Our lovely friends at The Optical Vision Site recently wrote an article about the importance of optical fixtures in an eyecare practice. They focus on both the purpose of a great first impression to customers and how intrinsic and extrinsic feelings might keep an eyecare practice from stepping up to the plate and creating an appealing atomosphere for customers. And to touch on how a great design can improve the experience for customers, they interviewed two eyecare practices and talked to them about their successes that branched from implementing 'pleasing and efficient' displays. Check out their article ''How Important Are Optical Fixtures" to see if there is any room for improvement of the displays in your office!
How Important are Optical Fixtures?
This might seem like a redundant question but walk into a few optical retailers and ask yourself, “how important are optical fixtures to the owner of this location?” Too many times your answer will be, “not important enough!” The lighting is bad, the carpets and chairs are worn, the fixtures are dingy etc. Poor fixtures can create a very bad first impression and certainly don't representative the eyecare the practice provides. Why do you think that is? We believe there are many reasons, and often it is just because the place we work becomes invisible to us, but it isn’t invisible to our customers. However, first impressions are so important and you can never get them back.
Millennium Contact Lens Fitting Area
Even if we do notice that changes are needed lots of other things can get in the way of doing something about it e.g.
- fear of change
- more important business matters to address
- don’t know how to start
- don’t have time
- don’t know which company to work with
- cost concerns
- business disruption
We decided to interview some optical retailers who had recently upgraded their fixtures to ask them about their experience and motivation. We started with two Fashion Optical Display customers. Here is what they had to say:
Millennium Eye Care Reception & Showcases
Millennium Eye Care: Optical dispensing has become a significant part of our business. Investing in optical fixtures that are pleasing to our patients and efficient for our opticians has contributed to our success. We believe that our patients recognize the value of our services and are willing to pay for it. Our appearance helps to promote our image of quality. While our success has many contributing factors, I am convinced that our investment in quality optical fixtures has returned many dividends. The classic design and solid construction of the fixtures allows our investment to last for many years and still look as good as new. (Steven K. Mishkin, M.D., Managing Partner of Millennium Eye Care, LLC)
Wahoo Vision Center Entry Area
Wahoo Vision Center: I found Fashion Optical Displays on the internet. Their website was very informative, and easy to maneuver. Knowing our office was going to move sometime in the near future, I had ordered a catalog to have on hand and had looked at it many times. When I called with questions, the staff was helpful, knowledgeable, and very willing to work with me and give me ideas.
When I knew I was interested in their products, I called and asked for references and was given more than one office to contact. The offices I called had positive things to say about Fashion Optical Display, their customer service and their products. These offices were within driving distance, so I could have visited and seen for myself the quality of the products, but the positive references were enough.
Not having a place in our area to purchase optical displays, I was uneasy and apprehensive about ordering something without seeing it, and doing business with someone I had never met. After calling and talking to the staff, I felt very comfortable working with this company. The biggest challenge I encountered was deciding what our office needs were, how these displays were going to be arranged, and leaving room for a reception area. The staff was very helpful and patient, needless to say, we had a lot of back and forth emails.
We have heard a lot of positive comments on our new optical displays. We now have dispensing tables with computers that look very professional and the staff appreciates. I love the quality of our displays, and I would recommend Fashion Optical Displays anytime. (Diane O’Brien, Wahoo Vision Center)
As you can see from these two interviews, optical fixtures are very important for their practices but they still had to go through the process. It was necessary to check references, find out that they were working with a reputable company and make a commitment to moving forward but once they did that, they were certain that they were doing the right thing and the pictures show you they did!
