Newsletter • Issue 6 • February 2008
CITY UNIVERSITY UPGRADE
Welcome to the first Optisoft
Newsletter of 2008. Thank you for your
continued support and we wish you all the
best for the forthcoming year. If the stock
market, oil prices and other factors are
anything to go by, it’s going to be a difficult
one.
However, I believe that being part of the
Optisoft Community will help you more than
ever before and give you a competitive
advantage over other independents. The
reason for this is that we now have our new
version, Optisoft Enterprise Edition, which
takes full advantage of what the Web has to
offer whilst retaining all the rich functionality,
RECALL SYSTEMS BRING 30 DIFFERENT TARGET GROUPS
Phillips Opticians, the six-strong
group of Newport Valley practices, is
reaping the benefits of an investment in
our new technology, with the facility to
highly target more than 30 different patient
groups.
Dispensing Optician Group Director, Lee
Price, said the new system facilitates easy
identification of groups and patient reminder
letters –
”We can easily change the look and feel of
NEW VERSION WEBSITE NEWS WORDSEARCH
ENTERPRISE EDITION ON PAGE 5
WELCOME...
reliability and security that only a PC-based Hopefully, the above will have whetted your
system can provide. appetite and you are as excited as I am
about what is to come throughout the year. I
The biggest growth area is in the arena of urge you to upgrade to the Optisoft
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). This will Enterprise Edition and give your practice a
provide the ability to download product competitive edge.
catalogues from the Web and, thereafter,
they will be automatically updated. You will
also be able to send and track orders direct
from Optisoft to an increasing number of
suppliers, streamlining the whole ordering
process. Finally, you will be able to update
your website with patient and appointment Keith Sheers
information directly from Optisoft to provide Managing Director
a patient service that is second to none.
the letters, the colours and the font sizes,
tailoring them to the right patients. We can
tag patients’ spending patterns and tailor the
marketing accordingly,” he said.
At the touch of a button, the group is now
targeting diabetics generally; or diabetics
over 50; spectacles and contact lens
patients for three, six, 12, 18 months or two
yearly appointments, with other recall
categories for children and other specific Lee Price and Receptionist Amy Cox
groups.
 WEBSITE NEWS
We want to encourage all of
you to register on the User
Forum and to make an active
contribution to the Optisoft
Community. Many are
already reaping the rewards
of this invaluable new
resource, so if you haven’t
done so already, please pay it
a visit and register now.
Optisoft Poster Points Winner – 50
Points for FREE module
Congratulations to Stuart Humfrey of
Williams Opticians who is the first
customer to contribute 50 posts to the
User Forum and therefore qualifies for his
free module. He has chosen Direct
Debits/Standing Orders, saving £1295,
reduced his bank charges and opened up
new opportunities for the practice eg
interest free payment over 12 months. If
that isn’t proof of the value of joining the
User Forum, I don’t know what is!
Post of The Quarter Winner
This was a very difficult decision, as there
have been so many good ideas eg
document pool, backups, direct debits,
and so on. However, we have decided that
the winner is Charles Barlow for his post
regarding the benefits of OptomNotes,
where he addresses most of the concerns
raised by the average Optometrist:
“I use OptomNotes for recording the
whole examination. I do have the benefit of
fundus and slit lamp imaging so anything
unusual gets digitally recorded. I set up my
own exam templates that I just edit during
the exam. For example, it says “IOPs Rt
mmHg Lt mm Hg Apl / NCT” so I just add
the figures and delete what I don't want.
The first visit is the hardest and longest,
but once the record is in the system, at the
patient's next visit I just copy and paste
the previous visit to current. It is much
quicker and much more accurate and it
works well for all contact lens work. Not all
my Optoms use it, some still prefer to use
written notes, so for them we use A4
record cards that can be scanned into
OptomNotes.
”I love the way all the field tests and
referrals are scanned in - it saves so much
hassle. I note from other posts that people
use Paperport etc to organise this. I do
with some work, but OptomNotes
organises it all really well. The patients are
all very impressed - don't forget they're
used to this at the GP and dentist - and
with one quick view of the screen I'm
reminded of all their troubles. They also
like the openness as I show them all the
time what I'm writing and what's on their
images. Plus no one ever grumbles at
having to replace their RGP lenses any
more because they can see on the image
how disgusting they are!”
For this Charles wins £500 towards
Optisoft products or services and if you
would like to find out more just complete
and return the reply-paid card.
2
Optisoft Upgrades Moved To
Website
Now that most of you have broadband,
and in the interests of being
environmentally friendly, we have decided
to stop mailing the upgrade CDs. They are
now available on our website, you will find
them in the Downloads section and they
only take around five minutes.
If you don’t have broadband, we would
strongly recommend that you invest in it
now, as it is fast becoming an essential
resource for all businesses. It’s especially
important for the modern practice with
reminders via email, software upgrades,
Optisoft User Forum, remote diagnostics,
etc. If you would like to find out more, or
want us to post you a CD, please
complete the reply-paid card.
Optisoft Document Pool
A very close runner-up in the Post of the
Quarter competition came from our most
active forum member, Stuart Humphrey.
As he succinctly put it ‘there must be a
great collection of recall letters, forms and
general letter templates’ within the
Optisoft Community and he is correct.
We have created a new section in the user
forum called ‘Document Pool' so you can
share recall letters, forms and documents
with other Optisoft users. The list is
growing daily and it also enables us to
post updated GOS forms as and when
necessary.
 NEW VERSION - OPTISOFT ENTERPRISE EDITION
Software development
should be an evolutionary
process, not a revolutionary
one. Optisoft has been
around longer than most
now and it is still the
undisputed market leader.
Hopefully, this is due to the
fact that we listen to what
our customers want and
keep our software up to
date with the broader IT
market too.
The first version of Optisoft was launched
way back in 1989 running on the original
Microsoft disk operating system (MS-
DOS). It was simple, reliable and our early
customers loved it - so much so that some
of them are still using it today!
MS-DOS was the operating system that
launched the PC revolution, but it did have
some limitations: the screens were text
only, monochrome and only ran one
program at a time. So, Microsoft
introduced the now familiar Windows
operating system which provided a
graphical user interface (GUI), colour and
a multi-tasking capability to switch
between programs.
Optisoft for Windows took full advantage
of these new facilities and integrated with
Microsoft Word. Built as a multiple
document interface (MDI) application, it
meant that not only could you switch
between Optisoft and any other Windows
programs, you could also switch between
modules within the program as well. So,
why did we need a new version and what
are the benefits to upgrading?
Optisoft for Windows was built for
monitors of that era, which were 15”
cathode ray tube (CRT) displays with a
maximum resolution of 800 x 600. Thanks
to the liquid crystal display (LCD), today’s
monitors now range from 1024 x 768 on a
15” monitor to 1600 x 1200 on a 21” one
2
3
and beyond. The net result being the
higher the resolution, the smaller the
software forms become.
Optisoft Enterprise Edition is scaleable.
Increasing the screen resolution,
automatically adjusts to provide a full
screen interface. We can now fit in more
information on each form and you can
take full advantage of the higher
resolutions where they really make a
difference, for example in fundus imaging.
One of the things that people loved about
our original DOS version was the fact that
it was very simple to use and patient-
centric. All you had to do was to find the
patient record and everything was
available from there. The Optisoft for
Windows MDI provided the same
capability, via multiple windows, but
customers found it less easy to use. This
experience was reflected throughout the
software world and most applications
have now reverted to the single document
interface (SDI), as we can only deal with
one thing at a time.

