Increase RPE (Revenue Per Exam)

We are all familiar with the acronym TEAM, which stands for “Together Everyone Achieves More.” Although some offices already live by this motto, this article serves as a useful reminder of how each office in the Network should consider this acronym as part of their office culture to help them boost office morale and sales.

By acting as a TEAM, each team member helps the other perform their job. Every staff member in the office has the capacity and the ability to assist in the selling process.

In order to perform at full capacity, everyone has to feel like they are doing their part to help the TEAM. This inclusivity helps because it shows that everyone has a sense of belonging and responsibility. Each staff member must work together, participate, and, most importantly, contribute.

The selling process begins at the very beginning—when the patient enters the office. The way the patient is greeted and approached—begins the selling process. The receptionist must do their job to make the patient feel special and important.

The next step is the receptionist introducing the patient to the tech. The tech must be professional, friendly, and highly informative during the pre-testing process. The tech must ask about the current primary eyewear the patient is using. Secondly, the tech must ask about additional eyewear—sunglasses, readers, or computer pair. If the patient says—I have only one pair! This has to be noted, so the doctor is able to make the proper recommendations.

After finishing the evaluation, the doctor should write at least four RXs based on the data the tech recorded and the questions the doctor asked the patient.

In one of the last but essential steps, the doctor introduces the patient to the Optician. The doctor describes to the Optician the reason for each Rx and explains the recommendations discussed in front of the patient.

The Optician then asks the patient to have a seat and begins the “Lifestyle Selling Process,” Asking questions about the patient’s lifestyle and how they wear their glasses. Based on the doctor’s recommendations and the patient’s lifestyle, —a minimum of two pairs of glasses should be recommended and sold.

The doctor and the office staff must understand that the entire TEAM’s effort to sell started the moment the patient walked into the building and it never ended until that patient walked out. If this process was practiced with every patient, multiple pairs of eyewear would be sold, thus increasing both the total sales and the RPE for the office.