DISPENSING AIDS

Help Wanted

See how the latest in digital dispensing tech gets the job done when it comes to customizing product, educating patients, and building business

BY STEPHANIE K. DE LONG

In business lingo, they’re called proof devices. Why? Because dispensing aids and devices support what you say.

You can talk till you’re blue in the face about how great a particular spectacle lens product is, and why it’s the best solution for that patient’s visual needs. Some consumers will listen; others will view what you say with a skeptical eye.

The answer? High-tech dispensing, measuring, and demo devices. Marketers explain them as the power of show over tell. Psychologists take that a step further and say test-driving, so to speak, is key to sealing the sale because only 30% of Americans are auditory learners, while 65% are visual, and another 5% need kinesthetic cues.

i.Terminal 2 measuring device from ZEISS Vision Care

otto (One Touch to Optical) from VSP Optics Group

TOUCHY, FEELY

Put another way, less than a third of patients actually respond best to what you say, especially when it comes to lenses. The rest want to see or touch. Hence that’s one of the bottom-line benefits of high-tech devices that help you navigate—and help patients buy into—today’s complex world of spectacle lenses.

These devices, designed to help with everything from precision measurements and product customization to consumer education and hands-on demonstrations, include iPad-based apps and freestanding kiosks, as well as tablet- and web-based products.

What all these optician-assist technologies have in common is their ability to help staff succeed with today’s high-tech lens designs. They also solve a critical problem: fitting errors. According to ZEISS, those errors can cause up to a 40% loss in lens performance.

More bottom-line benefits? They move patients into higher-end lenses, reduce non-adapts, and position your practice above the fray in terms of both professionalism and product prowess.

EXAM CHAIR TO DISPENSARY

These technologies are used by practices in a variety of settings. In Ferndale, MI, Howard Crane, O.D., uses it himself in the exam room. “After the exam, I bring out my iPad. The HVC is easy to use and gives a real view of everything. I can talk and talk about high-definition lenses, but it’s much easier to demonstrate the difference.”

It also moves patients into premium product, adds Dr. Crane. “It helps me upgrade patients from standard PALs to premium product. It’s also great for discussing blue light. I toggle back and forth, showing the computer screen with and without blue light blocking. Patients who knew nothing about it before then will say, ‘Oh, I want that.’”

Melissa Mueller, CPOA, agrees. She is office manager at the Optometric Center, P.A. in Boise, ID, and works with Randolph Lee, O.D., who has been sole proprietor of the practice since 1991. She explains that she integrates the otto (One Touch to Optical) device into the dispensing process by simply being excited about product.

“I help the patient pick a frame, then we sit at our table to talk about lens specifications, based on what Dr. Lee recommends. After this, I take the otto measurement, all the while talking about the amazing technology and how, with just a few photos, I can customize their lenses and take more precise measurements.”

Personalization really sells. “I explain,” says Mueller, “that their lenses are specifically customized for them.”

MEET YOUR New Employee

More than a staff assist, these high-tech measuring and education devices are another set of eyes and hands in the dispensary—and incredibly skilled ones, at that. To give you a feel of what’s out there, here’s a look at just a few of the current devices on the market: