Eyecare practices invest a large chunk of money into their equipment, software, people, and education. Of course, we encourage that you weigh your options and comparison shop before making any big decision. Sometimes, you find the perfect solution or vendor for your practice, but you hesitate because they're expensive or highly specialized.
You might want to start with calculating which expenses can be consolidated to give you a bigger bang for your buck. We encourage you get creative, too. You could bundle deals for frames, product ordering, outsourcing, or hiring a recruiter. Let's take a deeper dive into how.
3 Areas to Consolidate Your Optometry Expenses
Education
In order to grow their knowledge base and keep updated on eye health discoveries, optometrists eventually look to CE courses and panels. However, there's also a need for learning and training for your opticians, front desk, and other staff. Anyone in your practice can benefit from enrolling in certain business courses, too. Investing in a monthly subscription to Lynda, Skillshare, or Udemy could offer multiple avenues for everyone at a lower overall cost.
Equipment & Software
Like we've mentioned before, equipment and software are large purchases that will require you to shop around and attend demos. While you're evaluating the capabilities of each tool, it could benefit you to take note of how the tools you choose integrate or talk to one another. Sometimes you'll find the perfect software, but it isn't compatible with your existing equipment. Or, maybe you'll have to purchase multiple tools from multiple vendors and manage their subscriptions, contracts, and separate customer support teams. Invest in vendors that integrate with each other, offer combination deals or all-in-one solutions, and make your workflow easier. You'll conserve time, money, and energy in the long run.
Events
If you want to take the phrase "two birds, one stone" even further, attend an eyecare industry event like Vision Expo. Not only do large events and conferences allow you to visit with software vendors and try new equipment, but they also offer further education through COPE approved CE courses. Although footing the bill can be pricey, it's most definitely worth it if your practice is growing quickly, you're in the market for new tools, or you want to network and take courses in-person. Conduct your own cost-benefit analysis in terms of the time you'd save by attending a single event if any of those conditions apply to you.
We've got a few Vision Expo East deals this year. If you're in NYC on March 27th, stop by Booth MS 4841.
