A
New Day For Opticianry OpticiansForChange.com The
#1 Web site committed
to the renewal of excellence
in hands-on-the-patient training
of today's ophthalmic dispensers.
Warning
Proceed with caution if you do not wish to make any changes.
We teach the disappearing art of Hands-on-the-Patient Opticianry
to professionals who wish to improve their eyewear fitting skills.
Of
over 67,000 Opticians designing, manufacturing
and dispensing eyewear, less
than half have formal
certification or licensure. -- U.S. Department of Labor
It's
time to end the lecture-only-training of Opticians. It's
time for Opticians to get hands-on, tactile training in
order to re-humanize the dispensing of prescription eyewear,
thereby minimizing outsourcing of the Rx to Web-based providers.
The closer we get to the Patient, i.e., laying our hands directly
on the Patient, the more responsibly we will act in the interest
of serving the Patient. Conversely, the further removed we are
from the point of service, the less likely we are to perform well.
When Opticians relate to consumers as customers, it often has an
adverse impact on their relationship. When consumers acquire
prescription eyewear, they should invariably be served as Patients,
never as customers. Patients receive healthcare. Customers receive
merchandise. Just making this simple change in our mindset
will have a positive impact on the way we deliver our services.
When patients purchase their eyewear online why should
they receive free lifetime customized servicing of their eyewear
as if they made their purchase at a brick-and-mortar dispensary?
What
are the chances of today's eyewear consumers getting a hands-on,
customized fitting of their prescription eyewear? If you
answered this question correctly, you know why they buy online.
Many
of today's Retail Optical Execs and Managers have
no experience in Opticianry or Ophthalmic
Dispensing. In one
organization, only 1 of 43 Regional Managers is an Optician. You
can imagine what adverse impact this practice alone must have.
In
contrast, the CEO of Walgreens Drugs is a Registered Pharmacist.
Handcrafted frame-fitting, i.e., touch-and-feel, hands-on dispensing,
cannot be outsourced to lectures or virtual sources. It is an art form,
which requires direct and multi-dimensional contact with the patient.
Personal
computers and Internet technology have empowered mankind.
Having emerged from the age of 'I believe' into the age of
'I know',
mankind has advanced into an age of transparency and full disclosure.
Mankind's institutions are undergoing serious transformations. Big
is no
longer better, and local with more humanized services has become the
rule.
"Service is an intrinsic value,
not a value to be added. Man's purpose
is to serve. All institutions that are of the Piscean Age
whereby their suc-
cess has been measured by money must now adopt the Aquarian Age para-
digm, 'To serve is to succeed,' or soon disappear." ToServeIsToSucceed.com
Many
optical outlets are 'ready-to-wear' stores where
eyewear merchants sell 'one-size-fits-all' merchandise.
This environment has prostituted the practice of Opticianry.
An
optical dispensary is a health and wellness facility where Opticians
practice 3-D Dispensing,
conscientious Discovery, Design, and Delivery
of prescription eyewear, and where the Patient's needs always comes
first.
PREFACE
The
narrative, which follows, presents a 'Bird's eye'
view of a) the business model in use today by many
Retail Optical Dispensaries; b) the conflicted relationship
between experienced Opticians and many Retail Managers and Executives; c) the retailing practices, which
have led to a steep and steady decline in the practical up-close-and-personal
design, and on-the-face-delivery of custom-fitted,
prescription eyewear; d) the steady upward incline of online prescription eyewear sales; and e) practical
answers to the aforementioned, including remedial and transformational Hands-on-the-Patient Dispensing Guidelines.
The
genesis of the following Open Letter occurred with an optical
retailer's outreach to its Staff for ideas about creating
"America's ‘Premier’ source for Vision Care."
What follows is based in part on a written response*
by a staff member, along with some additional observations. The opinions and the conclusions that follow are based first,
on our direct observation and experience, and second, on the first hand testimonials (see example below) of Patients with whom we have had the
opportunity of serving. And they are presented optimistically
with the belief that owners and managers,
whether they are independent Eye Care Professionals or optical
retailers, will resonate and be inspired and motivated to
make appropriate changes to their business model in order
to advance the status of Opticianry as a profession while
enhancing their other objectives.
First, a brief personal history about Hari Singh Bird, Optician,
the author of this narrative. Mr. Bird's career as an Optician began following active duty with the U.S.
Marine Corps and his subsequent employment with an American
Optical Company Branch Laboratory in 1958. He spent more than
2 years in all phases of Laboratory operations as a Lab Technician,
which included hand surfacing, power generation, hand stone
and automatic edging, bench work, finishing, final inspection
and hands-on-the-Patient custom
fitting.** (At that time AO and B&L, Bausch and Lomb,
laboratories dispensed eyewear to the public at the request
of eye care practitioners, i.e., MD's
and OD's. See OpticianryToday.com for additional background.) Mr. Bird then became the Manager
of an AO Branch Laboratory, and later a Sales Rep for American
Optical lenses, frames, and ophthalmic instruments. He subsequently
returned to Ophthalmic Dispensing with a joint MD-OD practice.
He holds active Dispensing Optician licenses in Florida and
Arizona. He is also ABO, American Board of Opticianry, and
NCLE, National Contact Lens Examiners certified. He is a current
member of POF, Professional Opticians
of Florida, and he has several years experience as the
owner of an independent, privately operated Ophthalmic Dispensary,
and more recently as a Licensed Optician for a retail optical
chain. He is currently a Dispenser
Training Consultant and conducts Optical
Workshops, which are accredited for CE
hours by the Florida State Board of Opticians, Provider #50-13776, ABO, and
by POF. Clickor Call 800-528-0413 Ext 354 to arrange for a Training Session. Also see notes
below.
