As independent practices increasingly focus on evolving their businesses, they require more sophisticated ways to engage with patients and deliver a stand out experience. HOYA has developed several new patient focused platforms so practices can nail the dispense – and on a more consistent basis.
Last year, KPMG’s snapshot of the attributes Australian consumers value most in their interactions with businesses offered two insights that play to the strengths of independent optometry. ‘Personalisation’ and ‘integrity’ are at the core of customer advocacy and loyalty, the ‘2023 Customer Experience Excellence’ report revealed.
Extrapolating these findings for optometry, practices are expected to understand their patients’ wants and needs, while instilling trust that they’re doing the right thing by them. In turn, the chances of a word-of-mouth referral increase when patient expectations are met or exceeded, and they are more likely to return when they find the practice easy to interact with.
So, what does this look like on a day-to-day basis for an independent optometry business?
Mr Ulli Hentschel, national training a development manager at HOYA Lens Australia, says while it starts with the optometry consultation, it’s often the retail experience that leaves the final impression. Was the patient offered lens options that suited their lifestyle? Were the lens benefits clearly articulated? Did the services come across as efficient and professional? And did the patient leave fully informed of their purchase without any post-decision regret?
Alluding to KPMG’s report, Hentschel believes personalisation and integrity are at the crux of a differentiated independent practice. Underpinning these are professional systems and resources that allow front-of-house staff to shine and offer a memorable experience.
As such, HOYA is releasing a suite of state-of-the-art systems to help its independent customers offer a standout service. Aspects of the new digital customer experience platforms were previewed at O=MEGA23 in September 2023, with some key attributes including a simplified lens ordering portal, an interactive app supporting optical dispensers through the lens consultation, and major updates to its eyewear centration technology.
Hentschel says it forms part of HOYA’s ‘For the Visionaries’ philosophy that seeks to hero the eyecare professional – or Visionary – while HOYA brings sophisticated lens technology, education, and platforms to the table.
“We’re wanting to support practices to grow their business and do more for their patients, but also remain relevant in the modern era. Retail is transforming in a big way, and we think we can be there behind the scenes to help,” he says.
“With cost-of-living pressures on Australian households impacting consumer purchasing decisions it is becoming increasingly more important to create an outstanding patient experience. Patients now have an expectation of a more streamlined journey, so adopting a more digitally focused and customer-centric approach can lead to improved understanding and confidence in what the patient is buying.
“This forms the basis of HOYA’s new digital customer experience platform. It’s a new way to engage with patients and deliver customer experience excellence for the independent practice.”
An all-encompassing platform
The new approach all begins with HOYA Hub. This is described as a self-service platform allowing practices to access key information such as HOYA product details, marketing support, training and events, and campaigns and promotions.
HOYA Lens Australia commercial systems manager Ms Sara Leonard, who oversees implementing these new systems into the Australian market, says HOYA Hub is intended to be a “one-stop-shop” and first port of call for practices seeking information – and links to systems from HOYA.
“Instead of spending precious time looking for answers and support, we want to empower practices and make their jobs easier – they can access this environment 24/7,” she says.
“HOYA Hub facilitates a one log-in step to provide access to our HOYA Learning Centre featuring modules for people of varying levels of knowledge within the practice. Some are specifically around HOYA products while others are more broadly focused on the optical industry. We also recognise practices are busy and often short on staff and time, so this works as a great onboarding tool for a new starter, especially if they’ve got limited experience with the industry or HOYA products.
“It then also provides links to the new systems we are launching including the HOYA Order Centre, and information of how to access the HOYA Consultation Centre 360 and HOYA Digital Fitting (more on these below).”
Rethinking lens ordering
With the same HOYA Hub log in credentials, customers then have access to the collection of other new digital systems from HOYA. If they aren’t available already, they will be shortly, and include:
• HOYA Order Centre
• HOYA Consultation Centre 360
• HOYA Digital Fitting
Starting with Hoya Order Centre, this is a web-based app to simplify the lens ordering process for practice staff. With so many more parameters and ways to personalise a lens today, this will eliminate the need for practices to input various codes and instructions for each job.
It achieves this with what HOYA describes as an intuitive interface and modern design, with other key features being logical, guided order workflows with convenient drop-down menus, quick access to preferred lens designs via the ‘favourites’ menu, and the ability to track orders, lodge enquiries, review history and reorder with little fuss.
