'COOL!' That was what Francis Wong thought when he saw, on one of his holidays abroad, a toilet cubicle's clear glass walls becoming frosted once the door was closed. Mr Wong, 51, is managing director of Capitol Optical, a lifestyle optical chain with 30 outlets islandwide that operate under the brands of Capitol Optical, KOOLOOK, Specialist Eyecare and Integrated Eyecare Centre (IEC).

Not surprisingly then, 'Cool!' is often what customers think when they step into IEC at Vivocity - and not just because Mr Wong incorporated the 'smart glass' into the premises. Besides a refreshment bar and lounge sofa, customers are treated to an exhibit of cutting-edge international eyewear innovations, as well as the chance to observe how their spectacles are made in an 'open-kitchen' laboratory.

Mr Wong said: 'Capitol Optical's stores are different from the traditional optical store, most easily seen in our bright and spacious store designs and our unique 'browse and buy' concept. Customers can try on products boutique style, in contrast to traditional stores where eyewear is locked up in cabinets.'

In fact, 'cool' also describes Capitol Optical's product offerings as well. It has most recently managed to secure exclusive eyewear distributorships for fashion brands Loewe, Etro, Celine, Escada, Chopard, Sting, Versus, Fila and Evisu, putting it at the forefront of eyewear fashion.

Beneath the sleek exterior, however, lies optometrical expertise that makes Capitol more than just a place to buy eyewear.

Mr Wong says: 'Eyecare is not just about retailing, there is a medical element as well. We have a responsibility to provide customers with the proper eyecare advice, whether or not this means a sale at the end of the day.'

For example, IEC manager Chew Wai Kwong holds an honour's degree in optometry from the University of Manchester and is a Member of the College of Optometry (UK). He said: 'We do more than just sell spectacles . . . Once we had a customer who complained of poor eyesight. When the traditional optometrical equipment turned up a blank, we were eventually able to determine that she had Keratoconus using equipment available at only a small fraction of the optical stores in Singapore.'

Most of Capitol Optical stores are staffed by optometrists with diplomas in optometry from Singapore Polytechnic, which is the only tertiary institute here to offer such a course. Optometrists, unlike opticians who manufacture and dispense optical products, are eyecare practitioners who are trained to provide eye health and vision examinations.

Mr Wong says: 'Software in the form of talent is integral to the company's success. To attract talent, we have worked closely with Singapore Polytechnic. As many as 20 out of a batch of 40 have had their work attachment with us, from which we often pick the best to join us upon graduation. To retain talent, we offer salaries 10 per cent above market rate, while 10 per cent of each store's profits are given to the store manager to distribute among the employees. Whether the profits are split equally among the employees or according to sales is up to each manager.'

Its efforts in revolutionising the customer experience eventually won Capitol Optical the Singapore Retailers Association's 2007 Best New Entrant of the Year for the IEC.

The IEC, though, represents only the latest step in a long and sometimes bumpy journey of change for Capitol Optical since Mr Wong took over the family business in 1990.

Started in 1968 by Mr Wong's father and two uncles, Capitol Optical initially catered largely to the tourist market, growing along with Singapore's popularity as a tourist destination. However, when the Gulf War broke out in 1990, the travel and hospitality industry was badly affected and Capitol was not spared.

Faced with the prospect of downsizing, the only way for Capitol Optical to stay afloat and viable as a business was to totally change the strategy and direction of the company to one that catered to the domestic market.

'My biggest challenge was to change the mindset of the staff from the traditional quick-sales methods of dealing with the transient tourist, to understanding a whole new concept in customer satisfaction and quality service in order to attract and retain the local customer market.'

One of the changes, Mr Wong explains, was the introduction of price tags. He says: 'It was still not the norm at the time, employees were afraid that, upon seeing the price tags, customers would go to Capitol's competitors and bargain for the same product but at a cheaper price. However, I believed that too much of the interaction time between staff and customers was spent on haggling about price, rather than on providing good customer service.'

Mr Wong realised that there was also a need to transform the company from a family-managed business to a professionally managed company by taking in experienced business managers with external commercial backgrounds. 'We had to learn to trust them,' Mr Wong said.

2008 is a significant milestone year for Capitol Optical as it marks its 40th anniversary in Singapore. With projections of annual revenue increases of 20 per cent in the next 12 months, Capitol Optical will be investing more than $5 million to support its growth plans for the year. This will include the opening of three more new retail outlets, the launch of a major new eyecare facility initiative, and the implementation of a fully integrated information technology system that will align all the CRM (customer relationship management) and back-end operations across all its stores.

With the optical retail market currently valued at more than $300 million, Capitol Optical is firmly fixing its sights on achieving a market share of 30 per cent within the next three to five years by significantly increasing its eyecare and retail footprint across Singapore.

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