(Eggs-actly what you might need) It really seems that when you look around at different optical laboratories, they end up looking a lot like supermarkets - especially when you get to larger labs. Usually the problem with them is that they all tend to have similar products, carry most of the name brands, and there generally isn’t a whole lot that sets them apart from each … [Read more...]
Customer Relations
Does your Customer Service establish a good relationship? In its simplest form, Customer Relations is about gaining and retaining customers. But let's be honest, the last thing we really want is SIMPLE. This is especially true when we are talking about a partner lab, frame company, or vision service provider. As an Eye Care Professional, I have a daily working relationship … [Read more...]
Frame Teleportation
Help your business live long and prosper Moving something instantly from point A to point B is really, really useful. Now, imagine if we could do that with frames. We can’t - sorry if I got your hopes up - but if we could, it would be pretty cool. We can, however, do the next best thing - send a digital copy of the frame around. That makes it possible to make the whole process … [Read more...]
MIB – Macrochosm In Business
Small Lab It’s in the small towns that you can really get that feel of what it means to be America. Not “American”, but the feel of the country itself. Each little town is decidedly unique, but they all have these tiny little threads of commonality that run through them. It ties everything together, and gives it form across the great expanse that is the country. When … [Read more...]
Lasers
There aren’t a whole lot of things cooler than lasers. Granted, they’d be even cooler if we could somehow figure out how to attach them to the head of a shark, but that specific configuration doesn’t really have any practical applications in the field of eyewear. Not yet, at least. We will keep you posted if we find one. Lasers themselves, however, do play a part in today's … [Read more...]
What is OPT?
The Philosophy of OPT I’ve contemplated what the point of OPT Magazine is more than once. It’s struck me that this is mostly a magazine about nothing, but I don’t know that we have enough Seinfeld for that to be completely true. Many of the things that we discuss are topics that can range from “that’s common sense” to “what the hell did I just read?”, and not … [Read more...]
Lens Designs
How Do You Find The One? When we, as eyecare professionals, want to fight the big machine, we first need to understand the world that we’re in. We aren’t in a world of level playing fields, where everything is just ‘perfect’ and fair. No. We’re in the harsh world where reality is what is created by everyone following the mold of Big Optical, and everyone falling into place … [Read more...]
One Site To Rule Them All
Let's take a look at why Responsive Web Design (RWD) is such a critical feature and necessity for mobile friendliness and successfully reaching your audience in today’s technologically driven world. Plus, the millennials kinda forced the issue… What Is RWD? RWD or Responsive Web Design is a website that is designed with responsiveness in mind, it is a website that … [Read more...]
FEA Industries – A True Independent
In general, labs can be strange. Traditionally, they’re sort of like supermarkets. They stock the shelves with brand name products, and you can go in and pick what you want. If you start asking for a recommendation, however, can you really know there’s no ‘influence’ behind their suggestion? The real question is - how independent is an independent? I mean, if you go into a … [Read more...]
Papers, Please
I saw one thing pop up in a discussion a little while ago regarding ‘certificates of authenticity’ for various optical products. Some could be for frames, lenses, coatings, photochromics, or whatever else. These things seem somewhat innocuous, but have you ever stopped to think what their real purpose is? Let’s run through a hypothetical scenario, and see who these certificates … [Read more...]