The key message during Unitron’s recent Engage conference, a two-day event with hearing healthcare professionals held June 2-3, 2016 in Nashville, Tenn, was how to create an exceptional patient experience and encourage patient advocacy to grow a private practice as the hearing industry undergoes changes.
“We all know that healthcare is evolving rapidly and it’s not just technology innovation driving the change,” said Mike Dittmann, president at Unitron USA. “It can be argued that consumer expectations and access to information is driving this change at an unprecedented rate. In the hearing aid industry we’ve been slow to adopt many new ideas, but there has never been a bigger opportunity before us.
Dittmann noted that events like Engage bring together hearing healthcare professionals and experts from inside and outside of the hearing industry to facilitate moving beyond traditional approaches to find new ways to engage patients and grow practices.
Unitron reports that during the 2-day event in Music City, company leaders and hearing healthcare providers learned from renowned experts in the areas of baby boomer marketing and cultural changes, the creation of a first-class patient experience, and how to effectively lead through the creation of a solid vision. Teamwork and trust allowed the discussion to move beyond theory and into practice via panel discussions, workshops and roundtable peer-to-peer discussions that helped identify tangible tactics to put immediately into practice.
Unitron US Engage 2016 keynote speakers included Matt Thornhill, founder and president of the Generations Matter think tank, and author of Boomer Consumer; Jim Tincher, founder of Heart of the Customer, and a certified “Customer Experience Professional,” and Steve Pawlett, director of Global Learning and Development for Sonova and a topic expert on leadership, sales and coaching.
By many accounts, conference participants appreciated the practical learning provided at the Engage event. “We are committed to providing excellent patient-centered care and are receptive to new ideas,” said event participant Sarah Curtis, a clinical audiologist at University Hospitals Case Medical Center. “I personally think that it is wonderful that Unitron has elected to place its focus on taking care of the patient and on reaching new patients. It was nice to see such an approach and emphasis toward hearing health and not sales.”
“Change brings growth and opportunities,” tweeted another Engage participant, Dr. Sheryl Figliano of Centers for Hearing Care. “What an inspirational and practical two days! I’ve already implemented things I’ve learned with staff this morning!”
A second event from Unitron was an in-clinic success workshop, held in Whistler, Canada in mid-June, which focused on creating an exceptional customer experience. Over two days, Unitron leaders and Jim Tincher conducted an exploration of the patient journey through presentations and a hands-on workshop. Participants worked through how to apply unique concepts such as Flex™ and patient insights technologies within their practice to enhance and differentiate their patients’ experience.
Source: Unitron