AN OPEN LETTER
Many Optical Retailers are well positioned in the marketplace, but few are ready to be America's 'Premier' Vision Care Practitioners.
Many of them employ a business model that works well for marketing
general merchandise. But an Optical Dispensary is different.
Like a Pharmacy or Health Clinic, an Optical Dispensary is
a Healthcare Facility where prescription eyewear is designed,
fitted and serviced. It is not a strictly mercantile sales
facility. The comparison can be likened to the difference
between a retail outlet where only stuff is sold to Customers
versus a Health and Wellness Eye Care Service where precision-made,
by-prescription-only optical devices are designed and custom-fitted
on Patients. The concept lost in today's retail market is
that an Optician's mission is to also maintain an appropriate
balance between Serving and
Selling. See also The Coming
Humanization of The American Economy and To
Serve Is To Succeed.
An
aspiring 'Premier' Vision Care Practitioner must focus ona) ongoing practical training of Staff, b) highest standards
of care for Patients, c) inclusion of qualified Opticians
in upper management positions, d) sensitivity to Patients'
eye care needs, and e) realistic sales goals, which allow
for excellence in the dispensing of eyewear.
There is an acute need for Optical Dispensaries, including
those associated with U.S. government agencies, to acquire:
Adequate workspace and staffing,
Expanded and
ongoing training of staff that includes Hands-on-the-Patient training, which includes:
"Many
of today's Retail Optical Execs and Managers have
no experience in Opticianry or Ophthalmic
Dispensing. In one
organization, only 1 of 43 Regional Managers is an Optician. You
can imagine what adverse impact this practice alone must have.
In
contrast, the CEO of Walgreens Drugs is a Registered Pharmacist."
Some Executives and Managers within the retail optical industry, some with MBA's as their
only prior experience, tend to make decisions that adversely
impact an acceptable standard of vision care. Some are focused
exclusively on their career advancement as Managers, while
promoting excessive sales goals that require
interminable amounts of paperwork and reports from subordinates.
This in turn interferes with training and the practice of
Opticianry, and the delivery of quality healthcare. See 1Plus1Equals11.com.
"The
conflicted relationship between Professional Opticians and
Retail Management can be likened to the current relationship
between Medical Practitioners and Insurance Industry HMO's."
Retail
Managers who are absent Opticianry skills need sufficient
training, possibly even in-house certification, in subjects
such as the Lifestyle
Interview, Optics and Lens Design, and Custom Fitting
and Delivery of prescription eyewear, including contact
lenses, and Trial
Lens and Frame use BEFORE they assume any policy-making
or supervisory roles. Currently, most get on-the-job training
only, and their actions and decisions reflect their inexperience
to the detriment of acceptable service. Again, providing professional
vision care, i.e., designing, measuring, and custom fitting
prescription eyewear ON PATIENTS requires much more technical
expertise and people skills than what is required to service
mercantile CUSTOMERS. Again:
"The
customized fitting of eyewear involves far more than just
adjusting
a nose piece or bending a temple. It has to include reshaping,
bending
stretching, twisting, aligning and sculpting of the frame
components
in order to personalize the eyewear. Anything less will most
likely
compromise the Patient's visual comfort and long term wearability.
The difference between adjusting and custom
fitting is what's different
between today's dispenser-merchant and yesterday's skilled
Optician."
CONTACT LENS DISPENSING AND CONSUMER COMPLIANCE REQUIRES ATTENTION TO DETAIL
"The most perfect prescription can be compromised if
the
eyewear does not provide comfort and long term wearability."
Example: Newly purchased eyewear, including contact
lenses, is routinely and casually handed over to Patients
without any custom fitting of the frame directly ON the Patient,
or without sufficient instructions regarding contact lens
wear and Patient
compliance.
POINTS TO PONDER
THE NUMBER-ONE PATIENT COMPLAINT
"Nobody adjusted my glasses. They just handed them to
me."
When Opticians relate to consumers as customers, it often has an
adverse impact on their relationship. When consumers acquire
prescription eyewear, they should invariably be served as Patients,
never as customers. Patients receive healthcare. Customers receive
merchandise. Just making this simple change in our mindset
will have a positive impact on the way we deliver our services.
Every
Patient deserves a fully personalized design and fitting of
their eyewear. The fact that the frame lies on a flat surface
squarely should never preclude fitting the frame directly
on the Patient. This becomes obvious when after fitting a
Patient with facial anomalies, the frame no longer fits squarely
on a flat surface. Facial
structure, the positioning of each eye and ear, the mastoid-contour
(see example) behind each
ear, all of these differ with each person. See Common
Complaints and Causes. See Dispensing Guidelines. See also The
Final Fitting.
Dentists, Manicurists and Hairstylists make direct, tactile contact with the
consumer. Likewise, Opticians must make direct contact with
the Patient.
Hands-on-the-Patient Opticians, can determine by sense of touch how a
frame feels even in lieu of asking the Patient. Only an eyeglass merchant
routinely hands over prescription
glasses with no hands-on assessment,
nor the appropriate ‘touch-and-feel’
required to custom fit the eyewear."
Again,
fitting a vision appliance on a Patient involves a different
level of technical knowledge and people skills. Dispensing
prescription eyewear includes many elements of craftsmanship,
artistry, and Patient-Dispenser interaction along with significant
technical skill and finesse in their application. All of these
are key to the success of any Vision Healthcare Facility.
A
well-known optical chain's list of expectations for
the purpose of recruiting dispensing staff members.
