Staff Management

Put the Right Employee in the Right Job

By Sherin George, OD


Imagine an optometric practice, where the receptionist doesn’t know a thing about customer service, the salesperson doesn’t know anything about the products he/she is selling, and the lab person doesn’t have a clue about adjusting eyeglasses. What a mess would that be?

To run an efficient practice, it is imperative to put the right person in the right job–if you want to know that job will be done just the way you would have done it.
To achieve this efficiency, the employer must know each employee’s strengths and weaknesses. And the employer may even have to go as far as making employees aware of their own strengths and helping them work toward enhancing those strengths. I once worked at a practice where the optician’s/lab technician’s, average sale was $600, but he only made three sales a month. I’ve listened to this optician sell, and he only talks to his patients about the best in the market, and more often than not, patients bought all the add-ons he recommended. Imagine the gross that this practice could generate if that optician was on the sales floor full time instead of couped up in the lab.
At my practice, I’ve made every effort to be aware of my employees’ strengths and weaknesses. I have an employee that is excellent in every task given to her. I’ve lost count of the number of times patients have complimented me on how wonderful and helpful she is. But she is my bookkeeper and insurance biller, and she’s phenomenal in that as well. I’ve re-evaluated her position in our office, and have determined that her expertise is most valuable to me as an employer in bookkeeping and insurance billing. My front desk employees are also excellent in what they do and patients are quite satisfied with them. So, I can afford to put my other employee in billing even though she’s great in other areas too.
My husband who is a “jack of all trades” at our office, spends most of his time on the sales floor selling premium products and educating patients on the new optical technologies on the market. Sales is definitely in his blood. Since 2006, when he joined the practice full time, we’ve increased our revenue 10 percent to 17 percent every year. He has considered the possibility of doing lab work as well, but that thought is always quickly dismissed because his sales ability is the biggest asset he offers our practice. For that reason, it is important to keep him on the sales floor rather than in a lab with no patient exposure. He thoroughly enjoys educating patients and helping them decide on products that are optimal for their needs. It would be a travesty if he were forced to spend his days in a lab, both for himself and for the wellbeing of the practice.
Putting the right person in the right job is key to the success of running an efficient practice. The right employee in the right job is beneficial to the growth of the practice and makes your office more enjoyable. What better place for your patients to go for their eyecare needs than a flourishing practice with well-placed employees?

How do you ensure your employees are in the jobs that best match their abilities?

Sherin George, OD,is the owner of Franklin Square Eyecare inFranklin Square, NY. To contact her:sgeorge10@gmail.com.

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