Test - AI-powered RX transcription for eyewear retailer

impact:cost-saving
$400K+

Annual cost reduction

$400K+

Annual cost reduction

$400K+

Annual cost reduction

A leading global eyewear retailer partnered with Coherent Solutions to modernize how prescription glasses are processed across retail stores and digital channels.

The goal was to reduce manual effort, improve transcription accuracy, and create a faster, more reliable experience for both staff and customers. Working together, Coherent Solutions designed and delivered an AI-enabled prescription workflow that simplified RX transcription while supporting the client’s long-term digital growth strategy.

 

At a glance

Client: Leading global eyewear retailer with more than 200 retail locations.

Industry: Healthcare, Retail & Optical services.

Challenge: Manual prescription transcription slowed service, increased errors, and created operational inefficiencies across stores and e-commerce workflows.

Solution: AI-powered RX transcription platform with mobile tools, human review workflows, and scalable cloud infrastructure.

Outcome: Faster prescription processing, improved accuracy, and stronger support for omnichannel growth.

Coherent’s role: Digital product engineering partner responsible for AI workflow design, platform development, systems integration, and continuous optimization.

 

Client overview

The client is a major international eyewear retailer serving customers through a large network of physical stores alongside growing e-commerce operations.

Prescription fulfillment plays a critical role in the retailer’s service offerings. Accuracy, speed, and consistency directly affect both operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.

This initiative focused on redesigning the prescription intake workflow and transforming a time-consuming manual process into a scalable digital capability that could support future retail and online growth.

 

The challenge

Before the project began, opticians manually transcribed prescription data from customer-provided RX forms into a proprietary point-of-sale system.

For complex prescriptions, the process required careful interpretation of handwritten details, repeated verification, and several minutes of focused administrative work per order. As store volumes increased, these inefficiencies created friction across the dispensing workflow.

The manual process increased the risk of transcription errors, slowed customer service, and limited scalability across both retail and digital channels.

The client needed a solution that would improve operational efficiency while keeping opticians in control of prescription validation and review.

 

Our approach

Coherent Solutions worked closely with the client to redesign the prescription workflow around AI-assisted transcription and human review.

Rather than developing a standalone automation feature, the teams focused on building an integrated system that could support real retail operations at scale.

The platform was designed to:

  • Interpret multiple RX formats and handwriting styles.

  • Operate reliably across different lighting conditions and store environments.

  • Flag uncertain outputs for human review.

  • Support future e-commerce prescription workflows.

  • Integrate securely with the client’s existing systems.

To improve model reliability, the team created a training dataset containing approximately 10,000 annotated RX images representing diverse prescription formats and real-world image conditions.

The solution also included built-in validation workflows that enabled opticians to quickly review outputs, correct issues, and maintain oversight throughout the dispensing process.

Security and compliance requirements were incorporated into the delivery process from the beginning, with infrastructure and operational decisions aligned with HIPAA and PHI standards.

  • Hover message

 

The solution

The team developed an AI-powered RX transcription platform supported by scalable cloud infrastructure and mobile tools for in-store staff.

An intuitive iPad application allowed opticians to capture prescription data directly within the dispensing workflow, reducing manual entry and simplifying review processes.

The platform used AI models trained to recognize prescription details across different handwriting styles and formats while surfacing low-confidence results for human validation.

To support long-term scalability, the system was built using a serverless architecture that minimized operational overhead while enabling rollout across hundreds of retail locations.

The solution also included retraining capabilities that allowed models to improve over time as new prescription examples and operational feedback became available.

 

The impact

Today, the AI-enabled RX transcription system supports operations across more than 200 physical retail stores and continues expanding into online channels.

The rebuilt workflow improved both operational efficiency and the customer experience by reducing repetitive administrative work and helping staff spend more time assisting customers.

