An interview with Justin Tamburro, VP of Operations for LensDirect.
Tell us about LensDirect.com.
LensDirect.com is a leading online retailer of name-brand contact lenses, online eye exams, and soon to be prescription eyeglass & sunglasses.
How did the company get its start?
Founded in 1992, LensDirect was the first mail order company focused on contact lenses. Over the years, we have evolved into a leading provider of contact lenses online.
What is special/unique about your business?
LensDirect.com believes that the customer drives the success of our business. Whenever a new customer joins the LensDirect.com family, they are assigned a Dedicated Account Rep. Throughout their entire journey as a LensDirect.com customer, this Dedicated Account Rep is their go-to person and will assist them with getting their contact lens order as quickly, easily and affordably as possible. Our theory here is that any company can attain a customer, it takes a great company to keep that customer. We aim for a higher purpose outside of just selling contact lenses – we look to create meaningful relationships with our customers. Beyond those relationships, we put a tremendous focus on communication. From when they place the order, to when it goes out, to when it’s time to re-order – we are communicating with our customers every step of the way.
What does it mean to you to provide people with this great service?
Providing people with this service is at the core of our company. It’s our mission. We do it because we believe it’s what’s right. There are inevitable issues with orders, and the unfortunate reality is that contact lenses are prone to issues due to being a medical device with prescription requirements. When customers know that help is a just a quick phone call or email away and that call gets them directly to somebody who is familiar with their order, it significantly expedites the resolution process. We’ve had a remarkable year, from being voted by Trustpilot as the #1 in the Eye Treatment category, to Newsweek selecting us as having the best customer service in the contact lens category.
What do you sell/provide? How are your products sold?
LensDirect.com sells name-brand contact lenses and accessories via our website, LensDirect.com. We sell brands like Acuvue, Air Optix, Dailies, and more. Within the next several months, we expect to launch an entire new product line of prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses.
How did it feel the first time you got a purchase from your online store?
I remember the feeling after rebuilding, rebranding and relaunching the website with our new customer centric mentality. The sense of accomplishment knowing that we spent months building and incorporating changes from customer feedback to bring a better experience to our customers is truly indescribable.
Even today, we celebrate every victory. When we hit a milestone, the office celebrates. It’s also hard not to celebrate, the tech team created a hilarious video that plays every time we hit a specific number.
It’s always a special feeling when anybody at the company can see the orders coming in through the website, watching them get packed and then shipped out.
What kind of experience do you offer your customers?
LensDirect.com offers an incomparable customer experience – whether it’s the ease of use, free shipping, discounted at-home vision exams, the competitive pricing, direct line of contact to one specific person for customer care and the ability to sign up for a discounted subscription via AutoRefill. LensDirect.com treats every customer like they are our only customer – all aspects of communication are personalized to the individual customer.
What are your customers passionate about?
Our customers are passionate about getting a good price on their contacts, receiving them in a timely manner, and clear/concise communication throughout the buying experience. LensDirect.com strives to bring all these things together in a beautifully wrapped package.
Has accepting online orders/payments changed/grown your business?
In the past, accepting credit cards via the phone and checks in the mail was the way that business was done. Since we evolved into the digital age, accepting credit cards online makes it easy for consumers to make purchases from anywhere and all signs point to the e-commerce industry continuing to grow every year.
How did you learn about Authorize.Net?
If you are a retailer, whether you’re selling something online or in a store, it’s impossible to not hear about Authorize.Net? They are the gold standard in payment processing.
Describe your experience working with Authorize.Net. Can you tell me about how our suite of services helps your business?
The best way to describe our experiences with Authorize.Net - is that it’s something we never have to think about. We sleep better at night knowing we’re partners with Authorize.Net. In the years that we’ve been utilizing their services, everything has just worked perfectly. If we’ve ever had an issue or need to make a change, it’s been effortless to get in contact with somebody, and in terms of reliability, I couldn’t imagine another gateway as reliable as they are.
Recently, we’ve implemented Account Updater to keep our CIM database as up to date as possible. Account Updater keeps card information up-to-date to avoid payment interruptions and lost sales by automatically updating credit card data on file. Within our AutoRefill program specifically, we’ve seen our successfully placed/shipped orders increase by almost 20%, where as in the past, a significant portion of these orders were lost due to expired/changed credit card information. Account Updater has dramatically improved our sales.
To learn more, visit: LensDirect.com