
We brought in a nice-looking budget friendly line to combat online sales, which was suggested by one of my opticians. We started with a small number and monitored the turnover to determine if we would bring more of the line in (we did!). I often will “eavesdrop” in the optical when walking by, and listen to the verbiage that is being used. If I hear something that is not up to our standards, I’ll pull the staff member aside and give constructive feedback about better ways to communicate. I value my staff’s feedback tremendously. They are my “boots on the ground.”
Tell Patients About the Extras They Get from You
Our staff are well versed in the features of the products we have, as well as our generous warranties and customer service. I’ve had many patients tell me that, yes, we are significantly more expensive than shopping online, but they love the personalized experience with “their” optician who “knows their style.”
Taking the extra step to provide excellent customer service shows a patient how much we care and what they can’t get at a discount. I deliver many pairs of glasses to my neighbors to make it more convenient for them and to show my appreciation. You can’t get that level of care online!
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We also sell extremely high-quality eyewear, which tends to last longer, and we show our patients proper ways to care for their eyewear. We also happily clean and adjust their eyewear throughout the year as an added benefit. This may extend the life of the frame a year or two, which patients love.
We make sure every patient knows the frame and lens benefits they are entitled to and try to find creative ways for them to use their benefits if they don’t need a new primary pair. Utilizing insurance benefits for prescription sunglasses, computer glasses, backup glasses, sports safety eyewear or single-vision task glasses is a great way to increase your capture rate and optical sales.
We utilize the warranties provided by our labs and frame vendors–and make sure to communicate this to the patient. Our opticians give each patient their business card and tell the patient if they have any breakage or scratches, to contact them directly and they will take care of it. Personalized service always wins!
Jennifer Stewart, OD, is a partner in Norwalk Eye Care in Norwalk, Conn. She also is founder and chief vision officer of Performance 20/20, a sports vision training center in Stamford, Conn. To contact her: jen.stewart@perform2020.com
