Create A Digitally Enhanced Customer Journey by Becoming An Everywhere Optometry Practice
It can be possible to say that telehealth and telemedicine were the most used technology among Optometrists during the pandemic. Several patients found virtual conversations with practitioners to be of considerable use due to social distancing, enforced quarantine periods, and general advice to stay home. Doctors were relieved to keep in touch with their patients’ needs. Telemedicine and telehealth rapidly evolved the care modality and revealed various new doctor-patient interactions. For instance, optometrists can now diagnose follicular conjunctivitis via video conferencing, counsel patients on an impending chalazion from the comfort of their homes, or evaluate posterior blepharitis treatment plans in a quiet office. By being required to undertake virtual scheduling, examinations, and billing for socially distant patient appointments. With the help of technology, all practitioners were able to step outside of their comfort zones.
Optometry waiting rooms and optical showrooms, on the other hand, now have the chance to dazzle and interact with their intelligent customers in entirely new ways by fusing the offline and online worlds with mobile experiences to increase rescheduling, promote telemedicine, draw customers to stores, interact with them there, drive sales, and reward loyalty. Near Field Communication (NFC) is a complementary technology that supports various forms of client contact. In situations where customers actively seek to pull information, both in-store, showroom, waiting room, and elsewhere, NFC is the natural solution.
From the standpoint of the consumer, NFC is really straightforward: Move an NFC-enabled phone to within a few inches of an NFC tag to tap it. The NFC object for payments is probably a payment terminal put close to a cashier so customers can quickly make their transactions using a phone. The only differences between this and other use cases are the locations of the objects and the results of activating a digital experience with an NFC-enabled phone. An NFC tag can be used on or included in almost any product due to its versatility – it typically takes the shape of a flexible sticker — including eyeglasses, sports glasses, sunglasses, contact lenses products, packaging, and more.
Retailers and brands may interact with customers how they want thanks to NFC technology. The technology offers a relatively straightforward user interface through which customers can access information whenever and wherever they choose or provide information such as reviews, opinions, appointment bookings, form fills, and poll entries. Consumers can quickly communicate their preferences for certain products, questions, and feedback, for example, by providing direct access to your practice’s website. It enables merchants and brands to develop the type of knowledge and tailored experience that many customers say they want over time when combined with web connectivity to Big Data processing. For instance, by simply tapping an NFC tag in a magazine advertisement, a customer can download a product-specific URL to their smartphone’s browser, directing them to the brand’s product website for relevant information and services. This website, in turn, may request information that personally identifies the user of the smartphone or may request information that is used to uniquely identify the smartphone. The brand may ask the same smartphone user to join their Facebook page, share with friends, or sign up for a loyalty program when they later access the same product website by tapping a tag on the product’s packaging.
Placing NFC tags and stickers that provide the consumer with the ability to tap the tag and access data such as in an Optometry practice with an Optical showroom can include different ways:
Reception, scheduling, queueing, and Doctor wait time:
Company Information/Story
Digital access to a Live Help Queue;
Digital access to opening hours and available schedules;
Average Wait Time for next patient;
Customer Reviews
Live Help Queue – ex. a staff member can answer your question in 5 minutes
Company/Product Sustainability Information
Optical Showroom, sunglasses, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and contact lenses solutions:
Size & Fit and Color Information
Ophthalmic lenses Washing and care Directions
Pricing Information
A Virtual Try-On Page
Product Information and reviews
Inbound/Outbound Marketing:
Digital access to a weblog and a Weekly Circular;
Digital access to the Practice map location;
Digital access to a Brand Directory and available stocks with product reviews;
Color/Shade Information
Application Information or Contact lenses Insertion and Removal Videos
Digital access to Weekly Sales & Coupons
Digital access to Loyalty Program Sign Ups & Benefits
Weekly Coupons, In-Store Promotions, and Product Finder