Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a new patient in your office? If you haven't, you need to. Creating the perfect first impression for your patient is key to setting the tone of what your patient should expect from their eyecare experience. That's right, eyecare experience.

Let the Experience Speak For Itself
From the moment your patient steps into your location they should feel like they're in a place that provides expert eyecare, professionalism, style, and attention to detail. They should immediately feel relief that they are in the proper place for their eyecare needs. How do you ensure this? By letting the space speak for you.

What does this mean? Basically, you need to take a look around your space with fresh eyes. Even though you see your space every day, your new patient has never seen it and is looking at every detail closely; from the outdated and tattered magazines in the lounge (notice we are not calling it the waiting room, our patients deserve a lounge, not a run of the mill waiting room) to the carpet that needs vacuumed. The patient notices these things and uses that information to form an opinion about your practice based on these visual cues.

The use of soothing and modern colors can create a sense of calm and using a modern, streamlined, and un-cluttered design helps convey cleanliness and attention to detail to your patient. So take a look around, does your space feel outdated and cluttered? Now is the time to change it up!

Creature Comforts
How does your patient feel as they are in the process of waiting for their appointment? Do they feel they are an afterthought as they look at outdated magazines in your "Waiting Room?"

Here's an idea, rather than making them feel as though they are an inconvenience, try to cater to their needs. Most likely they are thirsty, so consider having a beverage station in your patient lounge. Regardless of whether or not your patient partakes of the water or coffee provided at your beverage station, they feel more at home just having this be an option. By creating a feeling of welcome and comfort in your space, this conveys to your patient that you care about their experience and about them personally.

Dispensary Matters
In order to give your patient the impression they are in a place that is capable of helping them look stylish, they need to see they are in a stylish space. Take a fresh look at your dispensary. Do you have the same Point of Purchase posters and signs up that have been up for 6 months or longer? How often do you re-design your dispensary? Remember, your new patient is deciding whether or not they think you can help them based on this information. You might be the most proficient Optician there is, but before you get a chance to even speak with your patient their opinion of your service is formed based on their impressions of your office surroundings.

Final Thoughts: To create a good patient experience, start with making sure your space speaks for itself and reflects the right image for your office. If that means re-painting your patient lounge or updating the POP signage in your dispensary, do that. If that means more frequent cleaning schedules between dusting and vacuuming then do that, but don't assume that good enough is good enough. Your patient decides how they feel about the service you provide based on more factors than you may know. After all, we are in a visual business; make sure your space is visually appealing!