Harnessing the Power of Virtual Assistants with Dr. Justin Scott and Ankit Patel

Introduction

Welcome to the Virtual Dental Offices podcast, hosted by Dr. Justin Scott. In this episode, Dr. Scott interviews Ankit Patel, CEO of Classic Vision, who shares his journey and expertise in revolutionizing optometry practices through the use of virtual team members. As a successful entrepreneur with a background in industrial engineering and positive organizational development, Patel offers valuable insights into optimizing patient experiences and streamlining operations.

Unleashing the Power of Virtual Team Members

Patel, though not an optometrist himself, played a crucial role in managing the business side of Classic Vision while his wife, an optometrist, provided the clinical expertise. Leveraging his educational background, Patel implemented strategies to enhance the practice's efficiency and customer satisfaction. With a focus on hiring virtual team members for optometry practices, he established My Business Care Team, a venture that has thrived in offering tailored support to the industry.

From Consulting to Optometry

Patel's career trajectory took an unexpected turn after working in a manufacturing company and starting his own consulting firm. His first foray into healthcare began when he joined the Cleveland Clinic, employing Lean Six Sigma methodologies. Later, he assisted his wife in launching her optometry practice, realizing the potential of the industry. With their combined efforts, they successfully expanded their practice over a decade, gaining valuable experience in optimizing optometry operations.

A Different Perspective Industrial Engineering Meets Optometry

Drawing from his industrial engineering background, Patel approaches optometry practices through a unique lens. Understanding patients' desires and preferences is crucial in tailoring services to their specific needs. Patient expectations vary depending on the type of practice, such as boutique optometry offices versus Medicaid-based facilities. By identifying these distinctions, practices can design operations that align with their target customer base.

Crafting Experiences

For boutique optometry practices, where patient experience is paramount, Patel highlights the importance of allocating additional time to each patient. While the industry standard for eye exams is 15 minutes, Classic Vision opted for longer appointments, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. This extended timeframe allows for personalized care and customized prescription plans, differentiating their practice from high-volume, low-touch alternatives.

Staffing Considerations

Aligning staff capabilities with the desired patient experience is crucial. Volume-focused practices require employees who are efficient and productive, while boutique practices demand personnel who can provide a superior patient experience. Patel emphasizes the significance of creating an organizational structure that supports the practice's vision and goals, ensuring the right skill sets and personalities are in place.

Discovering the Power of Virtual Assistants

The podcast conversation delves into the transformative impact of hiring virtual team members. Patel shares two pivotal moments that solidified his belief in the effectiveness of virtual assistants (VAs). First, patient feedback acknowledged the exceptional service provided by VAs, validating their value in enhancing customer experiences. Second, he observed that VAs exhibited a significantly lower error rate compared to on-site staff, highlighting their ability to learn, adhere to protocols, and continuously improve.

Streamlining Operations through Virtual Assistance

The implementation of virtual team members allowed practices to streamline operations and optimize internal processes. By offloading tasks such as phone services and insurance processing to remote teams, high-value staff members could dedicate more time to delivering exceptional patient care. Patel's company, My Business Care Team, took this concept a step further by providing comprehensive support to other optometry practices, expanding their scope beyond Classic Vision.

The Power of Data and Performance Monitoring

Virtual team members play a vital role in aggregating and analyzing data, enabling practices to monitor performance and address potential issues proactively. The use of virtual assistants as aud.

Thank you for reading this blog post summarizing our recent podcast. We hope you found these insights into harnessing the power of Virtual Assistants helpful for your business journey. If you'd like to dive deeper into the conversation and hear firsthand experiences from Ankit and Justin, please follow the links below:

• Listen to the full podcast episode here: Podcast

• Watch the YouTube video of our podcast discussion here: Youtube

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