Communications skills are generally seen as being at the very foundation of good optometric practice. Building the patient-practice relationship is vital and it is usually down to non-registered staff to begin the process.
Receptionists are the first port of call for the majority of patients, while optical assistants can clock up a great deal of face-to-face time with patients by carrying out pre-screening assessments and assisting with the selection of frames and lenses.
‘Being a non-registered member of a practice team, especially a receptionist or an optical assistant, means you are often the front line of the practice and first and last point of contact for a patient,’ says Bhavin Shah, director at Central Vision Opticians. ‘The role is crucial for both the practice and a successful patient journey.’
Shah feels that learning the customer journey in detail is very important for non-registered staff looking to communicate better with patients.
‘How do patients first contact the practice? What is the procedure for booking appointments? What happens when a patient comes into the practice? How is the patient greeted and then transitioned to the next step in their journey? Is there a handover to the optometrist or other clinical staff? What happens after the examination? Non-registered staff play an essential role in supporting the practice and the patient to a successful resolution of their needs, whether they are coming to the practice for an eye examination, to collect glasses or if they have a concern or complaint.
‘It is essential to actively listen to the patient. Why have they called or come into the practice? What help do they need? Ask questions; be curious in order to help the patient. It is important to understand how your optical practice can help satisfy the needs of the patient. If you can’t answer a question, consider who in the team is the best person to help the patient,’ he says.
Interacting effectively with patients on clinical matters is obviously a key skill for staff who have undertaken an optometry or dispensing degree. What can non-registered staff do to become more familiar with clinical matters and the equipment used on patients in practice?
‘It is important to sit with a member of the clinical team to discuss the instruments and learn their functions,’ says Shah. ‘Being on the receiving end of the equipment will help you to empathise with the experience that patients will receive, so give them all a try.
‘There should be training about the important questions to ask a patient who presents with particular symptoms of a clinical nature. Many practices have a flowchart for non-registered staff to follow that can help determine the urgency and the possible courses of action, such as booking an appointment immediately or onward referral to another practitioner.’
Non-registered staff are often the first point of contact for patient complaints and are well placed to deal with these efficiently.
‘Try to understand the primary cause of the conflict with the patient,’ says Shah. ‘Ask questions about what has happened and where the expectations of the patient haven’t been met. Try not to take it personally and be calm as the patient offloads their complaints and reasons for the conflict.
‘Repeat back your understanding of the complaint so the patient knows you have listened and are trying to work for a successful resolution. If the reason for the conflict is not something that you have the experience or knowledge to resolve, be aware of the person on the team who is responsible. It may be a situation for the practice manager, or the dispensing optician or the optometrist.’
Notes for management
Iain Johnson, director at Johnson & Leatherbarrow Opticians
Good communication skills are incredibly important for the whole practice team. Non-registered team members need to be able to confidently communicate within their scope of work while maintaining patient confidentiality.
Having a great framework in place for triaging queries, encouraging ongoing training and close support from the registered staff is an absolute must for a successful practice.
Training is key for positive and comfortable communication. I think that this is an area that needs to be handled with humility and understanding by practice managers.
It’s easy to forget just how difficult it was to get to grips with all of the terminology, equipment available and general optics at first. So, it is easy to rush through things without ensuring a solid foundation of knowledge first.
I also think it’s important to allow members of the team to ask questions and admit when they do not know an answer to a question.
I strongly believe that the whole team needs to be on the same page when it comes to the practice ethos and offering. For example, the practice where I work offers some very high-end spectacle lenses.
If the team is not fully behind this with the ability to communicate the visual benefits effectively, then it can appear as though the products are just more expensive. The patient is basing everything on communication with practice staff because there is no physical product they can touch or try on before the dispense is made.
