Improved AR technology makes warranties less of a worry. Image from Carl Zeiss Vision

Operating your practice with solid AR warranty policies helps keep both patient satisfaction and practice profitability high

By Karlen McLean

What�s behind anti-reflective lenses�your presentation, combined with product performance and follow-up�is what makes AR sales successful. This combination requires solid troubleshooting skills. It also requires well thought out, clearly expressed practice policies and protocol, particularly when it comes to AR warranties.

Sifting through the options and finalizing your warranty policies will help keep your patient interactions low on stress and high on satisfaction.

Warranty Style

Offering just one AR warranty is best because it�s easiest for staff to understand and explain to patients. Many practices warranty AR for one year from the date of delivery, while some offer a two-year warranty for premium AR. Most also allow only one replacement during the warranty period. Practices often dovetail their warranty policies with manufacturer warranty policies.

�Our office follows the warranty as per the manufacturer,� says optician Shirley Earley, from Ritter-Hagee Doctors of Optometry in Deer Park and Mainville, Ohio. �Also, we don�t charge additional for warranties.�

Most ECPs align their warranty policies with manufacturers. Images from Carl Zeiss Vision, above, and Robertson Optical Laboratories

Marketing the Message

While some practices mention the AR warranty during the initial sale, others choose not to. �I personally don�t like to use the warranty to sell AR,� says Earley. �It�s always best to show and tell. We give specifics on why basic AR is not comparable to premium AR.�

But, if a patient had a bad experience with AR, most ECPs will

mention the warranty during the sale to help reassure the patient.

At Eyeglasses One in Hyannis, Mass., the warranty can be part of the presentation. �I use warranties to sell not only the AR, but the lens underneath,� says Harry Jilson, ABOC, LDO. �If the patient had problems in the past with crazing, I mention the warranty right away.�

Problems Solved

Eyewear abuse can and does occur, but how do you handle it?

�Most warranties cover themselves by using the term, �under normal usage,�� Jilson points out. �No one expects patients to abuse lenses just

to get a new pair, but occasionally glasses get dropped or scratched. I�ve never had a manufacturer fail to honor their warranty because the patient mistreated the lenses.�

Tracking AR warranty usage helps identify abuse by patients and under-performing products. �AR warranty tracking is part of our billing process,� mentions Rosemary Day, optician at the practice of Dr. James Day in Hickory Hills, Ill.

A computerized records system may help an office keep track of this data. �We track warranties using billing, lab invoices, and the patient�s chart,� Day says.

If a patient returns with AR scratch problems, Dr. Day�s practice runs through a step-by-step process. �We investigate the problem,� she says. �We ask the patient how they clean and care for their eyewear. We assess possible product defects. Then we call the lab and the manufacturer for answers. We stand behind the product; it�s a trust factor with our patients and cements our reputation.�

Wagner Opticians in Washington, D.C., replaces AR lenses under warranty �unless it�s pushing two years and is from abuse, not a defect,� says president Dianna Finisecy. �We then recommend an upgraded AR for the next purchase, explaining to the patient that they need a more

durable product.�

Understanding patients� history with AR will help determine future product recommendations. Images courtesy of Essilor, top, and Robertson Optical Labs, above

Even with a set timeframe for warranty replacement, it pays in goodwill and future sales to be flexible when replacing damaged lenses.

�If we have a problem, we pull the patient�s record and check the delivery date,�  says Finisecy. �If it�s a year or even a little beyond a year, we still usually replace the lenses. AR warranty replacement doesn�t happen often, and if it does, our goal is to keep the patient happy and give exemplary service.�

In the end, an AR warranty policy is just good business. �My customers place little reliance on the product warranty and a lot of reliance on me,� concludes Harry Jilson. �We deliver what we say we�ll deliver even when it hurts, and my patients know that.�  EB