Although we discuss keeping up to date with the latest software and making regular improvements to your practice, we don't often focus on the expenses. Some optometry practice upgrades can be a large initial investment, while others are virtually free.
We believe spending no more than $100 on a few, key items can improve your communication, dispensary sales, or day-to-day efficiency. Not every practice change has to cost thousands in order to keep your patients satisfied.
We've rounded up inexpensive solutions to common practice issues that you could implement within the week below.
Small Improvements for Big Impact in Your Practice
DoorbellsKnowing when patients are ready to be sent to the technician, exam room, or dispensary can be clunky and lead to miscommunication. Small doorbells installed in each room of the office can aid in creating a seamless hand-off process. This inexpensive set from Physen is useful because each bell can be programmed to play a different tone, so that you know which room is paging.
Cork, dry-erase, or wire (~$30)-- a notice board can serve as an important focus for patients in your waiting room. If most of your practice walls are blank or covered in frame boards, the notice board will attract your patients' eyes to important information. If you want to avoid any unwanted flyers, you can even purchase a locking pin board ($89.99). You can post a calendar for important events, promotions for any sales or discounts, highlight your top employee of the month, or display photos of your patients. The notice board can inject personality and interest into your practice with minimal monthly maintenance.
The biggest selling point of Google Drive is that it's completely free. From documents and excel sheets to photos and presentations, your practice can have a shared drive that automatically saves and allows multiple people to edit files at the same time and chat subtly. If you want to send out secure surveys to your patients, you can use Google Forms and store all the results in Google Drive, download them into a Google Sheet, or export them to a Microsoft Office file. File sharing services make collaboration easy, which can be especially useful if your practice management software doesn't have fully embedded communication tools.
Kid's Corner
Sometimes, having an area where patients' kids can be occupied while they are in the exam room could set you apart from your competition. With summer break quickly approaching, you'll want to prepare your office for the influx of eye exam requests for children. Providing a small table and chairs ($71.50) and a set of magnetic building tiles ($33.99) could keep children occupied while their parents are filling out forms or discussing products with opticians.
Decor
Art can function as an interesting backdrop for patient photos (that you could add to your notice board!) and cover up any unsightly scratches or holes in the walls after you've refreshed your interior layout. You could display eye-related decals ($7.95), put something eyecatching on your front windows ($7.95), or create a collage of fun prints ($18.99). Additionally, utilizing a chalkboard sign ($69.95) on the walkway outside your front door can be helpful if there's a large amount of foot traffic in your location. Using the stencils provided, you can write catchy, timely phrases to attract and entertain new patients.
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