1)
Greet Customers in a friendly manner and
ensure high quality Customer service. 2)
Maintain a continuous effort to obtain company
objectives. 3) Create and maintain a retail environment that
is fun, educational, and professional. 4) Ensure all visual merchandising is implemented
and maintained. 5) Ensure all Customer service complaints
are handled effectively and efficiently. 6)
Show and recommend frames and explain product
features and benefits to Customers. 7)
Take optical measurements for Customer eyewear. 8)
Meet and-or exceed pre-established sales goals.
From another well-known optical employer.
1)
Drive profitable store Sales by fostering a retail selling
culture
by practicing and role-playing effective retail sales skills. 2) Develop professional business relationship with other Staff.
3) Fill ophthalmic eyeglass prescriptions and fit and adapt
lenses and frames, utilizing optical prescription.
A recent employer's ad.
GREAT PAY AND GREAT BENEFITS! GREAT CAREER OPPORTUNITIES!
SALES, SALES, SALES, SALES, SALES, SALES, SALES, SALES, SALES!
OPTICAL, OPTICAL, OPTICAL, OPTICAL, OPTICAL, OPTICAL, OPTICAL!
Optician, optical dispenser, optometry tech, receptionist, administrative,
clerical, office, salesperson, sales consultant, fashion consultant.
Salary commensurate with experience. 2 year experience required.
Notice
that these Merchants rank Retail Sales over skills whereby
'Customers' are the focus. In contrast, a Vision Healthcare
Facility emphasizes Skill over marketing whereby 'Patients'
are the focus, which produces higher levels of Patient satisfaction,
fewer remakes and-or refunds,
and subsequent profitability due to increased and sustainable Patient referrals.
Recent online profile by latter day Licensed Optician.
"Licensed
Optician focused on converting patients
with malfunctioning (structural integrity) and outdated
eyeglasses (quality of vision) into a sales opportunity.
Specialties: SALES, SALES reports, SALES goals, quality
control, insurance filing, insurance analysis, training, word
processing, building professional relationships with clients."
Again,
the focus here is on a SELLING opportunity not a SERVING opportunity. Of course, merchandising is
an important and necessary service, but all too often the
healthcare delivery component of the Optician-Patient equation
becomes secondary to the act of selling, i.e., in too many
cases excessive and unrealistic sales goals override the mission
of providing professional healthcare, whereby personalized,
custom fitting of eyewear is given only minor consideration,
if any. The reality of this issue is clearly demonstrated
by a steady albeit unfortunate number of unhappy Patients
and the subsequent loss of revenue by way of return visits, remakes, refunds and
fewer Patient referrals. See more
testimonials. See Common
Complaints and Causes. See Free
Frame Fitting Course.
The manager of a nationwide retail optical dispensary
advised a staff member who attempted to customize a
frame as seen HERE that they would be fired if they tried to
fit "another 'customer' with such an 'ugly' looking adjustment."
For
many Consumers, the personalized fitting of eyewear
by a skilled, hands-on Optician is an unfamiliar experience.
What do we mean when we say, dispensers are 'out-of-touch,' regarding the
degradation of consumer services within the prescription eyewear industry?
We mean that the farther we keep ourselves away from person-to-person, hands-
on-the-patient contact, the less we are likely to deliver true service. A case in point
is a university study at Duke, which finds that golfers are much less likely to say it's
okay to physically move a ball four inches with their hands (hands-on) than they are
likely to say it's okay to nudge it with their club (out of touch)." Without appearing to
make too outrageous an extrapolation, our read is that the closer opticians get to a
patient, i.e., laying their hands directly
on the patient, the more responsibly they
will act in the interest of serving the patient's needs, i.e., the more removed they
are from point of service, the less likely they are to perform well. In other words,
successful dispensing of eyewear is directly related to the proximity of service.
You
are fitting a person for comfort, not a table for square
or for pretty. Every person has different anomalies, and the area
behind their ears is not flat or straight. -- OpticiansForChange.com
'Four pointing' eyewear on a table is never a substitute for
custom fitting the frame directly on a person. For too many
ECPs the table has become the point of service, not the patient.
The
customized fitting of eyewear involves more than just adjusting
a nose
piece or bending a temple. It has to include the reshaping,
bending, stretching,
twisting and artful sculpting of the frame components in order
to personalize the
eyewear. Anything less will most likely compromise the Patient's
visual comfort
and long term wearability. The difference between adjusting
and customizing is
what's different between today's eyewear merchants and yesterday's
Opticians.
More
and more eyewear is being purchased from eyewear merchants online because consumers can't find adequate
professional services in brick-and-mortar dispensaries.
There is no compelling reason not to purchase
online.
Lots of prescription eyewear is being purchased online, but is it really a great value? What about Rx accuracy, FREE lifetime service on frame adjustments, and where do
consumers go to get their lenses replaced, frame realignments or routine repairs?
When's
the last time you saw or heard a retail optical
store promote the custom fitting of eyewear? Could this
be because they don't know how to custom-fit eyewear?
Could it be that the staff only knows how to sell glasses?
More
and more eyewear is being purchased online.
The number one complaint of brick-and-mortar
patrons ...
"Nobody adjusted my glasses. They just handed
them to me."
So, for these consumers there's little difference between the service
they receive in many of today's dispensaries and buying glasses online.
"Service:
Any human activity which
contributes to the well-being of another, i.e.,
anything we do that lightens somebody's load."
"An
Optician's first purpose is to serve as
a skilled Health and Wellness Provider."
"The
most perfect ophthalmic Rx can
be compromised if the eyewear does not
provide comfort and long term wearability."
"There
is no right or wrong way to dispense eyewear.
There is only the Patient's way. Therefore, Opticians must take as much time as needed to customize the Patient's eyewear."
"What is it that Dentists, Manicurists, Hairstylists and Opticians
all have in common? They have to make personal, direct,
tactile contact with consumers while dispensing services.
