Top Ten Reasons for Hearing Aid Delight Carole Rogin, Hearing Industries Association

1
Top Ten Reasons for Hearing Aid DelightCarole
Rogin, Hearing Industries Association www.hearing.
org
2
HIA Members

• Audina Hearing Instruments
• Audiology Online
• Beltone Electronics
• Energizer
• ESCO
• Etymotic Research
• Frye Electronics Inc.
• Hansaton
• InSound Medical
• Interton, U.S.
• IntriCon Corporation
• Knowles Electronics
• Micro-Tech Hearing Instruments
• ON Semiconductor

• Oticon Inc.
• Phonak Inc.
• Pulse US, Inc.
• ReSound North America
• Rexton, Inc.
• Siemens Hearing Instruments
• Sonic Innovations, Inc.
• Sound Design Technologies
• Spectrum Brands
• Starkey Labs Inc.
• The Hearing Journal
• The Hearing Review
• Unitron Hearing US
• Widex

3
HIA Programs

• Government Relations
• Statistics
• Market Development

4
Government Relations

• Agencies FDA, FCC, HHS, FTC
• Legislatures House, Senate, States
• Allied Organizations

5
Hearing Aid Tax Credit
www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org

• 500 per aid
• Every five years
• Age 55 and older dependent children
• Household income below 200,000

6
Hearing Aid Tax Credit
www.hearingaidtaxcredit.org

• 1000 financial assist
• 12,000 annual income differential
• Halo effect

7
Statistics
2008
2009

• 2,407,559 units (-0.73!)
• 57 BTE!
• 3 analog

• Q1 even
• 63 BTE!
• Bye bye Analog Hello External Receiver (33)

8
HIA Sales vs. GDP
9
Market Development

• Better Hearing Institutewww.betterhearing.org
• Exploring the Consumers Journey

10
Exploring the Consumers Journey Rationale

• Technological excellence
• Dispensing excellence
• Gap between excellence and use
• 20 Utilization
• Public perception unchanged
• 1 in 6 are in the drawer
• Results of untreated hearing loss cannot be
  tolerated any longer

11
Exploring the Consumers Journey Chronology

• Phase I Consumer Focus GroupsMay 2005
• Phase II Online Consumer SurveyFebruary 2007
• Phase III Delighted Consumer Focus GroupsAugust
  2007

12
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
I

• People who had suspected they had a hearing loss
  but had not taken action
• Were primarily aware due to experiences and
  complaints from family and difficulties
  themselves
• Perceived people with hearing loss as old, weak,
  frail
• Believed from old friends and relatives that
  hearing aids dont work
• Received inconsistent advice
• Knew that hearing aids were so expensive that
  you shouldnt buy them until youre desperate

13
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
I

• People who had an evaluation but had not
  purchased hearing aids
• Were aware due to same experiences and waited a
  long time
• Expected but did not receive some quantifiable
  measure of their problem
• Doubted the validity of the recommendation
• Had concerns regarding benefit, function and cost
• Received no compelling reasons to act

14
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
I

• People who had purchased hearing aids had wide
  variations in their experience and views
• Pleased
• Have made my life better
• Feel more confident wearing them
• Received training in care and use
• Participated in post-sale interactions
• Disappointed
• Dont work in all situations
• Embarrassed by wearing them
• Received little training in care and use
• Feel abandoned post-sale

15
Research Method Modified Matched-Pair
DELIGHTED HEARING AID USERS
?
WHAT EXPLAINS THE DIFFERENCE?
HEARING AID USERS
SATISFIED HEARING AID USERS
STUDY
SUBJECTS MATCHED FOR AS MANY VARIABLES AS POSSIBLE
16
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
II

• The Survey
• 95 questions about hearing aids, acquisition, use
• 41 minutes to complete
• Healthy Hearing/Survey Sampling International
• 10 point scale High Delight 9 or 10
• The Respondents
• 890 respondents (73 completion rate)
• 50 women, 50 men
• Average of 60 years
• Over 80 binaural
• Over 75 reported moderate-severe loss

17
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
II

• Delight was NOT impacted by

• Length/years of hearing aid use
• Style of hearing aids
• Type of dispensing professional
• Type of office
• Source of referral
• Source of payment
• Price structure
• Cost

• Marital Status
• Employment Status
• Type of employment
• Educational level
• Health Status
• Income level
• Hearing level

18
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
II

• Delighted users
• Significantly female
• Significantly younger
• Live in home with 3 people
• New hearing aids (87 purchased within 4 years,
  all within 5)
• Wear hearing aids full time (not on a
  situational basis)

19
Reason 10 Hearing Aids Work
20
Reason 10 Hearing Aids Work

• New hearing aids enable people to hear where and
  when they want to
• Performance problems reduced or eliminated
• Sound quality is key determinant of delight
• Return visits reduced from 4.6 to 2.8

21
The Cost of Negative Word-of-Mouth

• 25 of our target market dont purchase due to
  negative information from friends
• Huge loss
• 4.4 million people
• 1.75 hearing aids purchased every 5 years
• 38,200,000 hearing aids
• 69 Billion (1800)
• Source MarkeTrak

22
Reason 9 Motivation
23
Reason 9 Motivation

• 54 sought out information prior to appointment
  (primarily, on the internet)
• Most expected to lose some hearing as they age
  so didnt wait as long
• Safety issues were driving force
• Support of family

