“The delivery of a service or a product is just as important as the product itself.” — Masaaki Imai
WHEN IT COMES to keeping patients happy and loyal, how you deliver matters just as much as what you deliver. In private practice optometry, great service isn’t just about precise prescriptions or stylish frames at fair prices — it’s the entire experience from start to finish. Every interaction — from appointment scheduling to picking up new glasses — is a chance to refine processes, eliminate roadblocks, and boost efficiency.
Think about it: A patient orders glasses and is told they’ll be ready in seven days. If they get them in five? They’re thrilled. But if they don’t get them until day 10? Frustration kicks in. Managing expectations and delivering on promises is a game-changer for customer satisfaction.
Here are three areas to focus on to level up your delivery game:
Make scheduling and wait times smoother. One of the biggest patient frustrations is long wait times, whether for an appointment or in the office. No one likes being stuck in a waiting area half an hour past their scheduled time, and these delays create ripples of dissatisfaction.
Look at your scheduling. Do you book appointments too tightly together or have too few available? Do some services take longer than expected, throwing off your schedule? Analyzing where bottlenecks occur helps you adjust your scheduling strategy.
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Also, consider leveraging technology to improve efficiency. Online scheduling, text reminders, and pre-visit digital forms speed up the intake process, reduce no-shows, and create a more seamless experience.
Speed up delivery. Patients don’t just want high-quality eyewear — they want it fast. Delays in glasses or contact lens orders are a major source of frustration, and in today’s world, where people can get nearly anything delivered overnight, waiting weeks for eyewear feels unacceptable.
The problem often lies with suppliers and labs. If your lab consistently delivers late, it’s time to have a serious discussion. Set clear expectations with your lab reps, and if they can’t meet them, find one who will. Your patients deserve reliability, and you deserve a supplier who values your business.
For contact lenses, consider working with distributors who offer direct shipping to patients. This small change saves your patients an extra trip to your office and makes your practice more convenient to do business with.
And don’t forget about rush orders. Some patients need their glasses quickly — whether for travel, work, or an emergency. Having an expedited service option, even at an extra cost, can be a huge value-add for your practice.
Improve communication and keep patients in the loop. Even with the best systems in place, unexpected delays can still happen. Patients don’t mind waiting as much when they know what’s going on. A simple text update about their eyewear order status or an honest conversation about a delay builds trust. What frustrates people the most is uncertainty — not knowing when their glasses will be ready, not getting a clear answer when they call, or feeling ignored.
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Enhance communication by implementing a text notification system. Instead of patients calling your office multiple times to check on their order, they receive an automatic update when their glasses are ready. It’s a small adjustment, but it makes a huge difference in perceived service quality. When patients feel informed, they feel valued. And valued patients become loyal patients.
Why delivery matters more than ever: With growing competition, efficient delivery isn’t just a nice touch — it’s a must. Patients have options, and if they feel like they’re getting better service elsewhere, they’ll take their business there.
Improving delivery isn’t just about making patients happy. It also saves your practice time and money. Fewer delays mean fewer headaches, less rework, and a more productive team focused on patient care instead of chasing down orders.
At the end of the day, a successful practice doesn’t just focus on accuracy and affordability — it prioritizes a seamless experience. Because in today’s world, it’s not just about what you deliver — it’s about how you deliver it. And that’s what keeps patients coming back.
