CEO News, May 2023

Over the past twelve months, we have witnessed a noteworthy upward trend in purchases, following a continuous decline that lasted nearly ten months from July 2021 to May 2022. It is important to note that the last two months have shown a slight softening compared to the significant spike observed in November of the previous year.

The collective annual total purchases depicted in the chart below largely reflect stronger member trading over the past half year, yet the outlook for the period ahead is still expected to be influenced by the impact of both inflationary pressures and related consumer confidence (in part), as mentioned in the macro-outlook earlier.

Education Calendar

After three years of absence due to COVID-19, ProVision is once again offering a comprehensive faceto-face education program in 2023. Learning and Development is a key pillar of the ProVision value proposition according to member survey feedback, so I would encourage you to review the remaining content for this year and participate in courses that can add value to practice operations or to your patient experience. Our capacity to deliver these face-to-face courses is heavily dependent on practice attendance, so your support and participation is actively encouraged and much appreciated.

You can review the remainder of this year’s calendar here >

Education Appointment

I’m delighted to announce the appointment of Georgina Bakas as Provision’s new Learning and Development Coordinator, effective 1st May. Georgina has extensive experience in Learning Management Systems and will be initially focused on improving the content and user experience on ProLearn. She will also lead the creation of the 2024 Education Calendar, so we’re excited to watch her contribution grow in the months ahead!

Essentials Member Support

To continue to deliver on our mission ‘to make ProVision practices relevant to consumers and their businesses sustainable,’ 18 months ago we appointed Margarida Faustino into the newly created role of Essential Member Relationship Executive. Margarida has been a part of the ProVision team for almost 8 years in the role of WA Business Coach, and previously provided Coaching support to members in Victoria for over 4 years.

In addition to Margarida’s continuing role as WA Business Coach, her expanded responsibilities have seen her regularly engage and communicate with Essential Members across the country. Her goal is to support your success and align you to ProVision business resources, systems and services that help address your pain points and ensure that you are maximising your membership with ProVision. She has supported Essential members of late by providing advice around digital patient communication, team member performance, policies and procedures, demonstrating/navigating ProVision systems and portals, and navigating access to resources

We understand from the recent member survey feedback that remaining connected to ProVision and minimising your pain points in-practice is important to you, and this role is specifically designed to address both concerns. The role is a personal touch point for you, and I encourage you to reach out and connect with Margarida via the details below if you haven’t done so already!

Margarida Faustino

P 0437 080 000

E mfaustino@provision.com.au

Ceo

May 2023

August Member Meeting Roadshow

A five-state Member Update Roadshow is planned for August, where attendees will receive updates on ProVision performance and strategic initiative progress. In attendance will be the local Business Coach and myself as CEO, along with various representatives from the Leadership team (in some states) to answer any questions you may have.

To increase the value of attendance for regional practices especially, these events will be supported by a Supplier Partner trade show in three states (VIC, NSW, QLD), and an all-state education course facilitated by Paul McKinley who is the Director of Optometry Finance Australia (OFA), a specialist brokerage firm catering for the finance needs of Australian Optometrists.

A Chartered Accountant by trade, and now with over 20 years finance broking experience running his own companies, Paul & OFA have access to over 55 national lending institutions. They cover all the financing requirements for members, including practice purchase and fit-out, medical equipment and motor vehicles, residential, commercial and investment property (in addition to a variety of commercial loan facilities, tailored to your practice needs).

Paul has a passion for helping Members grow and helping you to better understand your practice financial position, so I’m sure you’ll find the session of value.

Please save the relevant date below as a placeholder in your calendar – full details (venues, times etc.) will be shared in an upcoming fortnightly e-update:

Supplier Partner Support

Merchandise Manager Rob Boelen is currently updating Supplier Partner agreements, so keep an eye out in June for a comprehensive wrap-up of all the new deals, offers and initiatives to support your practices on offer in FY24. Our new agreements commence from July 1, and it’s worth noting that over 65% of ProVision’s income is generated through supplier rebates - the more you support them, the more you are driving ProVision revenue which ultimately helps us invest in future initiatives that drive practice growth.

Our list of Preferred Supplier partners and trading terms can be found on ProSupply >

O=MEGA

The O=MEGA Trade Fair is fast approaching and is scheduled to take place in Melbourne on 8-10 September. This is a great opportunity to critique supplier offers, network with peers, meet the wider ProVision team, and better understand services such as ProAccounts, recruitment, and succession