Dispensing Frontiers
Handling Optician Turnover
Being prepared can make all the difference.

When your optician leaves, patients will be surprised that their trusted "glasses person" is gone, and the way you and your staff answer questions about his departure will affect your future relationships with your patients.

The time to think about what to say is now -- before changes occur.

MAKING THE BEST OF IT

Here's how to make sure the situation is handled to everyone's benefit.

• Determine how you'll fill in until a replacement is hired. If your optician leaves, will you have to close down the optical until he's replaced?
  Here are some possible ways to deal with this change:

• Hire a temporary optician to work limited hours.
• Some staff members may be capable of doing minor frame adjustments.
• Your lab or frame suppliers may have trained opticians who can pinch-hit for you.
• If poor service is your only option, refer patients to a local optical. If you do this, assure patients that you'll notify them once you find a new optician.

• Give staff time to react. If your optician gives notice, don't wait until he's gone to let staff know. Even if he didn't do a good job, your staff probably liked him. Give them time to absorb the reality of his leaving. If possible, give them time to say good-bye.
• As soon as possible, hold a staff meeting. This will give staff members a chance to address their concerns about how this affects them and the practice.
• Be prepared to deal with unhappy patients. Patients can get attached to your optician, so when the optician leaves, expect patients to be upset. Some will follow the optician to his new practice and buy their glasses there.
  To minimize the damage, speak to these patients (call them, if necessary). Assure them that you're still their doctor and even if they choose to get their glasses elsewhere, they're welcome in your practice. Let them know that the next time they need glasses, you'll have a new optician. Convenience and curiosity will pull them back into the dispensary.
• Script answers to patient questions. At the staff meeting, work with your staff to script answers to patients' questions about the optician. For example:

• "Who will take care of me while you're looking for a replacement?" Your staff should be ready to specify exactly how the patient's needs will be met.
• "Where did the optician go?" Don't lie or avoid the question. Tell them. Immediately follow this answer by telling them who can help them today.
• "Why did the optician leave?" Keep your answer positive. "John is a good optician but just wasn't a match for our practice," is an answer that doesn't blame anyone. (If he wasn't a good optician, change the first part of that statement to something else that sounds positive.) Again, follow this answer by explaining who will help them today.
• "How long will it take to find a replacement?" Unless you've already hired someone, say, "We're interviewing candidates, but we want to take our time so we can find a better match." Follow by explaining who will help them today.
  Make it clear to your staff that no matter how they feel or what they've heard, you expect everyone to use the same scripting. Your patients' trust in the practice as a whole will be strengthened if everyone conveys the same message.

CARING IS WHAT COUNTS

Change of this kind is inevitable, but if you're prepared, your practice will come through unscathed. Just remember: The message you want to convey is that while opticians may come and go, your concern for your patients -- and your staff -- is constant. 

Leona Meditz has 25 years' experience opening, owning and operating dispensaries. If you have questions regarding this article, please e-mail her at leona@rollinm.com.