One proof of that was when clinical teams identified that two-thirds of referrals for glaucoma were missed during the first lockdown. That data was shared with the NHS and Glaucoma UK, becoming part of the evidence base for allowing optometrists to remain open and thereby helping to prevent avoidable blindness.
There is a strong, caring team culture with the mantra, “a happy team is a productive team”. Positive challenge is encouraged with a focus on diverse opinions to drive better outcomes. As well as competitive salaries and packages, working patterns are flexible, while learning pathways encourage skills development and then transferring skills back into the team. A cross-functional community runs challenges and competitions, helping the team to stay ahead of the game.
Although central to Specsavers, the team is small and lean, but is underpinning millions of pounds in additional revenue. Using a pod structure of cross-functional, self organising teams of product owners, data engineers, data scientists, business analysts and visualisation experts means business stakeholders are supported end-to-end, with delivery aligned to priorities.
Since 2019, the team has grown six-fold and is now the second most-invested area after technology. Staff satisfaction is high and average tenure is over six years. A new data platform now integrates 70% of customer data, allowing predictive models and A/B testing to be run, as well as delivering clinical reporting into stores. Paul Morris, director of professional advancement at Specsavers, says: “Without data we wouldn’t have been able to help stores care for people in the same way.”
