An interview with Vicki

We interviewed Vicki Maskell on her role within OcuPlan and what is important to her when it comes to eye care and customer service.

We wanted to introduce you to our much loved Chief Operating Officer, Vicki. So often we receive feedback from our customers on Vicki and how great she is, so we thought we’d give you a bit of insight into how she helps to keep OcuPlan running smoothly and the help and advice that she offers our customers. We also wanted to get some words of wisdom from her on looking after your eyes!

So Vicki, tell us a bit about you…

“Hi, I’m Vicki and I’m Chief Operating Officer for OcuPlan. I’ve been working for OcuPlan since it launched in 2019. Before then I was working in the optometry industry for 5 years as a Medical Secretary/PA and prior to that I worked in the banking industry in a variety of different roles for 10 years.

I’ve always been in roles that involve working directly with customers and clients. I love the interaction and learning about them and how I can help them.

I’m married with two kids and have a Shar Pei dog called Stanley.”

Talking of pets, what is your biggest pet hate?

“I really dislike it when people don’t call back, or they don’t do what they promised. It drives me crazy! I’ll always make sure that I return someone's call or go back to them as quickly as I can. One thing that I’ve learnt over my career is the importance of customer service. It’s something that I really pride myself on and ensure that OcuPlan offers the highest quality customer service.”

What is your role within OcuPlan?

“As OcuPlan is still a relatively new company, my role is quite varied. We’re growing quickly, so every day creates a new challenge and opportunity, which is great because it means that no two days are the same. OcuPlan is a really exciting business to be part of right now.

When you call OcuPlan, I’ll normally be the person that greets you. We get a lot of calls, so a lot of my time is speaking to our patients, consultants and optometrists, answering questions and offering advice. We get a lot of calls from new patients too, so I’ll help them to register over the phone. I also manage the finances and general administration. Which there is a lot of!"

What do you love, or find interesting about working for OcuPlan?

"I love helping people, I always have. I’m really lucky to work for a business who genuinely want to help people and provide care for those who need it. For me, there's nothing more satisfying than knowing that I have helped someone to preserve their sight. We have a lot of customers who are understandably nervous about their condition, and if I can help them to feel a bit more at ease it makes my day. We receive a lot of really nice customer feedback, so it's great to know that we’re providing a service that is truly helping people."

You speak to a lot of patients every day, do you have any advice in general on looking after your vision?

"Even if you have perfect vision, I’d encourage everyone to have an annual eye health check with your local optometrist. Conditions like glaucoma have no symptoms until you see a deterioration in your sight, and at that point it’s a lot more difficult to treat. At an annual eye check-up, your optician will carry out a general ocular health screen where they analyse the health of your eyes and can detect any early signs of long-term eye conditions.

And, check to see if there is any history of eye disease in your family. If your parents or grandparents suffered from glaucoma or another long-term eye condition, there is a chance that you may also suffer from it later in life. So, it's really important to inform your optometrist of this so they can keep an eye on it."