When buying a hearing aid, it is very important to choose the right hearing centre. 75% of satisfied customers attribute their satisfaction to the professionality of the experts involved in the entire process.
In this article, staff and hearing aid specialists at some of the centres on Spanish hearing centre locator website audifono.es discuss the 7 things that customers list as important when choosing the most suitable hearing centre.
1- Hearing aid professionals
Hearing aid dispensers understand and offer solutions to issues such as hearing loss or tinnitus. From the patient’s perspective, these healthcare specialists are generally responsible for:
- Carrying out any tests necessary to understand the underlying hearing issue.
- Analyse test results in order to select the most suitable hearing aid.
- Adjust the hearing aid accordingly to ensure the wearer can hear perfectly.
A good hearing aid dispenser treats every customer as if they were the only patient of the day, putting time and effort into carrying out a comprehensive analysis of their needs and studying every possible solution.
Moreover, they will invest in continued learning outside of the workplace and make an effort to adapt to technological advances in the field.
2- Free trial period
It is important to point out that hearing centres should always offer customers the opportunity to take their hearing aids home for a trial period. This will help them to identify any discomfort that the hearing aid may cause them after the initial fitting. The hearing aid dispenser, or a hearing aid specialist in their place, can support the customer in correcting these issues.
3- The location of the hearing centre
Soon, customers will only need to visit the hearing aid centre for the initial fitting of their new hearing aid: any other adjustments to the settings of these hearing instruments will be made using a mobile phone.
The audiofono.es website explains that the physical location of the hearing centre is losing significance among customers, who prioritise other aspects such as customer satisfaction or the centre’s level of specialisation.
4- A wide variety of hearing instruments
A particular priority for hearing aid customers is the selection of different hearing aids offered by the centre: a broad selection will give them more freedom to choose the instrument that best suits their specific needs. If you see several different brands of hearing aid when you enter the hearing centre, you will know that they work with a wide range of different options, which will make choosing the ideal solution easier.
5- Hearing aid prices
The knowledge and expertise of the hearing aid professionals that work at the centre are included in the purchase price of the hearing aids they offer. In other words, the price you pay does not only cover the cost of the hearing aid, but also the hearing assessment and hearing aid fitting.
Therefore, it is not unusual to find the same brand and model of hearing aid being sold at different prices on the market. If this is the case, we would advise you to think twice before selecting the cheapest option: it is important to assess the different services that the hearing centre offers its customers before you choose your hearing aid.
Some hearing centres offer financing thanks to agreements with banks and similar entities, which allow their customers to pay in installments. This service does not usually involve commissions or interest, as these costs are absorbed by the hearing aid centre itself.
6- The hearing centre’s areas of specialisation
Some hearing centres in Spain specialise in different areas of audiology. Among these is paediatric audiology, and centres specialised in this field offer specific equipment and facilities aimed at offering the best level of care to younger patients.
That is why it is important to research hearing centres carefully before choosing the most suitable one for you or your family, taking into account any specific needs rather than factors such as the distance from the nearest public transport.
7- Hygiene and home support
The Covid-19 pandemic in Spain has changed healthcare protocols drastically, and will also bring about significant changes in hearing centres. Customers have begun to value the new public hygiene and safety measures or home support services introduced by hearing centres highly.
Hearing centres have also begun to broaden the services they offer to include home visits and additional support to care homes for the elderly in order to carry out hearing assessments and fit hearing aids.
What factors did you prioritise when you chose your hearing centre? We look forward to reading your comments!
I am in complete agreement that when looking for a hearing clinic, it is important that we ensure that the clinic employs trained and certified professionals. It makes sense for us to emphasize their qualifications as it will assure us that they are capable of offering quality and reliable service. I will definitely be mindful of the clinic I choose to send my son to seek treatment from.
Yes, Kristofer. That’s true, is very important to look for certified professionals. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
I liked that you mentioned how there is a general preference that will give more freedom to select the device that best suits their precise needs.
We are looking for a hearing center that we can visit for our son’s hearing concerns and want to ensure we find a suitable facility to help us.
I will show this to my partner to see how this can help us decide what to consider when looking for a hearing care clinic to visit.
Thank you very much for your feedback! we are pleased to be of help 🙂