Embarking on the Australis Journey
Embarking on the Australis Journey CR Surfacing has done it again… the live virtual launch event of our latest innovation was only streamed on the 30th of June, yet it already generated an enormous interest, as independent optometry practices booked out our Business Development Managers for six weeks ahead.
For the audience’s surprise, CR Surfacing announced, “this is not a new lens design”. The Australis is An Active Design System, where the lens develops around the patient’s individual needs, lifestyle and experiences. The offering is not a product. After all, we don’t even have a lens design until the Patient goes through the Australis Journey to develop a unique lens around them.
Nowadays, new lens designs appear on a market almost every year, introducing slight improvements on the previous generation’s portfolio. Innovation is one of core values at CR Surfacing, however, launching a new product for just the sake of innovation is against our principles. Our innovations must serve our vision to fortify the independent optometry market through premium quality ophthalmic lenses, exceptional service and trustful collaboration.
So rather than simply bringing a new lens design to the market, we asked our clients, what they really need. The optometrists spoke about the challenges of finding qualified optical professionals, managing a business, advertising, merchandising, monitoring performance, keeping the team motivated, training staff members, reducing remakes, troubleshooting and managing difficult cases.
And the concept of Australis was born. The Australis concept is based on three pillars. I. The Product The Australis is not one existing lens design – it is an Active Design System, where the lens design forms during the consultation, for each patient individually. The unique lens design develops in two stages. Stage 1: The first stage of the Australis creation happens during dispensing, from the beginning of the Customer Journey.
The Australis Questionnaire discovers the patient’s visual needs and individual preferences, and the Artificial Intelligence starts building the most suitable lens design for the patient. The Australis Algorithm creates a unique design for each patient, eliminating human bias and reducing dispensing errors. Stage 2: Taking accurate point-of-wear measurements further refines the lens design to create a fully tailor-made visual experience.
The second stage of the Australis creation happens in the laboratory, utilising the latest Hexagon Design Technologies to ensure the highest customer satisfaction. Manifesting the unique lenses through the Hexagon Design Technologies, the Australis lenses provide unparalleled visual performance to the wearer. II.
The Customer Journey The Australis Customer Journey is the patient’s journey through the Australis Experience, starting from entering the practice, through to lens design development, delivery, and follow up. The aim is to provide a personalised customer experience, that increases the value of the service and ensures customer satisfaction.
The Australis journey builds trust and helps creating a loyal customer base. III. The Practice Journey The Australis program provides in-depth training to the dispensers to become and Australis Expert. Every Expert receives a certificate and Australis Expert badge, and automatically enters a Practice Recognition Program, where CR Surfacing rewards the best performing Australis Experts.
The training can be complemented with the latest point-of-wear measuring device, our patented PosiFit System, to obtain the most accurate measurements and eliminate dispensing errors. The software also has interactive sales tools to assist the dispensers when explaining the benefits of different lens extras to the patients.
To assist our customers with marketing, apart from providing a range of merchandise and digital advertisements, in the following months CR is launching a national TV campaign of the Australis Lenses, directing glasses-wearers to their nearest independent optometry practices.
Our dedicated Business Development Managers are here to assist you along the Australis Journey. If you want to know more about the lenses, click here, or are interested in becoming an Australis Expert, click here.