Glasses ready texts for opticians: fewer chasing calls

Patients ring to ask whether their glasses are back from the lab, and when they are, someone rings each patient and often gets voicemail. If a practice dispenses 120 orders a month, a third of those patients ring to ask (40 calls at 4 minutes, 160 minutes) and calling each patient when the order is ready takes 3 minutes (360 minutes), that's 520 minutes, about 8.7 hours a month on the phone.

Blink's SMS user guide describes quick SMS buttons at the bottom of the patient summary: a 'Specs Ready' button, buttons to tell the patient their order has gone to the lab and has been checked, and one of your choice. You write each message once in Blink's settings; pressing the button fills in the text and you press send. The dispensing update screen shows each order's status, such as Ready for Collection, and outstanding payments show in red on the patient summary. Sent messages appear in the patient's document history. Texts need Blink's SMS add-on and credits bought from its SMS provider; 1 credit covers 160 characters. Blink does the sending; the dispensing optician or optometrist checks the finished glasses against the prescription and the order before anyone presses Specs Ready.

An independent practice in Shrewsbury on Blink dispenses about 120 orders a month. The practice manager sets up the Sent to lab and Specs Ready buttons, and staff send a text at each of those two steps instead of ringing.

About $112£84€100A$161C$158 a month of staff time saved, against $7£5€6A$10C$9 a month plus VAT for Blink's SMS add-on and the cost of about 240 texts. That's 520 minus 160 minutes, 360 minutes or 6 hours a month, at an assumed $19£14€17A$27C$26 an hour. Blink's page doesn't state the price per text credit, so ask before you start; the $126£95€113A$182C$179 base is assumed already paid.

1. 1Ask Blink to switch on the SMS add-on and open the SMS account, and ask what each credit costs so you can set a monthly budget.
2. 2Write the button messages in Blink's settings: short, with the practice name and phone number and no prescription or clinical details. The practice manager approves the wording.
3. 3Press Sent to lab when an order goes off, without promising a date the lab hasn't confirmed.
4. 4When the job comes back, the dispensing optician or optometrist checks the glasses against the prescription and the order; only then mark it Ready for Collection and press Specs Ready.
5. 5Once a week, look through ready orders that haven't been collected and orders with balances in red, and ring those patients.

• The quick text goes to whichever patient's record is open. Check the name and mobile number before pressing send: a text to the wrong patient is a breach of the confidentiality GOC standard 14 asks you to keep.
• A sender ID showing the practice name can't receive replies, Blink's guide says; using a mobile number as the sender lets patients reply. Decide which you want, and who reads the replies.
• 1 credit is 160 characters, so a longer message uses 2 or more credits. Keep messages short and watch the balance.
• Patients without a mobile number on file still need a call, and only text numbers patients gave you for contact, as your privacy notice says.