Essilor of America has rolled out an online training tool for eyecare professionals (ECPs) created by a leading serious game developer. A Spanish-language version will follow in June. Essilor’s serious game training tool is designed to teach and improve dispensers’ skills for recommending lenses based on patients’ interests, needs and lifestyles.
“Essilor has found that patients have a higher response rate and greater perception of product value when ECPs make recommendations on their individual needs,” says Carl Bracy, senior vice president of marketing and new business, Essilor of America. “Essilor’s serious game training develops ECPs’ skills to identify consumer’s needs based on a series of true-to-life scenarios that are applicable in the dispensary environment.”
The game introduces six animated characters, who respond to questions and recommendations made by the ECPs in a simulated dispensary. It teaches how to recognize patient needs and recommend the most appropriate Essilor products, such as No-Glare, polarized, photochromic and anti-fog lenses. Players are then scored based on their abilities to recognize a patient’s issue and recommend proper products for them. The training also provides relevant feedback based on their handling of each situation.
Essilor’s serious game training tool has been under development for the past two years, while being tested with ECPs in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Serious games have been applied to teach in a variety of professional capacities, including improving surgical techniques and military personnel interaction with civilians on foreign turf.
