Ready, set, retention

The scenario

“I have recently moved into a new role leading the front of practice team and have noticed that while the practice has a large database of contact lens wearers, when you look at new patient growth against contactlens wearer growth, new patients are not being retained. What advice would you have for implementing a structured recruitment process for contact lenses that involves the whole practice team?”

Grace, practice manager

The advice

Hasan Akhtar, optometrist, partner at Taylor Biddle Opticians, and Johnson & Johnson Institute faculty member

In practice, the whole team plays an important role in the retention and satisfaction of contact lens patients, and there a number of tell-tale signs for dropout that the team can and should look out for.

The first is patients who say they have a backlog of lenses and a build-up. I would encourage team members to consider this and discuss why a patient has a build-up. Are they not wearing them so much? Are they not ordering as many?

Also, when a patient cancels a Direct Debt scheme, it’s a clear sign that there is a problem. At this point, we have found that a follow-up call within a week of a cancelled contact lens scheme is key to finding out the reason why. During these calls, it is important for the team member not just to focus on price, but to try delving a bit deeper. For example, asking questions such as ‘Are you having any problems with your contact lenses?’ and ‘Is there anything that you are not quite happy with?’ will enable the team member to find and offer a solution. We find that cost is never the issue – it is instead comfort or expectations.

While ensuring that the conversation between the practice and the patient happens is pivotal, it is also fairly important that the conversation happens quickly. If a patient has reached the point of cancelling their Direct Debit, they will likely have been out of contact lens wear for a few months, and the longer you leave it, the harder it is to remind the patient of the motivation that led them into contact lens wear originally.

I find that patients interact really well with the whole front of practice team, and are a lot more honest with non-clinical staff

Team work makes contact lenses work

As a practice director, I believe the whole team is important to a patient’s contact lens journey and successful wear. I find that patients interact really well with the whole front of practice team, and are a lot more honest with non-clinical staff.

It’s therefore important for all practice staff to be aware of the tell-tale signs that someone is not quite happy with their contact lenses, and that they are comfortable having those conversations with patients. They should be able to reassure patients that their concerns are normal – which is normally the case – and then they can feedback to the clinical team to make the assessment.

To ensure the whole practice team is comfortable playing an active role, training is important. At Taylor Biddle, when we organise training with contact lens representatives, this training is extended to the whole team. We do this because there is something that will be shared or explained, that will click with each and every staff member. It ensures that everyone has a knowledge of the products that are available, and the front of house team can talk comfortably with patients about new products and options available – technology is always advancing.

We try to build the process that suits the patient. The patient gets the care they need, and the practice receives the money they deserve

Getting to know the patient

For successful contact lens wear, it is important to understand a patient’s motivations, as this will be what retains them in wear.

We have been trialling a lifestyle questionnaire at various stages in the patient journey as people’s lifestyles and hobbies are changing constantly, as is their work environment. All these factors impact contact lens wear. Therefore, during any type of clinical appointment, we aim to check/recheck about a patient’s lifestyle. This can also be done in the waiting area, and at each step we start to build more and more of a picture about the patient and their motivations

During the trial period is when a patient is most engaged with their contact lenses, and theoretically, once they leave with their lenses, a follow-up isn’t required for a year. However, we have found it effective to do a three-month in person follow-up. This is quite unusual as a patient doesn’t necessarily need it, but we have found this works well in minimising dropout – by three months a patient has had a good period of settling in with their contact lenses, a period in which I highlight to patients so much can change. It therefore provides our first opportunity to iron out any issues.

We used to call patients and while it was good to engage, we didn’t find that they would talk in depth about any problems they might be facing.

What also works well at Taylor Biddle is having a trained, dedicated team member who is a contact lens lead. It is their responsibility to make sure that if there is a problem, it can be dealt with efficiently and effectively – from ordering different lenses ready for the trial or team, to reassuring patients.

The caveat to this is that some practices will fear that it’s a lot of chair time that might not result in a sale, and while that is true, if you fit well the first time and in the first three months all is well, within the first year a patient will not cancel their Direct Debit and they will keep coming back.

Ultimately, we try to build the process that suits the patient. The patient gets the care they need, and the practice receives the money they deserve.