How One London Ontario Optometrist Got Started
As a business consultant, I get to talk to a lot of dentists, optometrists and others in the medical field who want to know what they need to do to maximize their business. Generally, the answer is always the same: "A good office location, good people skills, and a high standard of service will give you the foundation you need to build a strong business in the present, and to grow in the long term." Many new clinics spend more time on marketing & trying to outdo the big fish in their market when their primary concern should be making sure their new patients are leaving the office satisfied. Whether you are an eye doctor, or a business consultant such as myself, I believe you will gain a lot by sticking to some common principles. To illustrate this, I have put together a case study of a successful optometry practice: East London Optometry in London, Ontario, Canada.
The history of East London optometry started in 1980, when Dr. John Astles established his new optometry practice in a small house on Hamilton street in London, Ontario, Canada. Like any business, Dr. Astles had his ups and downs, but through hard work & dedication to his patients, his practice slowly grew and eventually he needed help to handle the growing demand for quality family oriented optometry. In 1996 a second optometrist (Dr. Danielle McPhee) joined the growing team and since then, the small London Ontario optometry office has blossomed.
By 1998, what was originally a small one optometrist practice had grown into a state of the art office, with 5 on-site optometrists to suit your optometry needs (Dr. Margaret Corey, Dr. Jeffrey Dexler & Dr. Raewyn Leech), and a friendly & enthusiastic team of staff to make sure new & returning patients receive only the highest quality eye care experience. Today, East London Optometry sees patients that started coming in over 30 years ago still making their way through the doors. So what can we as optometrists and general small business owners learn from all this? Quality service in the eye industry should be the back bone of any optometry practice & of course, the same can be said for any other service oriented business. This quality of work required can be achieved by focusing on three areas:
1. Listening To Patient Needs - Many people are hesitant to talk about their eye problems, and others will communicate their concerns very clearly. In any case, the primary focus of any optician should be to determine their patients needs by listening, and implementing the best solution possible. It's also important to meet their financial needs, because even though someone may not have the funding for the highest level in eye care, it's still important to do everything you can for them and make sure they have confidence in your optometry services.
2. Concern & Honesty - If you show genuine concern and are honest with your patients, you will see their loyalty grow in accordance. As a result, you will have loyal life-long clients who will not only bring you their hard earned money, but also give you many referrals from family, friends & colleagues at work.
3. Quality of Work - Think about hiring a contractor. Would you re-hire someone that didn't do a good job on your basement? Probably not and in fact, you would likely give them negative reviews rather than sending them referrals. There is the old cliché in business "An unhappy customer will give you many more reviews than a happy customer." As cliché as this is, it's something we should not forget, whether opening an optometry practice, or establishing a different kind of service oriented business such as my line of work.
In conclusion, the case study of East London Optometry has shown us that the concept of running a successful service of any kind relies on the same basic rules & principles. Many optometry offices & other businesses often make the mistake of putting their main focus on trying to outdo their competition from a marketing standpoint, when the main focus should be outdoing them from a customer service standpoint. As expected, my brief review of this established London Ontario optometrist office has shown us just that.
The history of East London optometry started in 1980, when Dr. John Astles established his new optometry practice in a small house on Hamilton street in London, Ontario, Canada. Like any business, Dr. Astles had his ups and downs, but through hard work & dedication to his patients, his practice slowly grew and eventually he needed help to handle the growing demand for quality family oriented optometry. In 1996 a second optometrist (Dr. Danielle McPhee) joined the growing team and since then, the small London Ontario optometry office has blossomed.
By 1998, what was originally a small one optometrist practice had grown into a state of the art office, with 5 on-site optometrists to suit your optometry needs (Dr. Margaret Corey, Dr. Jeffrey Dexler & Dr. Raewyn Leech), and a friendly & enthusiastic team of staff to make sure new & returning patients receive only the highest quality eye care experience. Today, East London Optometry sees patients that started coming in over 30 years ago still making their way through the doors. So what can we as optometrists and general small business owners learn from all this? Quality service in the eye industry should be the back bone of any optometry practice & of course, the same can be said for any other service oriented business. This quality of work required can be achieved by focusing on three areas:
1. Listening To Patient Needs - Many people are hesitant to talk about their eye problems, and others will communicate their concerns very clearly. In any case, the primary focus of any optician should be to determine their patients needs by listening, and implementing the best solution possible. It's also important to meet their financial needs, because even though someone may not have the funding for the highest level in eye care, it's still important to do everything you can for them and make sure they have confidence in your optometry services.
2. Concern & Honesty - If you show genuine concern and are honest with your patients, you will see their loyalty grow in accordance. As a result, you will have loyal life-long clients who will not only bring you their hard earned money, but also give you many referrals from family, friends & colleagues at work.
3. Quality of Work - Think about hiring a contractor. Would you re-hire someone that didn't do a good job on your basement? Probably not and in fact, you would likely give them negative reviews rather than sending them referrals. There is the old cliché in business "An unhappy customer will give you many more reviews than a happy customer." As cliché as this is, it's something we should not forget, whether opening an optometry practice, or establishing a different kind of service oriented business such as my line of work.
In conclusion, the case study of East London Optometry has shown us that the concept of running a successful service of any kind relies on the same basic rules & principles. Many optometry offices & other businesses often make the mistake of putting their main focus on trying to outdo their competition from a marketing standpoint, when the main focus should be outdoing them from a customer service standpoint. As expected, my brief review of this established London Ontario optometrist office has shown us just that.