Part 3: The return visit

Article Outline

• Step 6: Product delivery
• Step 7: Between-office visits
• Conclusion
• References

The introduction to this series (Creating patients for life, Optometry—Journal of the American Optometric Association, September 2008) outlined some survey data on the factors that favorably dispose patients toward an eye care practice. Based on that survey data, 7 distinct phases of the patient eye care experience were identified, each presenting important opportunities to ensure patient satisfaction and thereby encourage patient loyalty to the practice (see Figure 1). The first installment in this 3-part “how-to” series (Part 1—Pre-appointment care, Optometry—Journal of the American Optometric Association, September 2008) offered a detailed discussion of the key steps that practitioner and staff can take to make appointment setting and the arrival of the patient at the office easy, convenient, and welcoming. The next installment (Part 2—Care during the appointment, Optometry—Journal of the American Optometric Association, October 2008) discussed all the aspects of the patient's visit to an optometric office, including how to capture key information, how to transition the patient from the front office to the examination to the dispensary, and how to successfully conclude the visit. It also reviewed the steps a practitioner can take to create a scenario in which patients leave the office feeling that they have been provided with real value, useful information, and a feeling of being well taken care of.

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• Figure 1. 

  Seven steps in creating patients for life.

Part 3, the concluding article of this series, discusses the final 2 steps in the 7 steps of the eye care experience—how to continue that feeling of patient good will through the product delivery phase and how to maintain those positive feelings through ongoing communication.

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Step 6: Product delivery 

Contrary to popular belief, when it comes to picking up their eyeglasses, most patients are not looking for 1-hour service. Fulfill a few basic needs during this step and, if a practice has performed well up to this point, patients will go home with a great feeling about their experience.

So what are those needs? It all starts with a promise—the promise the practitioner makes when telling patients when to expect their eyeglasses. Unfortunately, there do not appear to be any scientifically verifiable statistics that provide a “magic number of days” that patients say will keep a practice in their good graces. But the research on which our Creating Patients for Life method is based¹, ², ³, ⁴, ⁵, ⁶ suggests that 1 to 2 weeks is a good rule of thumb, unless a patient has a special need. In that case, the patient will expect the practice to do everything possible to meet it.

When receiving their glasses, patients want the staff to take the time necessary to make any adjustments, and, as a final step, they want to be reassured about their choices. Practices that top off this part of the visit with a well-timed “Your glasses look great!” will leave their patients smiling as they walk out the door. For a review of the factors involved in successful product delivery and some hints for improving the process in a practice, see Table 1.

Table 1. Product delivery

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Step 7: Between-office visits 

It can be easy for a practitioner to believe that if a patient has gone home satisfied, nothing more needs to be done except remind the patient to come back next year for his or her annual examination. However, little things often make a difference to patients; practices that “go the extra mile” and connect with patients after a visit can score big loyalty points if they have performed well up to that point.

In a world of big-box retailers and impersonal drive-through service, patients are often impressed when they receive personal touches like a thank-you note or a telephone call after the visit is over. Building a relationship with the patient through personalized service can be extremely important to an eye care practice in an increasingly competitive market. Patients today have an unprecedented range of options for health care goods, services, and information. A growing number of patients are going online to communicate, to educate themselves about their health care needs, and to purchase just about everything from books on tape to exotic vacations. Remember that it is always more expensive to acquire a new patient than to keep an existing patient happy. The practice that invests time and effort in maintaining communication with patients' in-between office visits will have a better chance of keeping the appointment book filled. For a review of the factors involved in ensuring patient satisfaction between visits, as well as some helpful hints, see Table 2.

Table 2. Between office visits

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Conclusion 

It can be tough to compete in today's high-patient demand, big-box retailer environment, but the good news is that independent eye care practices are in a great position to deliver a stellar patient experience that creates long-term loyalty. Virtually any practice can implement the 7 core strategies and related tactics outlined in this series to increase patient satisfaction and create the type of loyal patients who not only come back but refer others to the practice. Although this article marks the end of the “Creating Patients for Life” series, it will hopefully prompt the initiation of programs to help ensure patient satisfaction and loyalty in optometric practices around the country. A downloadable version of the “Seven Steps of the Eye Care Experience” chart that has accompanied this series (see Figure 1) is available on the Eyefinity.com Web site, along with other charts and worksheets developed to facilitate the implementation of the concepts outlined in this series. Practitioners and staff may wish to post the Seven Steps chart in the practice to serve as a reminder of the key elements in patient satisfaction. They may also wish to have some forward discussions on improving patient satisfaction during staff meetings. With a new year approaching, now may be an appropriate time to develop an office program to improve patient loyalty. A practice could see the results for years to come.

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References 

1. Vision Service Plan. Consumer Eyecare Study. Rancho Cordova, CA, (unpublished internal study) 2003.
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2. J.D. Power and Associates. 2006 National Retail Vision Satisfaction Study (online article). Available at http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/releases/pdf/2006235.pdf. Last accessed July 21, 2008.
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3. Appelbaum A. The constant customer. Gallup Management Journal (online serial). Available at http://gmj.gallup.com/content/745/Constant-Customer.aspx. Last accessed July 21, 2008.
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4. Practice Advancement Associates for the Management and Business Academy. Key Metrics of Optometric Practice, 2007 edition. Available at http://www.mba-ce.com/downloads/publication_archive/intelligence/KeyMetricsMain207_pub.pdf. Last accessed July 21, 2008.
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5. Abramson D. Do you provide value?. Eyecare Business. July 2005;24
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6. Levoy B. Run with the leaders, 7 essential steps for the high-performance practice. Optometric Management. 2007;42:32–36
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