Dispensing Frontiers
The Trust Factor
Actively building patient trust can pay big dividends. Here's how to make it happen.

Have you noticed how much more easily and quickly you can help patients when they trust you? The same thing is true for your optician. In fact, practices that build patient trust for doctor and optician have fewer complaints, fewer refunds, more referrals and more patient loyalty -- and they sell multiple pairs to 20% to 40% of their patients.

CREATING A FOUNDATION

To build trust for the optician, the patient must first trust the doctor. (Of course, a "trust foundation" may already exist, if, for example, the patient was referred by a relative whose eyesight you restored.)

To build trust for the doctor, your staff should brag about his credentials. Saying, "He's a great doctor" doesn't build trust. Saying, "Dr. Jones graduated in the top 10% of his class and was chosen to research and develop implants for the Mayo Clinic" does.

BUILDING TRUST FOR THE OPTICIAN

Your staff must also help generate trust for your optician. Credentials they could mention might include:

• He's ABO or state licensed. "Our state doesn't require it, but Dr. Jones does."
• He promotes eyecare in the community. "Our optician is so passionate about the vision of others that he donates his time reading for the blind. Dr. Jones is confident he'll be just as passionate in taking care of you."
• He has fashion skills. "Our optician is trained in fitting fashion eyewear by the Vision Council of America. Dr. Jones can help you see, but our optician will help you look good too."
• He owned his own optical business ". . . so Dr. Jones knew he had the experience to operate our optical dispensary."
• He worked for a company or doctor that you referred patients to. "Dr. Jones knew the quality of our optician's work before he worked here."

If your optician has no special attributes, encourage him to get some! Your staff should brag about him every chance they get.

TRANSFERRING TRUST

If the patient trusts the doctor and it's clear that the doctor trusts the optician, the patient will also trust the optician.

After the exam, walk the patient out and personally introduce her to the optician. Review the exam results with the optician using technical terms. For example: "John, I'd like you to meet Ms. Patient. She's been wearing a +2.00 diopter add, but she's reading 20/40 at 12 to 14 inches. Because I'm prescribing a +2.25 diopter add, I'd like you to discuss progressive lenses rather than trifocals for intermediate, and a separate pair with a wider segment for computer use."

Before addressing Ms. Patient, John might ask, "Doctor, would you recommend we use the reading or intermediate addition for her sunglasses?" You would then show your trust by saying, "John, I'll trust you and Ms. Patient to determine what's best depending on how she plans to use her sunglasses." In less than a minute you've transferred the trust Ms. Patient has for you to John.

A patient who trusts your optician is also more likely to buy multiple pairs, so make sure you discuss three pair of eyeglasses -- even if one is lenses-only replacements. If the patient doesn't buy three pairs, you've still planted the idea that one pair won't serve every purpose. (Recommending multiple pairs from the beginning also reduces customer service and complaint issues later.)

MAKING IT WORK

Patient trust benefits everyone. So, prepare your team to generate trust -- and be sure to transfer the trust you've earned to your optician. 

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