In this episode of Best Practices, host Steve Alexander sits down with Samantha Toth, President and Founder of InnerReactive, to discuss how independent eyecare practices can intentionally create experiences that patients remember and share. They explore the difference between routine customer service and a fully engineered patient journey, with practical insights on digital first impressions, optical storytelling, and proactive follow up that strengthens loyalty and capture rate.

Episode Breakdown 00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome 00:22 What Defines a “Wow” Moment 03:38 Engineering the Patient Journey 05:22 Designing Patient Choice Intentionally 07:30 The Human Touch After COVID 10:13 Service Versus Experience 12:34 Building Loyalty and Trust 17:42 Understanding Patient Types 23:18 The Digital Discovery Phase 24:28 The Power of Real Photography 25:02 Optimizing Your Google Presence 25:45 Keeping Online Listings Fresh 26:35 Messaging by Patient Type 27:54 Frame Storytelling That Resonates 29:26 Common Optical Pitfalls 31:58 Handling “Take My Rx” Requests 33:55 Creating Wow Moments in the Optical 35:25 Merchandising With Intention 41:56 Implementation Tips for Teams 45:04 Follow Up Calls and Final Takeaways