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Remakes are a fact of life. They are profit killers. They
play havoc with
customer service. They will make you old
before your time.
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The bigger question is “Can they be prevented?” The
real-life answer is “For the most part, yes.”
The key to solving remake problems is…education,
education and more education; education for the optical
staff, education for the prescribing doctor and education
for the patient.
First, education for the optical staff. Remember, there
is a difference between excellent marketing and real
education. It’s sometimes difficult to separate one from
the other, but the more time spent on evaluating the
information, the more apparent the differences become. It’s
one thing to promote an anti-reflective treatment claiming a
50% increase in light transmittance and quite another to
find that the actual transmittance is only increased by
0.5%. That’s good marketing, but not good education. The
optical staff needs to understand what they are advising
their patients to choose and what the real-life benefits
those patients will experience are. Miss the mark and it
becomes a remake and has eroded some of the trust patients
have in the practice. 50% more light or 30% wider fields of
vision may mean one thing to an ECP and quite another to a
patient when justifying a hefty price tag. Take advantage of
as many educational opportunities as possible, in trade
publications, online and at live events like the Vision
Expos, state association meetings and lab/manufacturer
sponsored programs. There is always something new on the
horizon as our industry changes and technologies advance.
Ignorance is not bliss, nor is it an excuse for questionable
advice.
Second, education for the prescribing doctor. ODs and MDs
spend many years and lots of money learning the art and
science of their respective professions. It is difficult, if
not impossible, for them to keep abreast of the changes in
lens and frame technologies. They often rely heavily on
manufacturer’s reps for the latest information. Most of
the time, that’s a good thing. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s
not. Again, there’s a big difference between good
marketing and real education and most prescribers don’t
have the time to discern the differences. Regular staff
meetings, where new products and services can be presented
and discussed are an important part of the education
process. It is vitally important that every staff member be
at least conversant in the latest technologies and able to
direct patient inquiries to the right staff member. The most
powerful recommendation comes from the exam room. Patient
trust is built on appropriate recommendations and solutions
to visual needs based on conversations in the exam room and
a confident “hand off” from prescriber to optical staff.
A hard sell in the exam room or an inappropriate
recommendation may result in “buyer’s remorse” and a
remake or worse yet, a refund.
Third, education for the patient. Patients, more often
than not, hear what they want to hear. More often than not,
warranty information is not what they want to hear, or
choose to remember. Billie Taylor, a licensed optician at
the office of Gordon Jennings OD in Wytheville, VA shared
her remake policies with me. She carefully explains to every
patient that the eyewear selected is a custom crafted item
and as such cannot be remade for any reason other than a
manufacturing defect, doctor’s change or limited warranty
coverage. “I tell them that they can take the frame home
and let friends and family see what’s been selected, but
once the glasses are made, the patient owns them.”
The remake percentage at Dr Jennings’ practice is very
low and their patient satisfaction is extremely high.
Patients are accustomed to a high degree of professionalism,
honesty and a firm and fair remake policy. That level of
patient trust requires hard work and a commitment to
quality, honesty and value.
Some big box retailers offer a “30-day no fault if you
change your mind warranty.” That’s a difficult offer to
compete with, but not impossible. The advantage to the
private, independent practice is the personal relationship
that develops with every patient. That 30-day no-fault
warranty implies that the customer is not going to be happy
with their first choice and is expected to return.
Remake policies and warranties should be simple and
reviewed with every patient during the eyewear or contact
lens selection process. If possible, the policies should
appear on receipts and other similar office forms.
Last, but not least, creating a remake/warranty policy.
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Keep it simple. Most of the practices I work with
limit warranties to 1 year from date of purchase and doctor’s
changes to 30 days from date of purchase, regardless of any
manufacturer’s warranty and/or return policies.
Manufacturer’s policies are built around their bottom line
and yours should be as well. We are all in business to make
a profit, not to give away free eyewear.
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Put it in writing. Warranties and remake policies need
to be explained more than once. Make them part of your
office paperwork and review it with every purchase. Provide
a written copy with every receipt. Don’t assume that every
patient understands; ask for confirmation of that
understanding.
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Be Flexible, but firm. Leave room for that hard case,
the child with no glasses or the elderly patient who fell
and broke theirs. But the “glasses turned dog-chew”
twice in two months, not a chance. Eyewear abusers need to
be someone else’s problem.
There is always an online discussion somewhere about
warranties and remakes and I’d like to share one that
appeared on OptiBoard.com in February 2011.
“I offer the same 1 year, 1 time no charge replacement
for both frames and premium lenses to patients, even though
the vendor and lab warranties to me are greater.
The manufacturer warranties are extended to the
purchasing optical, not the patients, and we offer to
patients whatever we want to do good business. If I truly
“pass on” the full manufacturer warranty, then what the
patient would have to do is pay in full for new lenses or
frames, return the old, pay shipping, wait 30-60 days for
reimbursement, and hope that the warranty is honored. But
that’s not what happens. Since we do all the warranty
work, there is nothing wrong with limiting the end user
warranty.
Limiting it lets me be more flexible and generous too. If
I have a sad case where the lenses are scratched more than
once in a year, I can replace them if I like…I pretty much
never have to say no to any reasonable case, but I always
have the prerogative to decline patients looking to abuse my
generosity…It is important to me that my patient(s) know
and appreciate that I am doing the service of warranting and
replacing their eyewear, not the manufacturers. After I have
satisfied a patient, what happens between me and my vendors
is my business…” DanLiv, OptiBoard 2-25-2011.
Makes sense to me.
Every practice must have a remake policy that is
understandable, reasonable and enforceable.
It should be understandable, not only by your patients,
but also by your staff. Everyone onboard should understand
the impact remakes have on practice profitability and how
that profitability affects each of them.
Remakes are not free. While your lab may offer a “free”
remake, in reality they may only be reimbursed for the lens
blanks, not the time and money it takes to actually produce
the lenses. Those costs will have to be recouped through
higher prices on other work.
