Blog

So many obstacles exist to getting hearing healthcare. It can be frustrating for those seeking help and those available to provide the necessary help. Only about 20 percent of the people that actually need hearing aids use them. Although this can be attributed to various reasons, we will look a little deeper at the effects of failed hearing aid fittings on the customers themselves and how this bad word of mouth prevents others from receiving the help that they need.

We hear this story so often,that is the story of the unsatisfied hearing aid user… maybe they still have the hearing aids and they are sitting in the sock drawer or maybe they returned them. This story, no matter what the details, generally ends with someone who needs hearing help not receiving it.

Many things must come together in order to result in a happy customer who will then go and tell a number of other people of their great experience. We harp on this point but the most important decision someone can make is where they get help with their hearing. If you are dealing with an experienced professional, they can help to select a product within a certain budget and make that product perform to the best of its ability for each individual. That professional also has the knowledge and experience to know what to do when something is not performing as required or to the customer’s expectations. Often the ability to know how to tailor hearing devices to a wide array of patients is an art learned through experience and simply excelling at what you do. In almost all cases adjustments can be made, different products can be utilized, and counseling can be done to ensure that patient receives the help they need.

Ensuring that we keep the number of hearing aids returned or unused to a very minimum is not only best for the customer but also for everyone they come in contact with. It is widely told that an unhappy customer will go on to tell 10 people about their bad experience with a product. However, social media and the internet has the ability now to blow that number out of the water. So one person who had a bad experience with hearing aids could turn into thousands who hear the story about how hearing aids are awful, expensive, not worth it, the list goes on…

Conversely, social media and the internet has the ability to help spread the “good word” about hearing aids. We would love to see more people speaking in a positive light to help influence that 20 percent number to go up.

At the end of the day, we as professionals need to be doing our very best to ensure that this does not happen and you as the customer should be sure that you choose a professional with the know how to help you hear better for life.