AI Automation for Optometry practices in Gold Coast
Optometry practices leak revenue through the two-year recall cycle and spectacle quotes that walk out the door unfilled. We train two or three of your people to build automations that run eye-test recalls, chase unsold dispenses and prompt contact-lens reorders automatically, then build the harder integrations with them so you own it outright instead of renting it.
~7%
of Australian SMEs have AI running an actual process, not just a chatbot trial
National AI Centre, 2026
“Most agencies build your automations and bill you forever. We do the opposite - we train your own people to build and own them, so when we leave, the capability stays in your business.”
Last updated: 2026-06-30
Where the manual work hurts in optometry practices
For most optometry practices, the same handful of jobs eat the week - recall reminders, spectacle and contact-lens follow-ups, patient intake and collection notifications. Here is where Gold Coast optometry practices lose the most time and money:
1. Two-year recall reminders are worked off a list by hand, so lapsed patients quietly book elsewhere.
2. Patients leave with a spectacle quote and never return to order, and nobody follows up.
3. Contact-lens patients run out and switch to an online supplier before anyone prompts a reorder.
4. Patient history and health-fund details are collected at the desk instead of before the appointment.
None of these are your actual trade or service. They are the repetitive admin wrapped around it - which is exactly the work that can be automated and owned in-house.
What your team will automate
These are real flows we build with optometry practices - mapped to your workflows on the tools you already run (Optomate, Sunix, Oasis, Xero), not generic templates:
Recall reminders. Two-year eye-test recalls are tracked and invited automatically instead of being worked off a recall list by hand.
Spectacle quote follow-up. Patients who left without ordering glasses get gentle, automatic follow-ups to convert the unfilled dispense.
Contact-lens reorders. Lapsing contact-lens patients are prompted to reorder before they run out and switch supplier.
Pre-appointment intake. A new booking triggers history forms and Medicare or health-fund details before the patient arrives.
Click-and-collect alerts. Patients are notified automatically the moment their glasses are ready, clearing the dispensing bench.
We start with whichever of these is costing you the most right now, so you see something working early rather than at the end.
How the program runs
Over six to twelve weeks, shaped around your business and your heroes. Done with you, not to you.
Map and diagnose. We sit with your team and map your real workflows, then pick the automations with the best payback.
Build along, together. Weekly working sessions where your people - your practice manager or optical dispenser is the typical hero - build real automations on your own tools, with us beside them.
We build the hard parts. The genuinely tricky, integration-heavy or compliance-sensitive flows we build with your team so they learn by seeing it done.
Independence and handover. Your heroes run solo. We leave a documented playbook and an optional low-touch get-unstuck line. No retainer required.
Own it, do not rent it
Most Gold Coast optometry practices have two options today: pay an agency a retainer that never ends, or try it themselves and watch the pilot quietly die because nobody owns it.
buildAutomation is the third way. One investment that ends, not a cost that never does. Your people make changes instantly instead of raising a ticket. The capability stays and compounds in-house instead of walking out the door with a contractor. And you finish with live automations running your business, not a slide deck of ideas.
Optometry practices in Gold Coast
Gold Coast trades and hospitality operators live and die on speed of response during peak season, so a business that owns its enquiry-handling and review-request automations captures bookings that a slower competitor lets slip. From Coomera and Helensvale construction corridors to Burleigh and Surfers hospitality, training your own admin hero to run and adapt the system beats paying an agency retainer that never hands you the keys. The Gold Coast runs on small business at one of the highest per-capita rates in the country, dominated by construction, tourism, hospitality and a fast-growing health precinct around the Gold Coast University Hospital and Robina.
We run buildAutomation with optometry practices right across Gold Coast - including Southport, Surfers Paradise, Burleigh Heads, Robina, Bundall, Varsity Lakes - in person where it helps and remotely where it does not. 13Labs is a Melbourne software studio, and the program is the same wherever in Queensland you are: train your team, build the hard automations together, and leave the capability behind so you own it.
At a Glance
| Manual job today | What we automate | What you get back |
|---|---|---|
| Two-year recall reminders are worked off a list by hand, so lapsed patients quietly book elsewhere | Recall reminders: Two-year eye-test recalls are tracked and invited automatically instead of being worked off a recall list by hand | Time back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team |
| Patients leave with a spectacle quote and never return to order, and nobody follows up | Spectacle quote follow-up: Patients who left without ordering glasses get gentle, automatic follow-ups to convert the unfilled dispense | Time back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team |
| Contact-lens patients run out and switch to an online supplier before anyone prompts a reorder | Contact-lens reorders: Lapsing contact-lens patients are prompted to reorder before they run out and switch supplier | Time back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team |
| Patient history and health-fund details are collected at the desk instead of before the appointment | Pre-appointment intake: A new booking triggers history forms and Medicare or health-fund details before the patient arrives | Time back and a process that runs itself - owned by your team |
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of our recall list is lapsed - can automation win those patients back?
Recall is the highest-value flow we build for optometry practices. The system tracks every patient's two-year due date, sends the invitation automatically and follows up the ones who go quiet, so lapsed patients come back instead of drifting to another practice.
Who manages this day to day - we are not a technical team?
Your practice manager or an optical dispenser owns it, not a developer. It is point-and-click automation connected to Optomate, Sunix or whatever you run, and we train them and document everything so the capability stays inside the practice.
How much does buildAutomation cost for a optometry practice?
It is a one-time program fee, scoped to your business and the number of heroes you want trained - not a monthly retainer. Tell us where the manual work hurts most and we will come back with a clear scope and price.
Are you based in Gold Coast?
Yes. 13Labs is a Melbourne software studio working with businesses across Queensland and Australia, in person where it helps and remotely where it does not.
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Tell us where the manual work hurts most. Callum reviews every enquiry personally and will come back with a clear next step - a one-time program, not a retainer.
Enquire about buildAutomation