For most of us, the balance between work and life has tipped in favor of work recently. Whether it’s due to the stress of uncertain times, added workload due to fewer staff members, or cabin fever, the hard work of today is real—but our commitment to being the best part of someone’s day should never falter. The good news is, with each passing month of 2021, life in a post-pandemic world is coming into focus. 

WEEK 1: TRAIN TO CONNECT.

Lead by example; positivity and kindness are contagious. Training staff to connect with patients, reduce their anxiety, and exceed the status quo of customer service will create loyal customers.

WEEK 1 CHECKLIST

□ Occupational education doesn’t come only from within the optical industry. Find online resources in hospitality training and block off an hour each week this month for each employee to learn skills that lead to exceptional customer care.

□ Pandemic fatigue can lead to short tempers and agitated patients and staff. Have a roundtable discussion about how to de-escalate hostile interactions and talk out concerns. This leads to better preparedness, confidence in dealing with any situation, and a united team.

WEEK 2: MARKET CLEARLY.

The brands we offer are a profitable link to customers we haven’t yet met. Make sure your business is clearly connected to products you offer so that customers can find you.

WEEK 2 CHECKLIST

□ Brands are doing the marketing work for you. Make sure your business is listed on their location finder, your website has branded SEO tags, and that you use a brand’s hashtags in your social posts to help patients find the products in their neighborhood. 

□ Many brands offer co-op advertising dollars, which means your practice advertising can be paid for by vendors. Email inquiring about the criteria of brand/vendor-funded advertising. Send it to every vendor/brand you work with. Your ad budget might be higher than you ever anticipated!

WEEK 3: PRIORITIZE ORGANIZATION.

Keeping a clean and organized shop can prevent stress. By focusing on organization and productivity, managers provide a sense of clarity and stability to those who enter our business.

WEEK 3 CHECKLIST

□ Having stale, sold, or outdated inventory on your website is just as bad as on your board. Review your online stock list and remove old and sold products. It is better to have a snapshot of your in-store offerings, just the eye-catching items, rather than an overabundance of product.

□ Subscribe to keep essential supplies stocked without a second thought. Paper, ink, toilet paper, receipt rolls, cleaning supplies, and lab supplies can all be set up for auto-ship once every quarter to ensure you never run out.

WEEK 4: APPOINTMENT POINTERS.

Appointments allow us to anticipate our patients’ needs better than we ever have before. Knowing this before they even walk through the door gives us all better insight.

WEEK 4 CHECKLIST

□ Review patient history and add a pre-appointment questionnaire about their visual needs: What do they do for work? Are they wearing single-vision or multifocal lenses? These answers give your opticians an instant jump-off to successful selling.

□ Adding on even a small item to each sale can have an impact on yearly totals. Encourage staff members to recommend an add-on to each patient. When your patient picks up glasses, suggest an anti-fog product. Adding $10 to $15 to each sale can lead to thousands of dollars over the year.