Finish the year off right with this to-do list

you made it! It’s the last month of 2018, and hopefully the first 11 were well-managed and profitable for your practice. Let’s keep it going and end the year in a similarly organized fashion.

December can be a busy time for practices, as we serve patients trying to use their annual vision benefit or their use-it-or-lose-it flex spending account (we call it Insurance Week) And, we’re also trying to tie up the loose ends of inventory management and put plans in place for 2019.

And yes, we’re doing all this while still trying to enjoy—with our staff and our patients—a wonderful time of the year.

Here, we’ve laid out some tasks for the optical staff to help spread the workload and make sure nothing falls by the wayside. We hope your 2018 was great, and your 2019 is even better!

About the Authors: Our optical checklist is pulled together by the highly respected ECP team at Complete Family Vision Care Optometry in San Diego—including owner and optometrist Eric M. White, O.D., and staff Ashley Samuels, Gloria Lopez, and Lorie White.

They’ve worked hard to create this optical checklist so you don’t have to. Dig in, tear out, and share it up with your team.

DECEMBER 2018

WEEK ONE

TIP: Staff your office wisely, making sure they can handle the Insurance Week rush.

TIP: Make sure that your optical workstations are fully stocked and prepped.

TIP: Clean your frame boards to make them presentable and appealing.

TIP: Group frames by vendor and highlight your best-sellers and more profitable inventory.

WEEK TWO

TIP: Meet with your frame reps to make sure you have enough stock for Insurance Week.

TIP: Make sure you have a great selection of frames that are appealing to all your demographics.

TIP: Have understock to replenish what has been sold.

TIP: Ask reps for promotional items to give to patients who purchase their products.

TIP: Send out an email campaign reminding patients about their flex and vision benefits.

WEEK THREE

TIP: Go through the point-of-sale station and make sure brochures are up to date and promotions are current.

TIP: Run announcements on your website and social media to promote Insurance Week.

TIP: Have lens and lab reps help opticians to become trained on any new products that can add profits to the optical.

WEEK FOUR

TIP: Review with each employee their performance year to date.

TIP: Make sure your employees are up to date on any changes in the optical department or industry.

TIP: Pull the year’s sales report to start working on sales goals for the new year.

TIP: Reward your employees if your office has met its sales goals for the year.