Optisoft Enterprise Edition takes us back
to that simple to use, patient-centric
interface. Once you have found the
patient record, everything is available at
the touch of a button. Want to look at the
patient history? Just left-click on the
appropriate tab and the information is
there: old appointments, cash
transactions and so on. Want to create a
new item for the patient? Just left-click
on the appropriate module icon and a
new transaction is created with the
patient details already in place.
ABERDEEN INDEPENDENT SHOWS ANNUAL GROWTH OF 20%
Long established, independent, city
centre practices rarely report annual
growth of 20% but that is exactly what
Aberdeen's Corry and Christie is showing -
not just for one, but for two years running.
Husband and wife optometrist team David
and Gillian Corry, took over the practice five
years ago and have concentrated on
attracting younger customers, while still
maintaining the patronage of their long-
standing mature patients.
They have also invested heavily in clinical
equipment and the whole team has worked
hard to enhance the general and specialist
CUT HERE
OPTISOFT LTD
FREEPOST Y0332
YORK
YO19 6ZZ
The icing on the cake has to be the new
IntelliSearch facility. In Optisoft for
Windows you could only search on a
limited number of fields in each module:
you could search on the patient’s
telephone number, but you couldn’t search
on their mobile. In Optisoft Enterprise
Edition you can search on any field and,
even better than that, you don’t have to
specify which field to search on. Just type
in what you want and the program does
the rest.
services that the practice provides.
Supporting the practice's success is a
network of nine PCs running Optisoft's new
Enterprise edition, recently upgraded from the
software's earlier version.
"Enterprise is a great improvement on the old
edition and is much more user friendly. We
have taken on most of the modules in the past
few months. Originally we were just using
Recall but now we are running Appointments,
Cash, Frames on Faces, Dispensing and
Stock Control," said David.
"Some of the main advantages include the
ease of retrieving management information
from the system and the facility to calculate
4
These are just a few of the reasons
why you should upgrade and there
are many more improvements that
you have been asking for too.
Optisoft Enterprise Edition benefits
from everything we have learnt in
the past, what we know now and
what we expect to happen in the
future. Obviously, most of our
development now switches to this
platform and we urge you to do
likewise.
VAT. The ability to determine information
about individual patients and groups is also
significantly improved," he added.
David Corry
 OPTISOFT WORD SEARCH 5

