From your lab team to your practice, the end of the year is a great time to pause, reset, and prepare for what January usually brings. New insurance benefits, motivated patients, and a full schedule can make the start of the year feel busy fast. A little planning now helps everything run more smoothly once the calendar turns. Here’s a practical checklist we recommend to help your practice and your lab partnership start the new year strong.
Review Open Jobs Before Year End
As the year wraps up, take a look at any jobs that are still open or in progress. Confirm current statuses, expected ship dates, and whether patients need to be scheduled for pickup early in January. Clearing these details now helps prevent confusion after the holiday break and allows us to support your patients without delays.
Take a Step Back and Review Your Workflow
This is a great time to think about how jobs flowed between your practice and the lab throughout the year. Were there any bottlenecks or recurring questions that slowed things down? Did certain frame or lens combinations require extra back and forth? Sharing this kind of feedback helps us fine tune processes and better support your team in the year ahead.
Confirm Ordering and Account Preferences
Please take a moment to confirm that your shipping address, preferred carrier, rush order instructions, and communication preferences are current. Small details like these make a big difference when January volume increases. If you are planning to introduce new lens options or services in the new year, we would love to talk through how we can support that.
Refresh Your Team on Remakes and Warranties
An end of year refresher on remake, warranty, and non adapt policies can help your team feel more confident when talking with patients. It also helps ensure everyone knows when to reach out to us with questions so we can step in quickly and help.
Check In With Your Lab Team
Strong partnerships are built on communication. A quick check in with your lab gives us the opportunity to review what worked well this year and where we can improve together. It is also helpful to talk through expected January volume, seasonal trends, or any changes happening in your practice.
Get Your Team Ready for a Busy January
January is often one of the busiest months of the year. A quick refresher on ordering procedures, lens options, and typical turnaround times can help jobs move smoothly from your office to our lab. When everyone is aligned, patients feel the difference.
Set Goals for the Year Ahead
Finally, think about what you want from your lab partnership in the coming year. Faster turnaround, clearer communication, new products, or more hands on support. When you share those goals with us, we can better support your practice all year long.
A little preparation at the end of the year goes a long way. From all of us at the lab, we appreciate the trust you place in our team and look forward to supporting your practice in the year ahead.
Contact Allentown Optical today to learn how we can become your dedicated optical lab partner.