In his newest blog written exclusively for Starkey, Justin Osmond — who was born with a severe-to-profound hearing loss and has been wearing hearing aids since he was two years old — explains why he gets hearing aids from a hearing professional vs. buying them online or over-the-counter.
Let me start out by saying that there’s nothing more important than being connected to each other through mutual respect, appreciation and understanding. And for me, the best way for that connection to take place is through the human heart — listening and knowing that someone has your best interest at heart.
I’m of the opinion that closeness and connection is a matter of communication, communication is a matter of listening, and listening is a matter of understanding. How can we draw close to someone or something unless we communicate with each other? How can we communicate with one another if we don’t allow the opportunity to hear each other out and listen? And if there’s no closeness, communication or listening taking place… then there’s no understanding between the two parties.
That is why meeting with a hearing professional is so crucial and worth the additional cost versus purchasing hearing devices online or over the counter.
Here’s the bottom line and the main difference between the two scenarios:
- Hearing professionals “listen to understand”.
- Online and over-the-counter non-professionals “listen to respond”.
Don’t leave your hearing to someone who doesn’t listen
Would you rather have a real professional who listens to you and hears you out? Wouldn’t it give you peace of mind knowing that a real expert in this industry makes you feel valued, important and understood and is always there for you before, during and after the purchase of your services and products?
Someone who has the human touch and strives to fully understand your hearing situation is a component of creating closeness, connection and complete assurance and understanding.
Or would you rather have an automated online service where it may be convenient to purchase a hearing device, but you are then left with a lot of questions and comments and it’s up to you to try and resolve the issue on your own? A similar outcome could be said for over-the-counter purchases as well.
The main difference is the ‘human touch.’
In my experience of wearing hearing aids for over 43 years, people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. I love the connection and relationship I have with my hearing specialists and audiologists. They don’t just give me their ears… but also their eyes. They are a full captivated audience! Everyone in my hearing clinic gives me their undivided attention and make me feel valued, heard and understood.
Better hearing is best achieved with a human touch
Helen Keller says, “Deafness separates people from people” so if that’s the case, why are we dividing the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities even more by separating them from hearing professionals and directing them to an online store or over-the-counter retail stores? I’ll let you ponder that question for yourself. 😊
Hearing or No Hearing… I think we can agree that the issue isn’t usually the volume, but the quality of our customer service and products. As a deaf and hard-of-hearing customer, a 5-Star rating would require customer service from a hearing professional who listens to understand and not an online robot who listens to respond.
It’s all about the ‘human touch.’ We all want to be connected to life… to each other… and to hear and understand life’s precious sounds. I stand by our hearing professionals who are truly dedicated to not only helping us hear better, but to live better.
You can follow Justin Osmond on Facebook at JAOsmond; on Instagram at justin_osmond; on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinosmond/ or at his website www.justinosmond.com
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