When Opticians do not touch the consumer at the time
they dispense their eyewear, they're acting more as
unskilled eyeglass merchants than as Opticians."
"Opticians
are vision experts who serve Patients with
comprehensive vision solutions as opposed to eyeglass
merchants who sell glasses and contact lenses to customers."
"When Opticians relate to consumers as customers, it often has an
adverse impact on their relationship. When consumers acquire
prescription eyewear, they should invariably be served as Patients,
never as customers. Patients receive healthcare. Customers receive
merchandise. Just making this simple change in our mindset
will have a positive impact on the way we deliver our services."
"Opticians are Eyewear Professionals. Opticianry is ultimately defined by how well the eyewear makes
contact with the Patient, not by the number of customers served.
Therefore, a conscious, precise, and personalized process
of frame selection, lens design, and in-place,
hands-on fitting is required. In too
many cases unrealistic and excessive sales goals override
the Optician's
mission of providing professional healthcare, whereby the
personalized, custom fitting of eyewear is given only the most minor consideration, if
any."
"The
customized fitting of eyewear involves more than just adjusting
a nose
piece or bending a temple. It has to include the reshaping,
bending, stretching,
twisting and artful sculpting of the frame components in order
to personalize the
eyewear. Anything less will most likely compromise the Patient's
visual comfort
and long term wearability. The difference between adjusting
and customizing is
what's different between today's eyewear merchants and yesterday's
Opticians."
"Dentists, Manicurists and Hairstylists make direct, tactile contact with the
consumer. Likewise, Opticians must make direct contact with
the Patient.
Hands-on-the-Patient Opticians, can determine by sense of touch how a
frame feels even in lieu of asking the Patient. Only an eyeglass merchant
routinely hands over prescription
glasses with no hands-on assessment,
nor the appropriate ‘touch-and-feel’
required to custom fit the eyewear."
"Today,
consumers can go online to get the same dehumanized service they
receive from eyewear merchants for less cost and with more
convenience.
We must re-humanize the consumer's experience in order to
get them back.
Skilled and experienced Opticians 'take charge' of the dispensing
procedures
whereby they can anticipate adverse visual and fitting issues
with direct hands-
on-the-patient eyewear design and frame fitting skills before
the Patient has to
endure them, thereby avoiding the necessity and inconvenience
of return visits
and-or possible re-do's, or worse, refunds, and the adverse
notoriety that comes
thereafter. When the eyecare industry as a whole returns to
this practice as the
dominant paradigm in today's market, consumers will return
to brick-and-mortar
dispensaries for their eyewear purchases. Unfortunately, as
things stand, many
consumers have little reason not to make their eyewear purchases
online."
"Handcrafted multi-dimensional adjustments, including tactile,
hands-on,
'touch and feel' procedures
such as reshaping the temple ends to make direct
and full, caressing-without-pressing contact with the mastoid area behind the ears,
while simultaneously avoiding direct contact with the pressure-sensitive
ears, is one
of the single most important considerations for long term
comfort and wearability."
"It
is time for direct, touch-and-feel, Hands-on-the-Patient training to happen.
It's done by one-on-one craftsmanship training. It cannot
be learned virtually."
"Consumers want and deserve competent, sustained service from skilled professionals."
TESTIMONIALS
THE ALL TOO COMMON TESTIMONIAL
A consumer recently reported their experience
whereby they were handed their new eyeglasses at a large retail
optical store by a Dispenser (not an Optician) with some 20
years of experience, whereupon no adjustments to the frame
were made and the Patient was forced to seek the appropriate
service elsewhere. The Patient subsequently reported that
she felt fortunate to find an Independent Optician having
the skills to relieve her discomfort after spending a considerable
amount of time searching. (Question: Is there a difference
anymore between buying prescription eyewear in a brick-and-mortar store
and buying online?)
Here's a recent e-mail from a long time Patient, now living out-of-state.
"Having
you fit my glasses on my face, ears, nose and under my turban with care and attention to detail, making minute but
essential adjustments, was the best experience I have ever had
of having glasses fitted to my face during my lifetime of wearing
glasses. The first time you did my glasses, and your wife suggested
to me that I also have my lenses tinted to gently soften the
lines around my eyes, was a memorable experience. I have
shared the story of that day, in your Optical Shop very often,
whenever I get ‘new’ glasses. Most Opticians
are surprised to hear the story and also amazed that having
that care and attention to detail as a part of having glasses
fit properly made such a difference in my life. Having my glasses
not hurt, and having them fit properly was an incredible blessing.
Having my glasses fit gracefully and painlessly under my
turban was nothing short of a Godsend. I can honestly say
that no other Optician ever did such an impeccable job as you
did.
I once tried to get new lenses in the glasses that you had adjusted
for me. I came back to pick up the glasses and someone said
to me that the Optician had straightened out the bent side pieces!
I was so upset! I made the Optician come out and I explained
what you had done for me, why you had done it and what a terrible
disservice he had done by ‘straightening’ my side
pieces and that he had to re-bend the side pieces back to where
they had been. Needless to say, those glasses never fit the
same again! After that I never changed lenses without speaking
directly to the person making the lenses and making sure they
knew not to change or adjust the side pieces. If you lived where
I could get my glasses adjusted properly that is where I would
go..." --
A
Consumer who found our Web site.
"Sir, I salute you! I quite agree about the loss of experience
in fitting eye wear to client. I currently don't know a qualified
Optician, one who carefully fits the frame to the head. I'm
currently working on adjusting my new pair of glasses. It's
an on-going project. I'd pay just for the professional fitting.
In time, I may review both your sales and your fitting courses." --
A
recent e-mail from a Massachusetts friend upon visiting our
Web site.
