Labs as Educators
This OLA-sponsored article shows labs in a different light, and addresses ways you can work with and tap into their expertise
By Alex Yoho, ABOM

Knowledge is, indeed, power. So, where do you get your optical knowledge? Many in our business go to conventions, some have the advantage of a resident "old hand" in the office, and others are are able to access many good programs available at colleges and technical schools around the country.

To find out some of the ways in which they can help, we went to the source and asked several innovators about educating their accounts. They are:

• O.R. "Bud" Bargman, chairman of the board at Hawkins Optical Laboratory in Topeka, Kan. He is a pioneer in positioning labs as educators.
• Kim Scheidler, education director at Sutherlin Optical Lab in Kansas City, Mo. Scheidler has been instrumental in creating Sutherlin University.
• Director of education at Pech Optical Corp. in Sioux City, Iowa, Kathryn Gross-Edelman. She has developed a variety of courses and has been an important contributor to the formation of education programs for Midwest Vision Congress and Expo.

What follows are some of these leaders' thoughts on labs as educators.

Q. Why should we look to labs for education?

Bargman: Laboratories are in a very unique position. We are in constant contact with frame and lens suppliers, educational institutions, and those we serve as customers. All laboratories educate in one form or another. Even if they don't have an educational program in place as Hawkins does, they are in constant communication with their accounts, aiding them in the understanding of customizing eyewear or informing them about the most up-to-date
lens products.

Scheidler: We are in daily contact with our customers, so education is a continuous process. While some lens companies have direct representatives, they are often stretched thin and are only discussing their products. We use our education department, our customer service representatives, and a number of other ways to communicate information from lens and frame manufacturers to our accounts. We are their problem solvers.

Gross-Edelman: The average consumer is smarter than before. They have more sources--such as advertising and the Internet--to learn about eyecare and eyewear. If we wish to retain and gain business, we must keep abreast of products and services.

Q. Do labs have advantages over other sources?

Bargman: Laboratory personnel work with large quantities of frames and lenses and so they develop a good
perspective on how to maintain style and comfort for the lifetime of the eyewear.

Scheidler: We have access to information from many optical vendors. We sift through all this information for our customers and give them unbiased opinions. We then become the source for information to solve the eyecare providers' problems and help them grow their businesses.

Gross-Edelman: Labs keep their fingers on the pulse, and those that provide a representative to call on accounts represent another excellent source of information.

Q. What do you teach?

Bargman: We aid our accounts in understanding such things as: Universal alignment of frames, customizing
eyewear through customized lens shapes for better bridge comfort, altering temple lengths, lens availability, lens options and benefits, and increasing patient understanding of lenses and lens treatments by using easy-to-understand scripts.

Scheidler: We cover a wide variety of subjects that cater to the individual customer. We have had, for example, hundreds of new-to-optical people in for novice-level classes. We start with the basics--such as lens types, frame measurements and materials, hands-on adjustments, how to write an order, and what each of the boxes on an order form means--and then discuss which materials and styles work with different lifestyles, measurements, and a lot more. We also have classes for those who just need updating on new materials and lens styles, classes on selling, and prep classes for those taking their ABO-certification test.

Gross-Edelman: Our optical personnel have a total of more than 450 years of technical experience. What a source for answering questions and sharing ideas. All of our seminars are approved by the ABO and the AOA Paraoptometric Section. We also offer pre-approved seminars developed by manufacturers, as well as other seminars that are linked through Pech Optical's Website for Internet use.

Q. How can my lab help me get hands-on experience?

Bargman: Many labs have hands-on seminars to give professional staff confidence in providing the ultimate in patient comfort. At Hawkins, we have offered our ophthalmic dispensing training and marketing seminars about once per month since 1983. This is an opportunity for beginning dispensers as well as the experienced office trainer. The new dispenser learns the fundamentals for every bend needed on a modern frame in an easy-to-understand format, and the in-office trainers reinforce their current methods and always pick up a few new methods themselves.

Scheidler: They should be able to offer you access to some good hands-on classes in their lab, at local and regional meetings, as well as in the office. Unless you are just looking for a general overview, the key to hands-on training is that the class sizes must remain small.

Gross-Edelman: For our committed accounts, we propose a two-tiered approach to hands-on education. 1) We welcome staff to our facility for a minimum of three days of hands-on training. This includes a half-day complete lab tour, one day of observation and hands-on in the finish department, and one day of general office education with our internal trainer. 2) The second method involves in-office training by one of the Pech educational staff members. This is another cost-effective way for the eyecare professional, and it works best to use the equipment that account has available to them.

Bargman: One advantage of in-lab education is no interruptions. We do these on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Many professional offices attend as a complete unit, and we have been told the best staff meetings of the year are the return trip home together.

Scheidler: We must customize the education and training to meet that customer's needs. For some customers, that's bringing them to a convention. In-lab classes offer the chance to customize things more and will help reduce distractions and some time constraints. Classes in-office can be convenient, but are often interrupted. The important part is to schedule the time for training in advance and to block off your schedule so there are no interruptions.

Q. How can labs help with marketing?

Bargman: We aid professional staff in learning the advantages of eyewear, thus allowing the patient the opportunity to have the very best eyewear for his or her lifestyle. This really goes beyond marketing.

Scheidler: We have access to point-of-purchase material, displays, and brochures for in-office marketing. Most labs also have lens centers. Some vendors have co-op advertising available as well, and labs can help guide the ECP to these sources. There are also many ways that the lab can use its software systems to assist in target marketing for particular lens styles and treatments.

Gross-Edelman: Tradition-ally, the optical arena was thought of as a medical environment and marketing was taboo. How things have changed! One example is our "Vision Marketing 101" seminar that covers the how to's of writing a marketing plan. Labs also have insight into ideas and methods that have been successful in other markets.

Q. Labs have the latest product information. How is this shared?

Scheidler: We have a new e-mail program that will be going out several times a month, and a monthly newsletter with both product information and dispensing tips that is also found on our Website. Hundreds of times a day, our customer service staff handles questions and problem solving with customers. We also have a hold message that many of our customers find informative.

Gross-Edelman: Internal marketing pieces on products are mailed continuously to keep accounts abreast of new and different products. The Web offers more information every day. Many labs also develop special programs to bring new products to the marketplace.

Doing things right is what labs are all about. And the three experts interviewed here represent just a few of the many OLA labs that contribute to the wealth of knowledge at your disposal. In addition to the individual labs' available information, the OLA organization offers more educational resources.

Concludes Bargman, "We have an amazing source of information and support from the Optical Laboratories Association."

So, why not give your OLA lab a call and check out the educational opportunities that are available to you and your staff?