Maximising the potential of your practice

The first two articles in this series looked at tracking the performance of your practice and what the various business consultants specialising in optical practice have to offer. This week, Optician talked to practitioners in a variety of businesses about their reasons for using consultants, how the process went and what they learned from the experience.

INDIVIDUAL APPROACH

Why would a brass-plate practice owned by one of the UK's best known practitioners and with appointments fully booked five or six weeks ahead need the advice of a management consultant?

Brian Tompkins is MD of Tompkins, Knight and Son, a highly individual Victorian house practice established in 1868 and located in a residential area on the outskirts of Northampton. Patients tend to be fairly affluent and the practice also has a thriving children's clinic.