“Cloud-based functionality requires only a login, eliminating setup and maintenance hassles,” Hentschel adds. “It also offers comprehensive lens and frame catalogues with automatic updates, simple order cancellation even outside office hours, compatibility with a wide range of tracers and, importantly, seamless integration with Optomate to eliminate double entry.
“The Hoya Order Centre promises to streamline administrative tasks for practices, enhancing efficiency amid increasing demands.”
The software also has a direct interface with Hoya Consultation Centre 360 and Hoya Digital Fitting allowing straight-forward transfer of wearing parameter and lens design values.
Consistent and effective consultations
While HOYA’s new ordering system is providing back-end efficiencies, the company’s new HOYA Consultation Centre 360 app is supporting practices to elevate their patient-facing services.
At its core, the app is a digital tool that works as a consultation guide for the optical dispenser to take the patients through frame and lens selection. HOYA says it helps practices augment their expertise, presenting patients with a sleek interface and consistent messaging.
One of the biggest challenges practices face is explaining the nuances of various vision solutions, but Hentschel says the Hoya Consultation Centre 360 can empower practice staff to promote premium products with greater ease and assurance.
“This fosters greater confidence among patients as they navigate frame and lens options, aided by product demonstrations and customised recommendations tailored to their vision needs and lifestyle,” he says.
A key component of the app is interactive features and relatable visuals where, according to HOYA, Hoya Consultation Centre 360 digitally simplifies complex vision concepts, ensuring patients grasp different vision care options with greater clarity.
“This works to foster a sense of understanding and confidence in their selection process,” Hentschel adds.
The digital consultation tool is also customisable for each practice. For example, practices can personalise the app to align with their brand identity, selecting relevant information from a digital portfolio of HOYA products and incorporating their own store name and logo.
“And even the language and description practices use to describe lenses can be edited and tailored on the app to foster expertise and maintain consistency across all staff interactions,” Hentschel says. “It’s there to champion the practice, so when a patient is working through the consultation with a staff member, it looks much like a tool they have developed themselves.”
Finally, Hoya Consultation Centre 360 takes patients through several questions about their lifestyle and vision needs, which they answer themselves in the app.
“It then generates tailored recommendations and showcases the benefits of various vision solutions. This encompasses lens designs, materials, coatings, light-adaptive solutions, and more,” Hentschel says.
“Hoya Consultation Centre 360 represents a significant advancement in consultation tools, empowering our customers to provide a more informed and personalised experience for every patient.”
Minimising dispensing errors
The final piece of HOYA’s new digital systems puzzle is Hoya Digital Fitting. It’s being touted as a cutting-edge digital fitting app adopting precise measurement and video centration technology to capture accurate position of wear (POW) measurements while offering comprehensive simulation and visualisation of lens designs.
It represents the latest eyewear centration technology from HOYA and is an alternative to the company’s visuREAL Master wall-mounted system that itself will soon have a major update.
The visuReal MasterAI, described as an industry-leading centration system, has undergone a transformation with AI integration. HOYA says the AI-powered algorithm has been meticulously trained to significantly reduce manual adjustments, resulting in a simpler, more efficient and more accurate as well as a less user-dependent process. The AI-powered functionality embedded in the system enables faster and more precise centration and frame fitting.
“By virtually eliminating the need for manual adjustment and human error, it significantly enhances the patient fit, improving long-term comfort and vision support,” the company states.
Meanwhile, Hoya Digital Fitting, available on an iPad Pro, marks a major advancement in this category by eliminating the need for a jig thanks to sophisticated LiDAR scanning technology that uses only one photo for fitting measurements and one for reading distance and position.
HOYA Digital Fitting captures key measurements including, monocular pupillary distance, fitting heights, corneal vertex distance, pantoscopic tilt, frame face form angle, and reading distance and position.
Hentschel says the advantages of HOYA’s latest eyewear centration technology are significant in that it facilitates lens and frame selection, minimises errors and variability in practice, reduces the need for retesting, decreases the occurrence of remakes, and saves both time and costs.
“This all works to boost customer confidence,” he says. “For optimal results, HOYA Digital Fitting is recommended for use alongside HOYA’s Consultation Centre 360 app. The wearing parameters captured by HOYA Digital Fitting seamlessly integrate into the patient’s Vision Profile consultation, ensuring the most personalised lens recommendation.”
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