"I was 9 (*cough,cough!* an eon ago!) - I can't remember
actually being "fitted" with my glasses in years and
years. Thank you for this reminder that it SHOULD be done this
way. Perhaps if dispensaries had continued these practices
I wouldn't have felt so aggrieved at the continually and gasp-inducing
rising prices of eyewear. To such an extent, in fact, that the
last pairs of glasses I've gotten, I
purchased online. (Hope you were sitting down for that!
I wouldn't want to be the cause of a heart attack :-) ) No,
I didn't get fitted, obviously, but I got exactly the same product
- AND service - I would have gotten at any local shop, for so
much less money that I was able to buy three pairs of glasses
for about a third of the price I'd have paid in person. Anyway,
thanks for sharing this." --
There
are only three things the optical industry can offer the prescription
eyewear consumer, SERVICE, QUALITY and PRICE. But most latter-years
dispensaries currently ever offer ONLY TWO of these, simultaneously.
Why can’t we offer SERVICE, i.e., HANDS-ON HANDCRAFTED 3-DIMENSION DISPENSING, QUALITY PRODUCTS, and FAIR PRICING, all three,
simultaneously, like we used to?
BTW:
A colleague recently asked, "What does it say about the "soul" of our profession
when the first "selling point" that comes out of a
frame rep's mouth is, "Your cost is $9.95, but it's listed
in Frame Facts for $79.95...so you can bill insurance higher?"
From
a fellow Optician:
"Coming
from an old fashion world of Opticianry, it really saddens me
that today is all about the sales. Gone are the days of one
on one, fitting and guiding the patients through the process.
I have even come across people who never even knew they were
wearing progressives!! This is totally outrageous. They tell
me they were told they will now be able to see up close with
their new glasses but never explained what they were getting.
This has happened more than once.
I can see why the visitor to your site felt no difference buying
online rather than at a location. It angers me that the
word "fitting" is not even recognizable to him. As Opticians,
we need to man up and go back to basics before the Internet
takes over what we are trained to do.
Thanks for the eye opening. I will take it as a encouragement
to keep doing my old fashion fitting and dispensing and hope
it does make a difference." --
Our
response to this feedback:
Any ophthalmic dispenser who is not practicing basic guidelines,
see DispensingGuidelines.com,
is just an eyeglass merchant, not an Optician. And this is the
major reason why many of today's PRESCRIPTION eyewear consumers
purchase their eyewear online. See GlassesOnlineWarning.com.
If
you are not practicing Opticianry with the application of 3D
Dispensing, Discovery-Design-Delivery, skills, i.e., a)
Discovery of the consumers REAL eyewear needs in an unbiased
Comprehensive Lifestyle Interview, b) Using yesteryear skills
in both the Design of eyewear, and Tactile, Touch and Feel Hands-on-the-Consumer
Delivery of prescription eyewear, let’s be honest, you
are a big part of the cause of today’s proliferation of
online sales. And only you can restore market share to the ECP
industry, more skillful professional services for consumers,
and the lost art-craftsmanship skills to this profession.
Also,
we recommend charging
Web-based consumers realistic across-the-board-fees for follow-up servicing of ill-fitting
eyewear. (This is addressed in some detail here.)
Of course, we must see to it that we have the hands-on handcrafting skills
that warrant charging these fees. Opticians have historically offered free
lifetime service, but with the advent of the glasses online merchants, free lifetime
services can only be realistically offered to full-fee consumers.
Again, we must have the hands-on skills to warrant the fees.
Unfortunately, for most latter-day Opticians, even many senior Opticians, this could
be pose a real challenge. See Facial Asymmetry.
Where
there is NO DIFFERENCE between the service offerings of a brick-and-mortar
merchant and an online vendor, other than price, many consumers
understandably choose the online source.They
are 7/24 accessible, cheaper, and offer the same absence of
direct human contact as a majority of today’s dispensaries.
What’s not to like? And keep in mind that 7-11 stores
are successful even though their prices are higher. Why? Because
consumers mostly get the Service and Quality they want.
According to the Wall Street Journal, McDonald's franchisees
are taking several actions to improve service, including adding staff
at peak hours and trying a new system to take orders. Surveys show that
customers consider customer service as important as price, The Journal noted.
There
are only three things the optical industry can offer the prescription
eyewear consumer, SERVICE, QUALITY and PRICE. But most latter-years
dispensaries currently ever offer ONLY TWO of these, simultaneously.
Why can’t we offer SERVICE, i.e., HANDS-ON HANDCRAFTED 3-DIMENSION DISPENSING, QUALITY PRODUCTS, and FAIR PRICING, all three,
simultaneously, like we used to? This will leave the online
merchants with only their cheaper prices and no fitting skills
for that segment of the market, but will leave the remaining
market (we’re talking mostly about full-time, prescription-wearing
consumers, not those looking for plano sunwear or readers) to
Eye Care Professionals. A big challenge now is that the industry
has devolved to the point of being extremely short on Multi-Dimensional Dispensing skills.
The
majority of prescription eyewear consumers relates to and seeks
customized Discovery, Design, Delivery, and Quality Products
IF and WHEN these are available. What created the online merchant-sellers
is that Multi-Dimensional Dispensing skills are more the exception
than the rule. We have served consumers in recent years that
were literally shocked to experience a tactile, hands-on, touch
and feel frame fitting, having never seen nor experienced such
service. Sad!
From
another Optician:
"Hari, thank you for helping those that haven't yet figured out this lost art. Once a week I will get somebody in my shop, complaining of their eyewear just not feeling right. I cringe when I see optics up around their eyebrows, pads off kilter, and temples that look like their made to fit a watermelon. Thanks for leading this crusade. Best of luck."
Our
response to this feedback:
Thank you for your feedback! Here are some additional thoughts i can share.
