Welcome

How important is having the right ECP practice dispensary staff?

David Friedfeld, President, and Peter Friedfeld, Executive Vice President, ClearVision Optical

"Ultimately, smart staffing results in higher profits through stellar customer service, better retention, and fewer money-losing mistakes. On the flip side, a staff that is not right can cause a practice to lose money every day, especially if the employees aren't properly focused on merchandising the right product or delivering a customer-service oriented model. The net income of the practice and its owner is undoubtedly affected by staffing.

Still, savvy staffing is no easy task. Where can eyecare professionals find quality employees? And, how do they keep them engaged and inspired to stay?

Because having the right staff is paramount in today's challenging business climate, ClearVision brings you this special Beyond the Brand supplement focused on successful business strategies for staffing. We believe that smart employees who fit our company's unique family-oriented culture are the key to our success. As such, we strive to keep our staff educated and inspired all the time.

1 Savvy Hiring

We believe that the best time to look for a new employee is when you don't need one. Preparation is essential—otherwise you are at the mercy of the marketplace in the moment. As a result, you may not necessarily bring in the best people for your practice. Many ECPs keep a lookout for potential candidates at trade shows, professional meetings, and state conventions. Talented, service-oriented employees outside the optical industry are also excellent candidates.

2 Focus on Attitude

Here at ClearVision, we look at three areas when hiring: 1. Attitude, Culture, and Chemistry; 2. Skills, Abilities, and Talent; and 3. Ability of the Individual to Learn and Grow. The area that is most important to us for hiring, however, is Attitude, Culture, and Chemistry. Today, at many organizations, people are hired for their experience and skill set but end up getting terminated based on their personality and attitude. We look for a positive attitude and similar values that fit in with our company culture.

3 Intelligent retention

We also believe in treating our employees as we would our best customers so they don't want to leave. We keep the stress level low, treat people fairly, give them good management, and make sure they succeed. We also make sure that each and every employee receives extensive training and education via our progressive ClearVision University.

We believe the information contained within this special Beyond the Brand supplement will help you build a stronger staff and a solid bottom line. We hope you find it to be a useful resource for your business."

The Staffing guru

As CVO's Chief Talent Officer, Mary Crisafulli takes Human Resources to a new level. Here, she shares her thoughts on the tenets of staffing. Q: How many employees work at ClearVision? Approximately 130 in our home office in Hauppauge, N.Y., plus an additional 75 sales consultants in the field across the U.S. Despite the turbulent economy, we have hired approximately 34 new associates at varying levels in the organization over the past two years. Q: Where do you find your talent? We have had great success adding talented people to our organization through employee referrals, job websites, industry referrals, and recruitment agencies. Candidates go through a thorough and rigorous vetting process. This helps us ensure that employees not only have the right skill set for succeeding at ClearVision, but that they will also fit seamlessly into our unique corporate culture. Q: How does CVO retain great employees? Training is a top priority and we offer each employee up to 100 hours of training yearly, including professional development, job-specific skills, team building, and personal development like yoga and financial planning. Our employees participate in a performancebased bonus program annually as well as a company-funded profit sharing plan. We also host several "Family Day" activities throughout the year, including trips to amusement parks and baseball games, as well as annual employee Halloween and holiday parties.