By Mary E. Boname, OD, MS, FAAO
Streamline contact lens order processing and capture more contact lens orders by enabling re-ordering on your web site. Then measure increased efficiency and cost savings.
Capturing contact lens sales is not enough to ensure profitability in this sector of your practice. To ensure maximum profitability, make it possible for patients to order from your web site and then find ways to encourage them to order from your site rather than by calling your office. Doing so will eliminate contact lens processing staff time and increase convenience for patients.
About 80 percent of my patients order contact lenses from my web site, and I would say the majority of patients who are ordering online are over 35, so there is no need to worry that ordering contact lenses online would only appeal to the youngest of your patients.
Encourage Every CL Patient to Order from Your Site
I encourage each and every one of my soft contact lens wearing patients to order off my web site for their convenience! I do this to ensure they have an entire year’s supply of contact lenses and won’t be tempted to over-wear them, and because studies have shown it costs about $11 per patient to process contact lens orders that arrive at the office. A staff member has to collect a 50 percent deposit, place the order, unpack the order and call the patient to notify them that their contact lenses have arrived.
Communicate Online Ordering Message from Exam Chair
Communication about the patient’s ability to order contact lenses from the web site begins in the exam chair, and is initiated by me. We also have a pamphlet with a credit card sized area at the bottom where we fill in the patient’s web site username and password to ensure they order online. We encourage patients to put this card right into their wallet or purse for ease of use.
Create an Incentive for Patients to Order Online
We incentivize patients to order online by charging a “handling fee” if they elect to pick their lenses up in the office. We tell them that the most cost effective way to order their contact lenses is directly off our web site, 24 hours/day, seven days/week. I recommend purchasing an annual supply, or opting for “auto-ship” every three months. If the lenses are in stock, and ordered prior to 3 pm, Monday-Thursday, we generally have them the next day.
Link Online Ordering and Goal of Encouraging Annual Supply Sales
I think the goal to increase the number of patients ordering their contact lenses online is directly linked to an effort to have them save by ordering an annual supply. We present information regarding the amount of money they can save by ordering online: $100 savings on the purchase of an annual supply could buy several holiday turkeys or a fruit basket to give to friends over the holiday.
Teach Patients How to Do It
I ask my receptionist, Peggy, or one of our college or high school employees, to walk patients through the process of ordering contact lenses from our web site while their eyes are dilating. We have several hyperlinks on our web site to aid in the ordering of contact lenses.
Offer Ability to Return Unopened Boxes
To make patients feel secure about going ahead and ordering an annual supply via your web site, offer them the ability to return unopened boxes of contact lenses in case their prescription changes or the contacts suddenly become hard to wear for any reason. Patients can return unopened boxes directly to the vendor, but we generally have them bring them to us, and we do the exchange for them.
Market All Contact Lens Services Including Ability to Order from Your Web Site
We use Websystems III to notify patients via e-blast about new contact lenses that are available. We also have a Facebook page where we explain our contact lens services including online ordering and we offer the same information on our practice web site.
Encourage Patients to Order from Your Web Site:
An Action Plan
As eye doctor, educate patients to replace their contact lenses according to the schedule that you prescribe to preserve ocular health and best corrected visual acuity.
Set contact lens patients up to order online at the front desk as their pupils are dilating and send them a confirmation e-mail while they are in the office with the username and password they should use when ordering.
Create counter cards that explain the benefits of online ordering and fill out the card for patients before they leave the office so they have their username and password with them at all times.
Related ROB Articles
Partner with a CL Distributor to Make Reordering Convenient and Simple
Optimize Use of Trial Lenses to Maximize CL Profitability
Boost Annual CL Supply Sales with Convenience and Value
Mary E. Boname, OD, MS, FAAO, is the owner of Montgomery Eye Care, P.A., in Skillman, NJ. To contact her: mboname@mecnj.com.