If State Boards would give this issue some attention, I think some significant change could occur. I think we must start at the top as well as the bottom in order to turn things around.
State Boards and other industry leaders need to prohibit eyeglass merchant chains from hiring and then PROHIBITING skilled Opticians from dispensing eyewear. At one point I found myself employed in just such circumstances. The national chain hired my license only in order to operate lawfully, and then assigned/restricted me to their lab where I had to endure witnessing young and unskilled sales people dispensing eyewear, some of whom simply handed over new eyewear to consumers and then asked them to bend over in order to see if the eyewear fit well. I also witnessed the frequent 4-pointing of eyewear, a pointless procedure at the dispensing table, which indicated the extremely unskilled status of their unlicensed sales staff. Of course, having only one licensed Optician on the premises at any one time allowed management to employ cheaper entry level albeit incompetent labor. Needless to say, I terminated my employment in fairly short order after vocally expressing my concern and dissatisfaction at the delivery of eyewear with such incompetence. These are the kinds of practices that have caused the steep and steady decline and the dehumanization of Opticianry, and it's the major reason why consumers are abandoning ophthalmic dispensaries in favor of Web providers. When consumers can get their unfitted eyewear more conveniently and more cheaply from their mailbox, why should they patronize a brick and mortar store for the same incompetent service, where nobody ever lays a hand on them in order to fit their eyewear? -- See OpticianryToday.com.
Another Optician:
"I
agree with every word of this! Fitting glasses has become a
"Lost Art" in our profession. It seems that most New
Opticians believe the correct way to adjust glasses is to bend
the temples at a sharp right angle at an approximate location
of the back of the ear and tell the patient to "have a
nice (though somewhat painful) life." No attention is being
paid to pantoscopic or retroscopic tilt, proper nose pad adjustment
or widening temples on the smaller frames that people (for fashion
reasons) insist on buying. Keep on pushing for more fitting
classes in CEC fulfillment." -- See ReachOutAndTouchSomebody.com
Another Optician:
"My state is in need of change, as well. One can obtain a job in a dispensary and not even have certification. I am so disgusted. I still attend all the CE classes every year, but I refuse to renew due to the fact that the certificate is not worth the paper it's printed on. This is not a licensed state, certification only. I happen to be employed by a practice that collectively knows everything there is to know about optics. We take pride in this and we value our patients. We take the time to educate them, which promotes word of mouth referrals. But we are a dying breed. One day we will all retire and have to close down because trying to hire a true optician is like looking for a needle in a hay stack." --
Our
response to this feedback:
Over the past 54 years that I have been an Optician I've seen many forces at work in the prescription ophthalmic market. A big contributor to where we are now is the professional territorial factor. There are those in this industry who have shortsightedly worked to diminish the role of the Optician. Now to the regret of the today's entire prescription eyewear market these same entities are whining about the fact that consumers are leaving them for the Internet. (And who can blame the consumer?)
You can't have it both ways. Opticians can't remain unlicensed and uncertified, thereby insufficiently trained in the science and craft, and cast as simple eyeglass merchants on one hand, but be expected to perform at the level of skilled healthcare providers on the other. Since the majority of eyewear is dispensed by those assuming at the very least the role of the 'optician' this industry must collectively stop casting Opticians as anything less than respectively skilled partners along with the other O's.
Only then can the dispensing of prescription eyewear regain the humanized professionalism and market footing it had when I began my career.
BTW: I spent several years in a medical/ophthalmic office working alongside two Ophthalmologists and an Optometrist, some of the most fulfilling years of my career. Fulfilling because I saw patients served with the very best of eye healthcare services. Each of the O's practiced their respective expertise, and the patients received the most excellent of care.
And again, I do not see Opticianry advancing to where many industry leaders want to go until we return to serving people instead of serving numbers.
"Opticians are Eyewear Professionals. Opticianry is ultimately defined by how well the eyewear makes contact with the Patient, not by the number of Customers served." -- OpticiansForChange.com
And
then there's this from a senior Optician:
"There
is a simple answer as to why Opticians are not licensed in every
State. Money! In unlicensed States the Optometrists
and Ophthalmologists have a very strong lobby. They dump
a lot of money into preventing the licensing of Opticians. They
do this because they see their business and profits at risk.
They are then now able to hire people at $8.50 to $10.00 per
hour, and require no training or education costs in order to
maintain a license. While in licensed States, these doctors
would have to pay $18.00 to $28.00 per hour plus annual fees
for CEC's and license fees. As you can see, doctors can keep
approximately $500.00 or more in their pockets, every week of
the year for every non-licensed dispenser they have. As Opticians,
we need more national representation to advance quality eyecare
after the patient gets out of the chair, and this requires money
we don't have. Maybe some day the Congress will see a need for the protection of the American consumer, and require all Eye
Care Professionals to be licensed." --
From a recent UK visitor at our Web site:
"Hi,
I'm an independent management consultant from the UK working
with UK opticians and optical businesses. I stumbled across
your site whilst researching a 'professional selling' course
I am writing for _____________ Opticians. I just wanted to say
what a pleasure it has been to read your views and opinions on
the challenges faced by professional opticians in light of the
burgeoning Internet and 'butcher shop' optical market. We suffer
the same problems in the UK as you report: devaluation of the
profession, commercialisation for its own sake, a focus on cost
rather than value etc., I wish you the very best in disseminating
your professional viewpoint, and hope that you are enjoying
ever-increasing support from US professional opticians who truly
understand the nature of opticianry. Kind regards, I. S."
--
And
this question from another Optician:
"Why
does it seem this field is always hiring? Are there not enough
opticians here locally? Personally, I think the field is always
hiring because of turnover and lack of significant professional
development opportunities. Any profession that is entered by
way of on-the-job training for low pay does not offer a great
future to many individuals. I think the pay is often too low
for the amount of knowledge required to take care of the patient.
