Seeing the World Through a Different Lens: How Orascoptic’s Commitment to Customer Centricity and Continuous Improvement Transformed Loupes 

By Tonya Holtey

There is an old adage in business: If it isn't broken, don't fix it. While that philosophy might serve other companies well, that is different from how we choose to operate at Orascoptic.

We have always been focused on producing a premium loupe (glasses with telescopes) that helps dental and medical professionals see what cannot be detected by the naked eye. While we’ve innovated our product lines as technology has improved the aesthetic design of the product has largely stayed the same.

The traditional look of the loupe served us well for nearly 40 years, but in 2020, at the advent of the pandemic, everything in the world shifted. Our perceptions changed, as we started to ask how we could do things differently. We challenged our leaders to come up with ways they would handle different portions of the businesses, giving them and their teams ownership and authority to make changes, which ended up boosting morale and productivity.

Our marketing team, empowered by the ownership opportunity and with a passion for their customers, dug deep into our company values of Customer Centricity and Continuous Improvement. We realized that loupes had yet to evolve in style, despite the customer base evolving throughout the years. Women now make up 51.6% percent of dental school graduates, and 98% of dental hygienists, according to the American Dental Association and American Dental Hygienists' Association, respectively. 

We saw a huge opportunity to take our tried-and-true product and make it more adaptable to the growing female market. We collected feedback from our customers to see what they wanted when shopping for loupes and how their needs and desires changed over time. Their response was clear. They wanted frames that reflected their personal style, transitioning away from a more traditional design, without sacrificing functionality.

We launched the RDH Elevate line, exclusively available to dental hygienists in May of 2023. The loupe, available in black, crystal clear, glacier blue, tortoiseshell, and pink pearl, is designed to eliminate discomfort and distractions while prioritizing style. This line uses a frame tailor-made for loupes, with a titanium base to ensure durability while offering the stylish dental hygienist a fashion-centric option.

Since the RDH Elevate line launched, we have seen a 15% increase in loupe sales for hygienists. Our hygiene professionals are excited to shop for their loupes and it fills us with pride knowing our product fills them with joy as they select this tool that offers function and fashion.

So, what is next for us at Orascoptic?

We will continue to empower our team by giving them the freedom to bring fresh ideas to the table and focus on Continuous Improvement. We will stay committed to Customer Centricity, providing superior craftsmanship while always keeping our customers in mind with our high-quality products.

To learn more about the RDH Elevate products, visit orascoptic.com/en-uk/rdh-elevate.