The average optometry patient visits every 2 years — but most practices have no system to ensure they come back. Add missed appointment calls and uncontacted health fund holders, and most practices are leaving significant revenue on the table every single week.
Testing rooms mean staff are unavailable to answer phones for 30-minute blocks at a time. 42% of calls were going unanswered during peak hours (9am–12pm, 3pm–6pm). New patient calls — averaging 14 per week — were being lost to competing practices. Average new patient lifetime value: $680 per year across exams, glasses, and contact lenses.
AI Receptionist handles all inbound — takes appointment bookings synced to the practice management system, answers common queries (health fund coverage, frame selection, parking, pricing), and routes urgent queries to reception. Automated appointment confirmations and reminders go out to every patient to reduce no-shows.
"We lose a patient every time the phone rings out. Now it never rings out."— Dr. Angela, Practice Owner, ClearVision Optometry
1,800-patient database. 2-year recall rate: only 38% returning proactively. The manual recall process — a printed list, a receptionist making calls, patients rarely picking up — wasn't working. Health fund benefit expiry in December went uncommunicated. Contact lens repeat supply customers were quietly moving online rather than buying in-practice.
Marketing Automation — personalised 2-year recall sequences via email, a December health fund reminder campaign ("Your extras reset on 1 January — use them or lose them"), contact lens auto-replenishment reminders, post-test thank-you messages with review requests, and birthday month offers that bring patients back in between regular cycles.
"1,800 patients and I was only hearing from 38% of them. Now the other 62% are booking again."— Dr. Ken, Principal, Eyecare Plus Hurstville
Newly opened practice in a competitive suburb. Website built, Google Business verified, but converting web traffic was poor. Potential patients were comparing multiple practices — wanting to know wait times, pricing, and whether their health fund was accepted before booking. Without instant answers, they moved on.
Lead Capture Bot on the website answers health fund queries (accepted funds, gap fees), provides transparent pricing, shows available appointment slots, and books new patient exams instantly. A "welcome to our practice" follow-up sequence sets expectations and builds trust before the first visit.
"Being new meant I had to be better at every touchpoint. The bot made my website better than the 20-year-old practice down the road."— Dr. Liam, Practice Owner, InFocus Optometry
Book a free 20-minute call. We'll identify exactly how many patients you're losing to missed calls and lapsed recalls — and show you what a fully booked practice looks like in your suburb.