How we communicate is essential to our Practice ethos. Because we know that having a positive impact on someone is best achieved by inspiring them and making an emotional connection. Much has of course been written about building relationships:
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
These words, written by Maya Angelou, the American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist were presented to us a few years ago and are now proudly framed on our wall.
As a result, we are constantly analyzing how and what our team communicates, whether face to face, by email, or through social media channels. We’re constantly trying to improve these messages to have more relevance and postive impact.
We have always viewed Hearing Healthcare Practice as an outlier in the world of retail audiology (a term coined by others that we don’t recognise in ourselves). We see things differently. We’re the round peg in a square hole, constantly challenging the status quo. And we vehemently don’t adhere to the common understanding that marketing the latest, shiniest technology should be the only focus of our external comms (more of that in a future post).
Technology is only an end to a means. It is ineffective without the personal intervention and inspiration of a knowledgeable audiologist providing their intellectual property, gleaned through university training and coupled with extensive practical experience. In our view, hearing aids only work well if they’re brought to life by a great audiologist whose job goes so much further than switching on and programming. Never has the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts” had more relevance.
Our client, Maureen, shared how her emotions were tied to her sense of hearing.
“I am so grateful for the care you show.
“I never realised how much more was involved in supporting my hearing. I now appreciate that quality hearing care is so much greater than just having hearing aids. I wish I’d appreciated that at the outset when my hearing began to trouble me. The technology you have provided me is wonderful but without your enthusiasm, help and guidance, I wouldn’t have embarked on this adventure.
“After my last visit, when I left the Practice, I was immediately aware that everything sounded “normal”. There was no intrusive background noise which I had grown used to (reluctantly) everything sounded as, as it used to, which I described as “magic”.
“I feel that this is next best thing to perfect hearing. I am reminded that when I first had hearing aids I was told they merely amplify sound. How far we have come since then.
“I was lucky enough to have been taken to the Last Night of The Proms. As I stood there engrossed in the wonderful music and atmosphere, I realised I was hearing so very well, and was so much ‘in the moment’ that tears started to roll down my cheeks.
“Simple words can never convey how grateful I am for your regular care. When I left today, I told the lovely ladies on reception you need to change your company message to ‘We Change People’s Lives’.
“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.“