Open to entries from across the industry, Optical Supplier of the Year has long been one of the most coveted Optician Awards categories. Such prestige also makes it one of the most competitive too, while judges are faced with the tricky task of weighing up seemingly disparate companies and services.
At the heart of the Optical Supplier of the Year category is the idea that optics is primarily a relationships business and the judges were looking for an organisation that exceeds its customers’ needs in terms of service and quality. So, while the judges were impressed by all the shortlisted entries, few in attendance at the ceremony could have been surprised to see Positive Impact take home the trophy in 2021.
Hastings-based Positive Impact primarily supplies in the dry eye and contact lens sectors while also benefiting optical practices with the Glaskar refillable lens cleaner system. The company’s entry to the Optician Awards outlined that its service to customers is built around best-in-class products, taking business support to a new level, and peer-to-peer training throughout.
The quality of Positive Impact’s contact lens offerings from Naturalvue and Synergeyes are well known while its dry eye diagnostics and treatment products, such as the InflammaDry and the TearLab Osmolarity System in the former category and the Nulid lid cleaning device and The Eye Doctor range in the latter, are similarly well regarded.
During the pandemic, the company upgraded its business support to better serve under-duress practices. Contact lens payment terms were, where possible, increased by 50%, while warranty times were doubled and new flexible payment schemes were introduced for other products in the company’s portfolio.
In a move that particularly impressed the judges, Positive Impact also launched a consumer commerce website, dryeyezone.co.uk. This took only four weeks from conception to launch and enabled patients to buy online while reimbursing their practice.
The company’s peer-to-peer training for practice staff was also revolutionised with a move online during the pandemic.
‘We ran a series of webinars and one-to-one sessions on Zoom that proved highly successful,’ says Maxine Green, founder and sales and operations director at Positive Impact. ‘It was really good in terms of getting extended engagement with the practices and I think it was really helpful for everyone.’
Awards night
For Nick Atkins, founder and managing director at Positive Impact, sharing the win with as many of the company’s staff as possible was the highlight of the awards night.
‘For me, the Optician Awards are the most prestigious awards in the industry because it’s not a popularity contest,’ says Atkins. ‘It’s not about getting all your mates and relatives to vote online for you. It was great to be able to bring some of our team, and it was great, post-lockdown, to see people having a good time. I got a bit of a chill down the spine when the announcer started to say Positive Impact.’
Green adds: ‘It was great to win and the feel good factor that it brings back to the team was brilliant as well. Many of the companies that myself and Nick have worked for in the past, stood up and cheered when our name was announced. That was a special moment.’
Customer testimonials for Positive Impact
‘The support and advice is simply outstanding. Positive Impact have gone out of their way to be leaders in the supply of ground-breaking products and always at a price point that makes it affordable to invest. They are in it for the long game, not just for a “quick buck”.’ - John Rose, John Rose Opticians
‘Positive Impact introduces us to innovative best-in-class products with world class product support and customer service.’ - Keyur Patel, Tompkins Knight & Son Optometrists
‘They have raised the bar on what to expect from a supplier and have helped us grow, even in the bleak times.’ - Lucy Henning, Henning & Henning
