From first joining Optical Express in 2013 as part of the Customer Contact Centre, Christopher has worked in a number of different positions throughout his time with the company. Recently taking on a dual role as Clinic Manager and Surgery Manager, he is now responsible for maintaining world-class surgical team standards while overseeing the day-to-day operations in our advanced clinic and treatment centre in Dublin.
“In my dual role I’ve got here in Dublin, I’m the Clinic Manager, so I’ll deal with the patients when they come in for their consultation and their post-op, but I’m also the Surgery Manager as well. So, on the day of surgery I’ll always be out front greeting the patients when they come in, helping them with their forms, maybe taking them for some scans, and then chatting to them before they leave, after they’ve been discharged,” he explains. Alongside this patient-facing aspect of his role, Christopher is also responsible for coaching and developing all members of his team, ensuring that they can confidently support patients throughout every step of the refractive surgery process.
Having worked for Optical Express for nearly a decade, Christopher first started out in the Contact Centre at our Head Office in Glasgow: “I started working on the Outbound Team, phoning patients who’d made an enquiry about refractive surgery, and offer them a free consultation.” Benefitting from the professional development opportunities available at Optical Express, he was able to work in a number of different departments before taking on a role as Assistant Manager in Glasgow and eventually as Clinic Manager in Dublin. “You can tailor your career however you want it. I think the higher members of staff are really good at pinpointing what people’s strengths are, and putting them in the right roles, and giving them those opportunities to develop themselves,” he says.
Christopher believes that Optical Express’ industry-leading learning & development programme has played a crucial role in his accelerated career development, allowing him to progress from a Customer Care Advisor to now managing his own clinic and treatment centre. Dedicated to helping all employees realise their full potential, the company has introduced a comprehensive and rolling training programme across a number of different teams. “We’ve got the OE academy online, which is constantly updated and where you do online classes, online courses, and you do quizzes at the end to develop your knowledge,” Christopher explains.
Looking back on his time in the eye care industry, Christopher thinks that the increased focus on sustainability has been one of the most notable developments. He has found that he has become increasingly aware of the detrimental impact that glasses and contact lenses are having on the environment, and he now encourages his team to inform patients on the more sustainable vision correction choices that are available to them. “It’s even me, I’ve worked here for nearly a decade and probably five years ago, I didn’t realise that a contact lens was a single-use plastic, and so many of our patients when we see them at consultations are telling you the same thing,” he explains.
Christopher is delighted to be part of a team that truly changes lives, and enjoys incredibly rewarding workdays in his role as Clinic Manager and Surgery Manager: “A patient who was treated a week and a half ago, mid-forties, really dense cataract in one eye, came in and had his surgery done, and on day one he said to one of my members of staff that we’ve inspired him to go back to university to learn to be an engineer. Changing his whole career, his whole life, just by having that cataract removed.” Are you ready to take on a new challenge? From industry-leading training and development programmes to being able to help change lives on a daily basis, you’ll find a career at Optical Express more satisfying than you ever imagined. View our latest vacancies now and develop your career with the UK’s leading refractive surgery provider.