I also think burn out plays a factor." --
Our
response to this question:
You are correct re the training issue. Wages
are proportionate to the quality and quantity of the services
rendered. The low wages paid to today's Opticians is due to
the steep and steady decline of sufficient application and-or
training in the art and science of hands-on-the-patient skills,
ergo the inability of most dispensers to deliver adequate
services. One-size-fits-all and dehumanized service reigns
supreme in almost all retail optical venues except for a few
independent, senior Opticians who are fast disappearing. So
much so that consumers now no longer expect or even remember
that hands-on-the-patient service used to be the norm, whereas
their Hairdressers, Manicurists, Dentists, Massage Therapists,
etc., still provide hands-on, touch-and-feel service, to wit
the optical market has now shifted to the Internet where consumers
suffer from the same dehumanized service, i.e., the absence
of hands-on-the-patient personalized design and customized
fitting of their eyewear, but for less cost. Unfortunately,
the consumer has to then search out old-time, hands-on-the-patient,
touch-and-feel Opticians for a comfort fitting and-or the
replacement and expense of properly designed and custom fitted
eyewear. Most to no avail.
As we have indicated in previous discussions, the entire industry from State Boards, to optical retailers, to ophthalmic refractionists, i.e., to schools, to frame and lens manufacturers, to optical labs, to dispensing furniture manufacturers, to even the consumers themselves, have all played a part in today's lack of Service. Mostly because we have all failed to demand and require excellence in the manufacturing, fabricating, design and delivery of handcrafted prescription eyewear. Just as in our country's politics, only when we collectively decide the status quo is unacceptable and begin demanding excellence in services will much improvement occur. The causes of the decline in services,
and some remedies are addressed more completely at OpticianryToday.com and OpticalWorkshops.com. See also Service, One-On-One.
Webmaster's Note: Most, if not all States, require Hairstylists, Manicurists, Massage Therapists, etc., to be licensed and regulated.
SPECIAL NOTE
"The eye care industry needs to strike a better
balance between sales goals and healthcare delivery."
Clickor Call 800-528-0413 Ext 354 to arrange for a Training Session.Click here if you want your name added to our mailing list.
LET'S FOCUS
Today's
retail optical model favors the marketing of one-size-fits-all
merchandise unlike an Optical Dispensary, which is like a
Pharmacy or Healthcare Facility. An Optical Dispensary is
where prescription eyewear is designed, handcrafted and
serviced with skill and excellence. Opticians For Change aims
to restore that excellence. Opticians For Change is devoted
to the principle that consumers are best served only when they receive competent, 3-D
Dispensing services, i.e., in-depth Discovery,
objective, bias-free Design, and Delivery of handcrafted prescription eyewear from a skilled
dispenser.
In other words, a) a full-discovery lifestyle interview
prior to discussing frame and lens options, b) a comprehensive
design of lenses and frame without bias as to style and-or
cost, and c) a hands-on, in place, on-the-face delivery of
their eyewear including multi-dimensional handcrafted frame
and lens adjustments. Anything less is unacceptable.
NOTE:As senior Ophthalmic Healthcare Providers, we are interested
in sharing our experience. If you are a Practitioner who recognizes
the decades-old decline in dispensing skills and you are in
need of additional training or consultation, or you need assistance
in order to regain market share and improve the profitability
of your practice, please visit OpticianryToday.com, or OpticalWorkshops.com,
or DispensingGuidelines.com, then contact Opticians For Change here,
or 800-528-0413 Ext 354.
BTW: An
abbreviated version of the above Open Letter appears in
the November 2009 edition of Eye
Care Professional Magazine.
Success
always follows good service.
Any action, which genuinely favors the
Patient, always improves the bottom line.
We need to focus on caring for Patients.
Successful
dispensing requires the careful and
thoughtful process of Discovery, Design, and Delivery
of eyewear without bias concerning sales quotas, profit
margin or other subjective and unrelated considerations.
Opticians are Eyewear Professionals. Opticianry
is ultimately defined by how well the eyewear makes
contact with the Patient, not by the number of Customers served.
For the truly skilled Optician, the standard of care must
include a
customized design and hands-on fitting of eyewear on each
Patient.
Today's
Retail Optical paradigm needs to be upgraded to that of serving
Healthcare Patients, as opposed to only serving Retail Customers.
Then Opticians will be seen as Health
Care Professionals, instead of merchants.
Serve
people well, and more will follow.
Well
trained, hands-on Healthcare Providers
make for satisfied and happy Patients.
CLOSING WORDS
Many
Optical Retailers need to make significant changes if they
hope to acquire anything like America's ‘Premier’
Vision Care title. Their business models and the services
they provide fall short due to deficiencies in practical training
and depth of dispensing experience. Much more investment in
the training of people and in resources is needed.
Example: In-house training manuals lack the practical experience that
direct hands-on-the-Patient tasks afford. For an eye care
facility to rely on manuals for training a Dispenser is like
trying to teach an aspiring Surgeon how to become skilled
in surgical techniques in the absence of a Patient. In addition,
many dispensaries lack adequate dispensing tools, and visual
aids, as well as sufficient training in their use. For instance,
nose pad replacement is a frequently requested service. Many
unskilled Dispensers use a snipe nose pliers to replace nose
pad screws. Using this pliers requires excessive time for
such a simple procedure. A practical solution is a specially
designed self-closing
tweezers that reduces the task to a minimum of time. The
use of this tool alone can save an amazing amount of time
for both Dispenser and Patient.
NOW, HERE'S AN IDEA!
Make
your own Optical Hand Tools!
