Growing your contact lens database

The scenario

As a practice owner, an ambition for 2025 is to grow our contact lens patient base. Can you share any advice on the role of the whole practice team in supporting this ambition, from marketing through to communication in practice

Megan, practice owner

The advice

Faye McDearmid, optometrist and Johnson & Johnson Vision professional affairs consultant

For example, a practice may have a brilliant contact lens fitter and communicator in the consulting room, but if someone answers the phone and is unsure how to respond to a contact lens enquiry, or at collection a practice team member is not confident in answering questions that may arise, the patient may hesitate and waiver in their commitment.

As an optometrist and owner of a practice that is passionate about contact lenses – around 40% of our patients wear contact lenses –– I regularly hear stories from new patients who attend following a word-of-mouth recommendation after they have been unintentionally misinformed about contact lenses. Just last week I met a lady at the hairdressers who mentioned she was fed up with her spectacles. When I suggested contact lenses, she said she had been told that she wasn’t suitable as she only needed vision correction for reading. In those situations, I explain the common myths – there is lots of demystifying that the whole practice team needs to be ready to do in order to grow a practice’s contact lens database.

Of course, nobody goes to work to do a bad job, but in this example, somebody in a practice team hadn’t understood that contact lenses were an option. It highlights the need for the whole practice team to be on board and educated about contact lenses.

I do not think that a practice can purposely grow its contact lens database successfully and continuously unless each and every member of the practice team is on board. In any area, a practice is only as strong its weakest link

New starters

Practice team members who can talk to patients about their experiences with contact lenses can be an extremely powerful tool for patient recommendation for two reasons. The first is that they can share first-hand experiences of what contact lenses have meant for them, and second is that they feel comfortable talking to patients about it as an option.

I have observed this with a new member of my team who joined my practice earlier this year with no background in optics. She talks to every patient about contact lenses as she is passionate about the positive impact they have had on her lifestyle and her vision.

Of course, not every member of the team will have first-hand experience, and this is where training is key. For my team, glasses are clear and tangible, they are there in front of them all day – they can try them on, feel them and pick their favourites, but contact lenses are more invisible. From day one, I recommend exposing the whole team to contact lenses.

I advocate running team training internally and with contact lens reps. When a contact lens rep comes into practice, I make it a priority for them to see the whole practice team. What’s the point in me knowing all about contact lenses when I’m in the consulting room for 90% of my working day?The front of practice team is extremely important for contact lens introductions and retention as the patient spends much more time talking on the phone to your receptionist when booking, to your optical assistant at collections, and to your dispenser than they get to freely chat with you in the consulting room. Arguably, they are more important to the process of contact lens growth than the optometrist in the consulting room.

Ensuring your whole team is comfortable discussing contact lenses can be reinforced by seeing the optometrist do this – observing other practitioners’ behaviours is important.

For me, my team will see and experience a clear handover that mentions contact lenses for every patient. In these structured handovers, I always cover five key points. These points are: 1/ the reason for the visit, 2/ a spectacle recommendation, 3/ a spectacle free recommendation (contact lenses), 4/ a UV and sports recommendation, and 5/ the follow up.

As a result, the team are continuously and consistently exposed to the fact that every patient is offered a mix of solutions – patients exist outside of our practice and everyone’s requirements and lifestyles are different.

Every member of the team should have the opportunity to have a minimum standard of knowledge. Naturally confidence will build over time with experience and training. When they get stuck or feel out of their comfort zone, being able to express ‘We love contact lenses here’ before going off to source an appropriate member of the team, when they mean they have no idea, is fine.

Once their knowledge has been developed and their confidence has grown, I let team members take ownership of their own communication style. I give them a steer on what to say, emphasising that it should always be positive, but do not ask them to follow scripts. I encourage them to find their style and let their personality shine.

The team is continuously and consistently exposed to the fact that every patient is offered a mix of solutions

Empowering your team

Within independent practice, where team retention is high, I would encourage practices to consider the development of their team. Contact lenses can provide the opportunity for career development and growth.

Appointing, for example, a contact lens specialist or contact lens buddy who is the front of practice lead, empowers team members and ensures a primary contact for contact lens patients.

A new contact lens patient will have already invested their time in attending practice on a few occasions – the fit, the teach, the collection – and they want to be successful.

Patients taking their new contact lenses away with them is the crucial point when they are going to fly or fall. Appointing them a contact lens buddy is providing them with a person to catch them.

Usually, patients are comfortable for their contact lens buddy gets in touch with them a few days post practice takeaway to see how it’s going. If they require support, talking to a contact lens buddy rather than the clinician can be effective – sometimes they might feel silly or embarrassed if they are struggling.

Making contact lenses visible

We have a window banner and in store promotional display materials highlighting contact lenses as a vision correction option around the practice. We also strive to make all of the services we offer crystal clear to patients.

I became more aware of the importance of this when someone came into practice and asked if we offered eye examinations. While I was initially shocked, I quickly realised that it was not obvious to the consumer.

When new patients contact us, we now also always ask them what they are interested in from a list of services we offer. It might be an eye examination, contact lenses, dry eye, visual stress, macular, or glaucoma refinement. But by asking them to select from the list, they become more aware of what we provide.

Patients taking their new contact lenses away with them is the crucial point when they are going to fly or fall. Appointing them a contact lens buddy is providing them with a person to catch them

Consulting room communication

As an optometrist, I have adapted how I talk to patients about contact lenses. It involves switching from an emphasis on the functional, to a focus on the emotional and the feeling of contact lenses. This can be difficult at first as we are clinically trained, but this method makes discussing contact lenses more patient friendly.

I have also learnt to avoid asking ‘Do you want to..’ The follow up to this type of question is normally no because people think it’s going to cost them something or it’s going to be painful. Therefore, when making a recommendation I tell the patient why and when contact lenses would work for them, and ask them how they feel about that.