View from the High Street

Working in Stratford-upon-Avon mixes the old with the new - a sense of history mixed with modern development, Shakespeare’s birthplace with state-of-the-art visitor communications.

Our customers value a similar mix, and we aim to combine the best of traditional, caring customer service and modern, professional eyecare.

Our store moved to bigger, better premises two years ago. We invested in new equipment, four consulting rooms, a dedicated contact lens area and a glazing laboratory.

Since that time business has been extremely strong. Our store is bustling and vibrant, with a fairly affluent customer base. Our customers expect very high standards, but they are also canny shoppers looking for a bargain. Stratford’s unique heritage means we get a lot of tourists all year round.

We’ve invested a lot in making our customers feel comfortable as they move about the store, and in the equipment and the products we need to provide a quality service. But it’s our people that make the biggest impression on our customers.

In our store, we aim to advance the optical, clinical and customer management skills of every member of staff. We are fortunate to have a programme of Specsavers’ bespoke CET and retail management training to help us achieve this. But formal training can only go so far. I feel a practitioner in business these days has to learn from a range of sources if they are to keep pace with increasing customer demands.

First of all, I feel practitioners can enhance their skills through being part of an effective team who are open to sharing their knowledge and expertise with each other. We have found in Stratford that a practitioner-led team has created a strong culture of professionalism through the entire store team.