We urge Retail Executives to support certification and licensing
of Dispensers, the funding of training schools, and higher
wages in order to retain a well-trained staff. NOTE: Senior
Dispensing Opticians are available to assist in the practical
training of Dispensers and to explore pathways to more profitability.
Click here for
free consultation.
Several
well-known Retailers have a history of financially supporting
all kinds of community activities and philanthropic gifts.
Their investment in the ongoing training and advancement of
their Opticians is a gift that will keep on giving.
"Due
to their market share, the largest Optical Retailers are
in a unique position to lead the industry in the direction
of re-humanizing the delivery of prescription eyewear."
OPTICAL INDUSTRY LEGACY
Much
of the optical industry, as reflected in the media, is busy
with commentary on things like frames, lenses, and sales
promotions; how to pump up sales; how to sell extra pairs,
etc. Very little, if any, of the mainstream media has much
to do with issues like service; how we put People first;
how we put Serving before Selling.
In other words the industry's emphasis is too much on THINGS,
NOT PEOPLE. Because Opticianry is a very People-centered
art and craft, Opticians and Managers have to be more devoted
to giving People conscientious and caring service. See The
Humanization of The American Economy and Business.
"Hands-on-the-patient
dispensing is a soon-to-be lost art. If the trend
to
the narrower and strictly retail approach to ophthalmic
services continues,
a) The marketing of ready-to-wear, over-the-counter and Web-source eyewear
will continue to flourish; b) Hands-on-the-patient dispensing
skills and services
will disappear; c) Patients will continue to suffer from
substandard quality of
service; and d) Prescription eyewear will continue to
be delivered by an ever
increasing number of unskilled dispensers. The fact is
that the majority of today's
eyewear dispensing professionals require major upgrading
in their hands-on skills
without which they will become increasingly irrelevant
in the eyecare industry."
"At
some point, direct, tactile, Hands-on-the-Patient training
has to happen.
This is done only by one-on-one craftsmanship training.
It cannot be learned virtually."
For
a free consultation on ways to improve the conscientious
delivery of prescription eyewear while maintaining profitability, click or call OpticiansForChange.com here or at 800-528-0413 Ext 354. See DispensingGuidelines.com.
"Our
mission is to re-humanize the dispensing of
prescription eyewear." -- OpticiansForChange.com
"There
is nothing wrong with people making money and
corporations being involved... provided there is an avenue
in
which those marketing forces are not the deciding factor
in
what we are doing." -- Keith
Olbermann, Commentator
"When
owners and managers discover that their people are their
ultimate assets and not their perpetual liabilities, everybody's
economy will prosper and grow." -- The
Thank You Economy.
Staff Response
*A)The written reply to management's request has been modified in order to make the points in this open letter more current.
So far, more than 2 years later, and following the departure
of its author, the receipt of the original letter has never
been formally acknowledged, and no remedial action has occurred.
At least none has been observed.
**B)Special note re Hands-on Custom Fitting: It seems the term
'Hands-on' has different meanings among members of the optical
community. Click here for our definition. For an example of what we call Hands-on-the-Patient,
old-fashioned design and custom fitting of prescription
eyewear, click here. And for those who are otherwise looking to improve the delivery
of prescription eyewear in America, please contact us here.
C)To be fair, the experiences of one Optician in a single
optical outlet cannot be seen as reflecting that retailer's
policy in its entirety. But if this open letter can be viewed
minus any bias, perhaps Optical Retailers and aspiring
Opticians can use it as a primer as to how well they measure
up as a source of Genuine Healthcare in America.
D)Too many Optical Retailers have a 'bottom-line-is-all-that-matters'
mind set along with an attitude in which they exist only
to serve company goals, not the needs of the Consumer. They're
not alone. Corporate America, in general, must soon deal
with some heavy karma due to the public's current anger,
and demands for the return to more qualitative
and thoughtful service with less emphasis on profits. The
hope is that Optical Retailers can upgrade their thinking
and focus on becoming genuine Healthcare Providers. See The Coming Humanization
of The American Economy.
E)Large-scale change always seems daunting. We want simple
routines that we can easily and automatically follow. If
Opticians and Managers adopt the steps presented herein, success will follow. To serve is to succeed.
E-books,
lectures and tests can take an Optician's skills only
so far.
It is time for direct, touch-and-feel, Hands-on-the-Patient tactile training.
Only one-on-one craftsmanship training does this.
It cannot be learned virtually.
HANDS-ON-THE-PATIENT
WORKSHOP TRAINING AVAILABLE
HERE "Opticianry is defined by how well the
eyewear fits the patient."
Grateful
appreciation is hereby expressed to Ennco Display Systems and Systems of
Sight for
permission to use their copyrighted images on this Web
site.
800-528-0413 Ext 354 to arrange for a 
Many Optical Retailers are well positioned in the marketplace, but few are ready to be America's 'Premier' Vision Care Practitioners.
Many of them employ a business model that works well for marketing
general merchandise. But an Optical Dispensary is different.
Like a Pharmacy or Health Clinic, an Optical Dispensary is
a Healthcare Facility where prescription eyewear is designed,
fitted and serviced. It is not a strictly mercantile sales
facility. The comparison can be likened to the difference
between a retail outlet where only stuff is sold to Customers
versus a Health and Wellness Eye Care Service where precision-made,
by-prescription-only optical devices are designed and custom-fitted
on Patients. The concept lost in today's retail market is
that an Optician's mission is to also maintain an appropriate
balance between 
There is an acute need for Optical Dispensaries, including
those associated with U.S. government agencies, to acquire: 
Adequate workspace and staffing, 
Some Executives and 
Example: Newly purchased eyewear, including 
Example: Experienced Opticians are required by inexperienced 
