Two year recall in an optical practice is far too long a gap

2 days ago
3 min read

Introduction

Twenty-four months is a long time to be silent. A patient tested two years ago has moved house, changed their mind about spectacles, seen three competitors advertise, been offered an eye test by a supermarket, and quite possibly bought online. Two years is long enough for a patient to become somebody else's. When the recall finally arrives, the practice is competing rather than reminding.

The clinical interval is frequently shorter than two years in any case — many patients should be seen annually on clinical grounds — and a practice defaulting everybody to twenty-four months is under-recalling a proportion of its own list.

Shortening the interval where it is clinically indicated, and staying in contact in between, is the whole answer. Neither costs anything.

1. Two year recall in an optical practice should not be the default for everybody

Set the interval per patient.

Recall on clinical grounds, not on convention

Age, prescription stability, family history, ocular health. The software will usually support per-patient intervals. Some patients need annual review and the record should say so. Review the default across the whole list once.

Write the reason on the record

So whoever runs the recall knows why the interval is what it is, and so the patient can be told. Patients accept a shorter interval with a reason.

2. Book the next test at collection

The strongest single measure available.

Diarise it while they are in the practice

When somebody collects spectacles, book the recall. It takes a sentence and it converts far better than a letter in two years. Reception can do it in ten seconds.

Put the date on the case

A physical reminder in the place they open every day. A small sticker is enough.

3. Stay in contact between tests

Two years of silence is what loses patients.

Contact them once in between

A brief message about anything useful — a reminder to have spectacles adjusted, a note about a new lens option. Not a promotion. One message in twenty-four months is not intrusive.

Offer free adjustments and repairs

It brings people back through the door, costs almost nothing, and is when they notice their prescription has changed. Say the adjustments are free and always available.

4. Make the recall itself work harder

A single letter is not a recall system.

Use a sequence across channels

Text, email, then a telephone call for the ones who have not responded. Three contacts, spaced. A week between each.

Give a reason beyond being due

New equipment, retinal imaging, a longer appointment, the health check. A reason that is new gets attention. Keep it to one sentence.

5. Recover the ones who lapsed

The overdue list is the cheapest source of appointments.

Work the list by how overdue they are

Most recently lapsed first, because they convert best. Somebody three years past due needs a conversation rather than a message. An afternoon of calls fills a quiet week.

Ask why when they come back

Moved, forgot, went elsewhere, cost. Four answers cover almost all of it and each has a different fix. Record it on the file.

Conclusion

Twenty-four months of silence means competing rather than reminding, so set the interval per patient on clinical grounds and record the reason — a proportion of any list should be seen annually and defaulting everybody to two years under-recalls them.

Book the next test at the moment spectacles are collected and put the date on the case. Contact patients once in between with something genuinely useful rather than a promotion, and offer free adjustments because they bring people through the door at the point they notice their vision has changed. Run the recall as a sequence of text, email and then a call, give a reason beyond being due, and work the overdue list starting with the most recently lapsed.