Photo: courtesy of Dr. Laurie Sorrenson. Display in Dr. Sorrenson’s optical. Dr. Sorrenson shares the positive impact of an automated glasses warranty system in which warranty is made a part of all glasses sales by default.
Glasses warranty system
By Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO
April 2, 2025
Many optometry offices offer warranties, typically included in the price of the glasses. For many years, I did this too.
However, we now use an automated glasses warranty system. Warranty, including an additional charge, is now added by default in our billing software to all glasses sales.
Start Charging for Glasses Warranty Because It’s a Drain on Staff Time?
Over time, I realized something… replacing lenses or glasses isn’t just about material costs—it also takes up significant staff time! (Front desk check-in, optician talking to the patient, creating an order, processing the order, checking in the order, notifying the patient, then patient comes in and we start over with check-in, optician dispensing!)
That got me thinking—should we start charging separately for warranties? I had a colleague who was doing it, so I decided to give it a try.
I know this approach isn’t for everyone. I often say, “There’s more than one right way to run an optometric business.” But for us, it made sense to explore this. (I like experimenting!)
Automating Glasses Warranty System
The drain on staff time that pushed us to start charging for warranties also pushed us to try automating our warranty system, including a warranty by default in all sales. We experienced dramatically positive results for doing this.
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For the last four years, we sold glasses warranties as an add-on, and in 2023, our sales percentage hovered around 22-24%. The numbers varied widely among our opticians, ranging from 10% to 57%.
Then, on June 1, 2024, we made a change: we included the warranty in all optical packages by default. If a patient didn’t want it, the optician had to actively remove the warranty from the billing system.
This seemingly small adjustment had a huge impact. Our warranty sales jumped from 22% to over 63%. The range among opticians tightened up, now sitting between 33% and 80%.
Warranty card from Dr. Laurie Sorrenson’s office.
Interestingly, our highest performer was a newly hired optician with no prior experience, achieving that 80% rate. Even our lowest-performing optician more than tripled their warranty sales.
The financial impact was just as impressive. From June to October, this change added $48,000 to our bottom line—almost $10,000 a month.
Other examples of automation we have implemented over time?
What Else Can Be Automated Like Glasses Warranty System?
Let’s fill those books!
–Online scheduling with automated information about the appointment and links to insurance/online history. I love online scheduling! We use Crystal Practice Management’s integrated online scheduler. Editor’s note: Many other practice management systems also offer an integrated online scheduler.
–Equipment integration. I think everything should be integrated!
-Insurance verification automation with Aloha
Editor’s note: There are other technology options for automating insurance verification including ABB Verify, Paradeyem, Zywave and PatientPop, among many other options.
The experience of including the optical warranty in our optical packages (automating) reinforced an important lesson for me: sometimes automation isn’t about adding technology…it can be about streamlining a current system or process and making it more efficient.
In this case, a simple change transformed how we operate—and the results truly surprised me! And it was so EASY!!!
Read another recent column by Dr. Sorrenson
Laurie Sorrenson, OD, FAAO, is president of Lakeline Vision Source in Cedar Park, Texas, and the Professional Editor of Review of Optometric Business (ROB). To contact her: lsorrenson@gmail.com.
