AI Growth Systems for UK Independent Opticians.

The AI receptionist is explicitly designed and trained never to give clinical or triage advice — that would breach GOC supervision rules and the College of Optometrists' guidance on remote advice. If a caller describes a symptom, the AI follows pre-agreed escalation logic. Sudden vision loss, flashes, floaters with curtain/shadow, sudden onset double vision, severe red painful eye, chemical splash, suspected stroke or signs of giant cell arteritis trigger an immediate hand-off script ('this needs urgent eye assessment — please call 111 or attend your nearest eye casualty / A&E now') and the call is flagged in the booked-handovers queue. Routine symptoms (gradual blur, mild grit, dry-eye complaints, headache after screen use) are triaged into a same-day or next-day sight test slot or a transfer to the duty optom. The AI never says 'it sounds like dry eye / it sounds like a migraine / you can wait until next week' — it always defers clinical interpretation to a registered optometrist. Every call is recorded, transcribed and dropped into your practice management system (Optix, Ocuco, iScan, Optisoft, FLEX) with the symptom keywords flagged so the clinical team has full context before the patient arrives.

Yes. Kerblabs sits alongside your practice management system rather than replacing it. We integrate with Optix (OCS Optix), Ocuco Acuitas / Innovations, iScan, Optisoft, FLEX, Hakim Group's standardised stack where applicable, and Vision Express EHR for franchise sites. Sight tests booked by the AI receptionist sync to your PMS calendar with the right slot type (full sight test, contact lens fit, contact lens check, OCT add-on, paediatric sight test, low vision, domiciliary). New patient records are created automatically with GOS eligibility flags pre-captured at booking (under-16, full-time student under-19, eligible benefits, diabetes, glaucoma family history, age 60+) so your team isn't re-asking at the desk. Recall campaigns pull from the PMS recall date field, contact lens DD retention sequences trigger off CL aftercare due dates, and review automation fires after the sight test status updates to 'completed'. We also integrate with the major review platforms (Google, Trustpilot, Facebook), payment providers and the contact lens supplier portals (CooperVision, Alcon, J&J) where direct-debit reconciliation matters.

Yes. Every piece of creative, landing page and ad copy is reviewed against the GOC Standards of Practice (specifically Standard 18 on advertising and Standard 16 on professional behaviour), the College of Optometrists' guidance on advertising, the CAP Code Sections 12 (medicines, medical devices and health-related products) and 3 (misleading advertising), and the ASA's enforcement record on optical advertising — including past rulings against price comparison claims and 'specialist' terminology. We never use 'specialist' or 'expert' terminology unless the optometrist holds the relevant higher qualification (independent prescribing, glaucoma, paediatric, low vision, medical retina diploma) and is registered with the GOC for that scope. We never make superiority claims that can't be substantiated. Pricing comparisons against Specsavers, Boots or Vision Express are written carefully against ASA precedent. Reviews are sourced through compliant channels (Google, Trustpilot, Facebook) and never incentivised in a way that breaches the CAP Code on testimonials. Where IP-prescribing is offered we display the GOC number and the prescribing-status entitlement clearly.

Recall is the highest-ROI single workflow in independent optical practice and most practices leave 30-50% of recall revenue on the table by relying on a receptionist phoning manually. Our recall engine runs four parallel sequences off your PMS recall date field: (1) annual sight test recall — SMS at 11 months, email at 11.5 months, voice / AI receptionist call at 12 months for non-responders, with one-click rebook; (2) contact lens 6-month aftercare recall — SMS plus email with monthly CL DD trial offer for patients still on annual cash purchase; (3) 12-month paediatric myopia management review — SMS to parent with progress framing and next-fitting offer for MiSight, Stellest or atropine programmes; and (4) post-OCT and co-management recall (cataract, glaucoma, AMD where shared care is in place) with the appropriate clinical interval. Independents using this system typically lift recall return rate from 25-35% to 60-75% within 12 months, and capture a meaningful share of patients who would otherwise have drifted to Specsavers or Vision Express on their next test cycle.

Contact lens monthly direct debit (typically £15-£40/month depending on lens modality and aftercare inclusion) is the single most defensive piece of revenue in modern independent optical practice. A patient on a CL DD with included aftercare and lens supply is roughly 4-6x more retained at five years than a patient on annual cash CL boxes — they don't comparison shop with Lenstore or Vision Direct, they don't drift to Specsavers Easycare, and they generate predictable recurring margin. Our growth system runs four workstreams: (1) post-sight-test CL trial offer for refractive candidates not currently in lenses, with a structured trial-fitting funnel; (2) cash-to-DD conversion campaign targeting existing CL patients buying annual boxes, framed around aftercare-included pricing parity; (3) lapsed-DD reactivation against patients who cancelled in the last 18 months; and (4) automated 6-month aftercare recall on every active DD patient to defend the relationship. Independents we work with typically lift active CL DD membership 30-60% in 12 months and reduce CL revenue leakage to online suppliers from 25-40% to under 10%.