Eye examinations are easy. Booking an eye exam is complicated. So complicated half of all potential patients will ignore annual vision care. Delay until it is no longer possible to put up with old eyeglasses and strained vision.
The choice is not so easy when it’s personal.
1. Has to be convenient – life is busy so the doctor has to be close to home, work, or school. Most search engines and directories make it easy to find eye doctors by zip code. That works.
2. Has to be comfortable – Patients want someone they can trust. That’s understands them. Women will say gender doesn’t matter but given a choice women will always choose a women doctor. Men might make decisions based on preferences. However, most just go with their spouse’s choice.
3. Choices are important – Patients don’t buy new eyeglasses that often. Patients want choices. Designer frames, regular frames, frame colors, materials, bifocals, trifocals, progressive lenses, coatings, insurance, and most importantly … how do I look? Optometrists would do well to feature their optician, inventory, and personal fitting attention to attract new patients.
4. When can I get an exam? Patients are busy, too. Family, school, activities, work, and now an eye exam. Patients want to see dates and times. Exams to click and book. Not a call me phone listing or email request with three exam time preferences.
Tough Decisions for Eye Exams
5. Don’t put me on hold– Patients get that doctors are busy, patients in your office want your attention. But, calling for an appointment and holding for even 2-minutes is frustrating.
6. Don’t negotiate exam times – Patients just want eyeglasses or contact lens. They don’t want to rearrange their life, family activities, and vacation schedules. Let them see available exam times and they will decide.
7. Don’t’ force calls when you are in the office. Patients run 24/7 and don’t always have time to call during office hours. It is complicated to save the office number, find time to call, wait on hold, and then negotiate exam times. Half of all patients will give up. We know 59% of patients are looking for eye doctors after regular M-F, 9-5 office hours.
8. Don’t send me to your answering machine – See #7
9. I would like to know something about exam fees – Cash paying patients without vision insurance are looking for another eye doctor because their last visit ended with a big surprise. Average eye exams cost $130 and eyeglasses $240. Spending $360 is a lot. Surprised by $400, $500 or more … leads patients to search for a new doctor.
10. How about a little savings? – Patients will make extra effort for savings. Eye doctors average 4-5 unfilled eye appointments per day. Why not fill those last-minutes openings with patients? Offer savings to fill those empty exam times. Patients will respond.
BidmyGlasses helps eye doctors and patients. We access your office calendar and present your current un-filled exams to cash paying patients. 85% of BidmyGlasses visitors are looking for appointments within 72-hours. 93% in the next week.
We make it easier for patients to get vision care then to put off vision care. We help optometrists see new patients rather than empty chairs. We make it easier for everyone.
– – – – – – – – –
40-million eye exams expire un-used every year while 90-million adults skip annual vision care. Why? It is complicated to find a new optometrist, negotiate an appointment, book-an-exam, and expensive if an employer does not sponsor vision insurance. Patients will make the time for that eye exam when it is easier for them. See Better. Look Better. Save Money. BidmyGlasses