24
Boomers Online

• 72 use a cell phone
• 74 use the internet
• 62 have broadband at home
• 43 have wireless
• 10,000 people will turn 65 everyday for the next
  20 years
• 50 of them expect to live until their 90
• Source Pew Internet American Life Project

25
Reason 8 Professionalism
26
Reason 8 Professionalism

• Physical attributes of office
• Location, cleanliness, orderliness, and overall
  look
• Staff courteousness and professionalism
• Factors that impact perception of you
• Referral source, demeanor, and reputation

27
Etiquette-Based Medicine

• An interaction that puts professionalism and
  patient satisfaction at the center of the
  clinical encounter.
• Source Michael W. Kahn, MD, New England Journal
  of Medicine, May 8, 2008

28
Patient-Centric Care

• Puts the patient at the center of every
  interaction
• Includes patient and significant others as part
  of care team
• Enables patient to take some responsibility for
  outcomes of care

29
The Very Significant Other

• Family can amplify information, validate answers
• Family can learn care and use
• 65 of those accompanied by a significant other
  purchase, 35 unaccompanied purchase
• Source Robinson Hanes, The Hearing Journal,
  March 2004

30
Reason 7 Evaluation
31
Reason 7 Evaluation

• Discussion about hearing problems, and
  completion of questionnaire
• Testing with earphones for tones, speech, and
  loudness levels
• High technology testing appears to reinforce
  hearing aid technology
• Video Otoscopy
• In-depth discussion of results and next steps
  realistic expectations of aided loss

32
Motivational Interviewing

• A way to improve a persons motivation to
  change beyond their ability to make a change is
  by talking with them about their mixed feelings
  and helping them to work through those.
• Source Motivational Interviewing for Dummies

33
Reason 6 Counseling
34
Reason 6 Counseling

• Delighted users received the following
  information both verbally and in print
• Benefits and limitations of hearing aids
• How hearing aids would be selected
• Tests that would help determine the
  characteristics of hearing aids recommended
• Styles of hearing aids that would and would not
  work
• What to expect
• Information about the office

35
Reason 5 Strong Recommendation
36
Reason 5 Strong Recommendation

• Belief that their opinions were considered
• Strong recommendation of one type rather than
  several options
• Reinforce importance of a trial period -
  adaptation

37
Reason 4 Experimentation
38
Reason 4 Experimentation

• Discussion of what its like to own, use and
  care for hearing aids
• Listening opportunities, simulated and real
• Discussion of relearning to hear and
  establishment of a daily schedule
• Coaching in reducing feedback, talking on the
  phone
• Encouragement to visit the office as often as
  desired

39
Reason 4 Experimentation

• Simulation reduces returns by 50
• Source MarkeTrak

40
Reason 3 Verification Validation
41
Reason 3 Verification

• Confirm that the hearing aid performance matches
  the prescriptive fitting targets
• Explain that to the patient

42
Reason 3 Validation

• Demonstrate how the hearing aids are working for
  the patient in the real world
• Modify settings for more natural sound and
  clear speech
• Real Ear Measurement only 40 almost always
  use
• Measuring the benefit increases satisfaction by
  15-20 (Source MarkeTrak)

43
Reason 2 Continued Connection
44
Reason 2 Continued Connection

• Studies confirm highest satisfactionwith 4
  hours
• Users report ½ hour (Source MarkeTrak)
• 90 reported that a follow-up visit was
  scheduled post-trial and 98 of those kept the
  appointment
• 75 said the professional checked on their
  progress, personally!

45
Reason 1 You, the Hearing Care Professional
46
Reason 1 You, the Hearing Care Professional

• Delighted users rate the follow-up services at
  9.5 out of 10
• Delighted users received a program for learning
  to use their hearing aids
• Although only 8 of all respondents report an
  invitation to classes, those with high delight
  rated the classes high in benefit

47
Results, Phase III The Things You Do That Will
Delight

• Assume that I have little or no information
• Provide me with aided/unaided simulation
• Offer me educational/informational sessions
• Explain to me how hearing aids work
• Tell me which hearing aids will work for me,
  which ones wont, and tell me why
• Schedule automatic appointments for me
• Provide me with a list of things I should be
  hearing

48
Results, Phase III The Things You Do That Will
Delight

• Assume that I have little or no information
• Provide me with aided/unaided simulation
• Offer me educational/informational sessions
• Explain to me how hearing aids work
• Tell me which hearing aids will work for me,
  which ones wont, and tell me why
• Schedule automatic appointments for me
• Provide me with a list of things I should be
  hearing

49
Results, Phase III The Things You Do That Will
Delight Continued

• Provide a faster turnaround time and lower price
  on repairs and give me a loaner, too!
• Police advertising
• Help me hear TV better and have less noise in
  restaurants
• Lower the price
• Be professional

50
Hearing Aids The Now Product

• Make you more employable
• Help you earn more
• Enhance your communications
• Connect you with family and friends
• 8 million of you may be eligible for FEHBP

51
Exploring the Consumers Journey Results, Phase
III

• Todays hearing aids have the potential to meet
  and exceed realistic expectations about better
  hearing
• Etiquette-based medicine is something we need
  to practice putting professionalism and patient
  satisfaction at the center of the clinical
  encounter
• Patient-centric medicine is a direction we need
  to explore making our system maximally
  responsive to patient needs, developing shared
  agendas about desired outcomes and helping people
  become active participants in their own care

52
HIA Members thank you for your business and
interest!