19/01 2022 - Stores
After a couple of years working as an occupational therapist, Lyanne Vos (29) wanted to explore another sector and got advice from a career choice test to think about optics. “I didn’t know what to think about that,” she says, looking back, “but I always had side jobs in retail, so I decided to give it a go. Now I work for Specsavers, I see a lot of similarities between eye care and healthcare: I get to help a lot of people, and I’m always pleased to see a satisfied customer leave our store.”
She started as a sales employee at the Specsavers store in Zwolle Centrum, the Netherlands, and soon got the ambition to become an optician. After two months of working in the store, she enrolled in an optical education at the Deltion College in Zwolle, and since 2019, she has been practising her profession. “Optics is very interesting, and in practice, the profession differs a lot from what you learn at school. I like everything about it. There are quite a few protocols, but you also need to be creative. Together with my colleagues, I face challenges every day, thinking: how can we deal with this? The constant interaction between theory and practice keeps me sharp and enthusiastic about this profession.”
Last year, Lyanne moved to another Specsavers store in Zwolle Zuid and a couple of months after that, she started a new training to become an in-store trainer. In this role, she’ll focus on improving customer service and team performance, helping team members with their personal development and giving training courses about, for example, new products and customer satisfaction. A new chapter, with extra responsibilities on top of her optical activities. “When I’d mastered eye testing, I was ready for a new challenge, and I found it here! Zwolle Zuid is a larger store, with literally more space to do other things. So now I get to do more and learn more, also on a management level. And I make sure that my team members keep on learning as well.”
Every day, she works with three colleagues in the store, which has a team of eight employees in total. They start their day together, prepare everything, and Lyanne starts seeing customers at 9.30 in the morning. She performs eye examinations, contact lens checks and when there aren’t any appointments, she helps with dispensing. She also handles spectacles and contact lens orders, eye health test results and calls customers to confirm their appointments. In the meantime, she takes online courses, for example, about new products. “The variety is what I love most about my job; there are so many aspects. When Specsavers offers new products or services, I make sure the whole team receives that information. During optical appointments, I get to help a lot of people. And as an in-store trainer, I get to help colleagues to achieve their personal goals.”
At the moment, Lyanne is finishing her training course. “Every time I look forward to the moments I can focus on my education. I’m completing my training programme, deciding what goals I want to set for myself, and I’m going to support my team’s development. I’ll take on the role of in-store trainer next to my job as an optician.” In the future, she’d like to be part of the Talent team at Specsavers’ support office. “This company focuses on the development of its employees,” Lyanne continues, “both professionally and personally. If you have a drive and are willing to learn, this is a great place to work. Exploring something is always an option. As an in-store trainer, I get to support my team members, so they’ll also experience this.”
Lyanne now knows what she’s capable of. “When I started here five years ago, I didn’t know yet what my talents and preferences were. These last few years, I’ve learned so much about optics and myself.” She’s pleased with the excellent atmosphere in the team and the space everyone gets to come up with their ideas. “Guided by a firm set of rules, there are a lot of opportunities to do things your own way. We work with eight women in this store, and by telling each other everything, we learn a lot and have lots of fun. So, to everyone considering a job at Specsavers, I’d like to say: visit us and try working here for a day!”
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