You Son of Un-Married Parents You!
Sometimes I must seem like the voice of doom, I know when I talk about disruption it can make people uncomfortable. Although some wouldn’t be as uncomfortable if they read the full article before firing off an email to me telling me I am the son of unmarried parents! You know who you are and that’s all we will say about it, next time read the frickin article. It’s not that I mind someone using choice language, but only if I actually deserve it. Hey, I often deserve it.
Technology is Technology, Not Good or Bad
However, I get a lot of feedback from people in the profession worldwide who enjoy talking about technology and how it could, would, should change things. For instance, simple and easy remote fitting and fine tuning would be a god send for many of our colleagues in the different public services around the world. That technology would deliver a massive change for the better in public provision to remote or large areas that have few resources.
That same technology would facilitate a business model similar to Blamey & Saunders to become a world-wide phenomenon. The technology is not the issue, in all honesty, I don’t think the business model is either, provision of hearing devices as an online service will work just fine for a certain cohort. If it didn’t, Blamey & Saunders would not be successful and there would not be the demand for PSAPs online that there is.
However You Need To Survive
I am not a lobbyist for disruption, I have no vested interest in the model changing. I speak of disruptive technologies and consumer pressures because I do not want Audiologists to die, or become simple physiologists. I want you to survive, I want you to thrive, why? Because I really do think that our involvement in the process of hearing better is valid. Because of this
Why Am I such a Mean Son of Un-married Parents?
Simply because, in order for you to survive, you need to be aware of all of the pressures. You need to be aware that consumers are changing. You need to be aware that consumers have the power, you need to be aware that consumers will shape the future provision of hearing aids, not you. Because if you are aware of that, if you believe that, you can start to shape the consumers wants and needs, you can meet their needs and not be marginalised. You need to understand those consumers and their wants and needs, because only then can you design a service that keeps them as customers.
Because if you don’t, you will be marginalised, your future will be testing, treating balance and handling the really, really tough cases. That doesn’t serve the needs of Patients and it doesn’t serve the needs of our profession.
Regards
Geoff
