How Owl got wise to contact lenses

When contact lens sales increase by 60 per cent over three years, you must be doing something right. This is the case at Owl Optical, an independent group of 13 practices run by managing directors Simon and David Harrison.
Each practice in this nationwide group retains a degree of autonomy Ð including its own locally respected trading name Ð but managers report to head office, located above Harrisons Opticians, in the centre of Stratford-upon-Avon.
Ian Moss is group contact lens manager and spends half his time managing Owl's contact lens business together with looking after CET provision for the 70 staff, and overseeing IT. The other half he spends in practice.
'I think I'd find it harder to manage our contact lens strategy if I just told people what to do without due consideration. It's important that I practise and experience the developments in lens care hands on.'
Moss's input has been key to the growth in contact lenses. Before he took on the role, Owl's approach lacked direction, depending on individual practitioners' interest in this area. Where appropriate he has encouraged a more proactive approach, such that when patients call to book an appointment they are asked if a contact lens consultation is required.
'By mentioning them right from the word go, you are creating awareness in patients' minds that they are a service we offer.'
He believes that the typical obstacles to lens wear still exist (fear of touching eyes, fear of slipping behind the eye and so forth), but he says that most patients are now more aware of the option, possibly because of more TV advertising.
'There are a lot of slightly older people who consider contact lenses might make them appear younger, but they think they can't have them because they need varifocals, or because they're astigmatic.'

time management
Moss talks to as many patients as he can about lens wear Ð regardless of age Ð and encourages his colleagues to do the same. But he accepts there are mixed feelings across the group.
'Some optometrists will have a different approach to those who are also practice managers and they in turn will have a different approach to contact lens fitters. Each will have different time constraints.
'There is a demand but it's largely untapped. By creating the availability of appointments to provide the chair-time a patient needs and being proactive, it improves results.'
Ensuring suitable appointment lengths has led to a 30 per cent growth in the fitting of RGPs, an area that Moss believes is ideal for the independent sector, especially as multiples tend to want to shy away from protracted consultations.
To monitor the group's overall customer service level, and to help improve it, Owl has used mystery shopping exercises such as those organised by Ciba Vision. 'We've used it not as a battering ram but just to gauge how things work Ð as a snapshot of a typical patient experience.'
By monitoring current growth, sales and the number of new fits, Moss determines a measure of drop-outs, which he says varies from branch to branch. When Owl establishes that a patient has dropped out, the fitter at the branch will be encouraged to ask the reasons why.
He recalls two recent cases himself where patients have come back simply through a short discussion about why they had stopped wearing their lenses. One had stopped on discomfort grounds, the other because of cost, but both were persuaded to try other modalities to solve their problems. 'The potential for the number of people that can be refitted is huge,' he believes.
Moss sees the market essentially becoming polarised, with daily disposables at one end versus silicone hydrogel/ extended wear at the other. With regards to pricing, he didn't have a huge problem with Johnson & Johnson's increase last year. In fact, he feels for the industry as a whole it's a good thing: 'We haven't focused too much on price. If we're going to put value into contact lenses, we need to ensure that the value perceived by the public is maintained.'
Another method of motivating staff was to create a bonus scheme. This led to a 70 per cent increase in new fits in the first month.
'Staff are the key to successful contact lens practice,' concludes Moss. 'Without the right staff, the right training and the motivation, it doesn't matter what you do in addition. If the staff atmosphere and morale is in place, the patient is more likely to be happy with the service.'