Key outcomes included:

  • Faster prescription transcription and review

  • Improved accuracy and workflow consistency

  • Reduced fulfillment issues caused by manual entry errors

  • Stronger support for omnichannel prescription processing

  • Scalable infrastructure for continued digital expansion

Following rollout, the platform continued evolving through ongoing optimization and feedback from retail teams, including improvements to detection accuracy, validation workflows, and user experience.

The solution became an important part of the client’s broader digital ecosystem, helping create a more reliable and scalable prescription fulfillment process across physical and digital channels.

quote-thumb-img

Bring the question. We will bring the argument, the framework, and the engineers who have shipped it before

Chris, Lorem - VP Digital & Data Fitness Franchise

arrow-forward-dark Connect With Our Experts

What We Did and Why

We assembled a cross-functional team with deep .NET expertise and an average of four years of tenure on the account — continuity that made foundational change possible without disrupting daily operations.

Rather than a wholesale replacement, we pursued staged modernization: fixing the most costly inefficiencies first, then building toward a platform capable of supporting long-term innovation.

  • Redesigned global websites and mobile templates on Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), with additional support provided pro bono during COVID-related closures
  • Migrated APIs from MuleSoft to Spring Boot to eliminate fragmentation and improve scalability
  • Consolidated internal workflows covering registration, scheduling, and content delivery
  • Centralized data systems to enable reliable analytics and cleaner reporting
  • Optimized infrastructure spend, achieving over $400K in annual savings
  • Modernized mobile apps from Xamarin to native iOS and Android

Client Context

A leading U.S. fitness and wellness brand operates a national network of premium health clubs alongside a growing portfolio of digital products and services. As member expectations shifted toward connected, personalized exp

1.

$400K+ in annual IT cost savings

2.

Improved scalability across APIs and native app

3.

Resilient operations maintained through COVID with continued AEM support

Client Context

A leading U.S. fitness and wellness brand operates a national network of premium health clubs alongside a growing portfolio of digital products and services. As member expectations shifted toward connected, personalized exp

By the time the modernization program reached full stride, the client had moved from a patchwork of legacy systems to an integrated enterprise platform. Faster content publishing. Cleaner member data. Lower infrastructure costs. And a digital backbone ready to support AI-driven personalization at scale.


The drop-off isn't random

Across the fitness platforms we've built and analyzed, the pattern is consistent: 60–70% of users who complete onboarding never return after week three. The trigger isn't price, content quality, or even UX friction — it's the absence of a habit loop.

Users who complete 3+ sessions in week one retain at 4x the rate of those who complete one Push notification timing matters more than copy — contextual beats scheduled Social features increase 30-day retention by 34% when introduced before the day 7.

What habit architecture looks like

Habit loops aren't designed in marketing — they're built into the product. Streak mechanics, progressive difficulty, personalized scheduling, and coach-to-member nudges all have to be engineered as first-class features, not afterthoughts.


Client Context

A leading U.S. fitness and wellness brand operates a national network of premium health clubs alongside a growing portfolio of digital products and services. As member expectations shifted toward connected, personalized exp


Where most teams go wrong

The most common mistake is treating engagement as a content problem. Teams add classes, challenges, and programs — without instrumenting which of those actually change behavior. You can't iterate on what you don't measure

video-bnr
play-btn Meet the people shaping the partnerships, systems, and decisions behind our work

The drop-off isn't random

Across the fitness platforms we've built and analyzed, the pattern is consistent: 60–70% of users who complete onboarding never return after week three. The trigger isn't price, content quality, or even UX friction — it's the absence of a habit loop.

Most platforms optimize for day-one activation: a smooth signup, a compelling first workout, a "you did it" moment. What they miss is the archi

  • Users who complete 3+ sessions in week one retain at 4x the rate of those who complete one
  • Push notification timing matters more than copy — contextual beats scheduled

Client Context

A leading U.S. fitness and wellness brand operates a national network of premium health clubs alongside a growing portfolio of digital products and services. As member expectations shifted toward connected, personalized exp

More Insights