The wordsearch popularity is increasing rapidly so heres another chance to win an Optisoft module. Simply find the words listed within
the puzzle, fill out your details below, cut it out and fax it back to us on 0870 350 6780. All correct entries will be entered into a free prize draw.

E N T E R P R I S E R F R R I OPTISOFT DOCUMENT POOL

S D T E C O M M U N I T Y P T PRACTICE DOWNLOAD
K M I F I N P A D W L M Z M C MADE EDI CATALOGUES
F R U C O S J R Q B O D X U J PERFECT ENTERPRISE
Z C M R A S P K A U O I P K Y WEBSITE MARKET LEADER
I E D R O T I E N C P M J Y K USER FORUM NEWSLETTER
I O H E O F A T R J T L D W C COMMUNITY SOFTWARE
L Y M T D N R L P F N I P H D DIRECT DEBITS
S O F T W A R E O O E T C S S
W X P E P B M A S G M C D E Q
D A O L N W O D M U U P T F R
Q G A S T I B E D T C E R I D
Terms & Conditions: Only one entry per person. Draw will take place on Monday
D U M W N F C R J W O N S K Z 7.4.08. All entries must be returned by Monday 31.3.08. The promoter reserves
the right to substitute the prizes for items of equal or higher value. No purchase
Y T W E B S I T E D D U V M C necessary. No cash alternative available. Winners will be notified by post by
9.04.08. The promoter is Optisoft Ltd., The Pallion, Whinchat Hall, Skipwith Road,
U G X N Y E S D Q B M X L T L Escrick, York YO19 6EJ. E&OE.

CONTACT OPTISOFT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON...

If you would like to receive further information on any of the items featured in this newsletter or if you’re interested
in hearing more about Optisoft then please feel free to contact us or tick a box below and and return to us by fax or post.
Please contact me regards:

Optisoft Enterprise Edition Electronic Dispensing Catalogues

Yes, I want to upgrade, I wish to pay in full. I would like the ......................................................
Yes, I want to upgrade, I wish to pay over 12 months. electronic catalogue.

Optisoft Upgrades Moved To Website OptomNotes

I don’t have broadband, please contact me to discuss. Please contact me to discuss
I don’t have broadband, please post my upgrade CD. OptomNotes.

Name:

Practice:

Full Address:

Telephone: Email:

Optisoft Ltd, The Pallion, Whinchat Hall, Skipwith Road, Escrick, York YO19 6EJ

info@optisoft.co.uk Sales – 0845 230 1230

www.optisoft.co.uk Support – 0845 230 3450
Fax – 0870 350 6780
 OPTISOFT ENTERPRISE EDITION
Special Offer
of £495
ends 29th February 2008
We want to make it a ‘no-brainer’ for our existing customers to upgrade to Optisoft Enterprise Edition, knowing
that there is a massive benefit for them to do so. Priced at £495 or £50 per month plus VAT, spread over the next
12 months, it is an easy option.

However, this outstanding limited period offer only runs until the end of February. Thereafter, it will return to our
standard pricing, where you will receive a 50% discount off the RRP for each module. That will mean the price
will at least double for the majority of users.

So, please return the reply-paid card NOW to save disappointment and a lot of
money!

CITY UNIVERSITY ROLLS OUT OPTISOFT ENTERPRISE EDITION

City University's Department of

Optometry has rolled out Optisoft's new
Enterprise Edition software, much to the delight
of the professional team.
"It is far more user friendly, much easier to
navigate and our familiarity with the previous
version has made the transition effortless," said
Professor David Thomson, Head of the
Department of Optometry and Visual Science.
The updated software is installed on four of the
department's computers with two more to roll
out shortly.
Clinic Director, Tina Romanay, added: "We have
all adjusted very well and like some of the new
features, especially the facility to bring up the
last 20 patients searched for, and the
intermediate add facility. We have also been
churning out recall letters like it is going out of
fashion."
Besides City University, Optisoft Enterprise is
soon to be installed at the Departments of
Optometry within Glasgow, Ulster, Bradford,
Cardiff and Manchester Universities.
Optisoft Ltd. Professor David Thomson