Transcript Customer Satisfaction with Single and Multiple Microphone

Customer Satisfaction with
Single and Multiple Microphone
Digital Hearing Aids
Sergei Kochkin, Ph.D.
Knowles Electronics
January 9, 2001
Strategic Objective of Knowles
• Participate with the industry in a continued
dialogue on factors impacting customer
satisfaction.
• Customer satisfaction improvement - critical to
growth of the market.
• Knowles conducted research on 25,000+
consumers.
• Customer satisfaction
• Subjective benefit
• Publication of journal dedicated to customer
satisfaction: High Performance Hearing Solutions.
Previous MarkeTrak Customer
Satisfaction Research
• Advanced technology enhances customer
satisfaction:
• Programmable (digital or manual)
• Multiple memories
• Multiple channels
• Multiple microphones – directional hearing
instruments (strongest factor)
• Non-linear signal processing (e.g. WDRC)
Previous MarkeTrak Customer
Satisfaction Research
• Other important factors
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Volume control (some segments)
Telecoils
Completely in the canal instruments (CIC)
Binaural hearing aids
• But what about Digital Hearing Aids?
• Now 18% of the market
• Smaller clinical studies generally positive
Digital Study
• Multiple manufacturer products were studied.
• Results of first large-scale study on satisfaction
with DSP hearing aids:
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Single European based manufacturer
200 single mic (44% ITE / 56% ITC)
296 multiple mic (69% BTE / 31% ITE)
Compared to 418 MarkeTrak (analog) norms
Average age of instruments 7-8 months
• Consumer completed Knowles MarkeTrak survey
• 45 ratings of hearing aid and dispenser
Top ten correlates of overall
satisfaction (in rank order)
1. Perceived benefit
2. Sound clarity
3. Value (price/performance)
4. Reliability
5. Use in leisure activities
6. Natural sounding
7. Use in noisy situations
8. Use in large groups
9. Use in restaurants
10. Use outdoors
Factors showing at least 10%
improvement in customer satisfaction
Customer satisf action v ariable
17
Overall satisfaction
3
17
Comfort with loud sounds
11
16
Use in Noisy situations
7
16
Sound clarity
4
16
Natural sounding
6
15
W ill repurchase brand
10
14
Outdoor situations
5
14
Hours worn
10
14
Battery life
-3
13
W histling/feedback
11
12
W orkplace
6
12
Quality of life
2
Multiple Mic Digital
12
Recommend dispenser
9
Single Mic Digital
10
On-going expense
0
-5
0
5
10
15
% dif f erence in customer satisf action ratings
20
Significant Differences
Overall, Consumer Behavior & Dispenser
Factor
Overall satisfaction
Quality of life
Recommend HA
Recommend HHP
Repurchase HA
Wear hearing aid
Dispenser service
Single Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple mic
& Single Mic
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Significant Differences
Product Features
Factor
Single Mic
& MarkeTrak
Fit/comfort
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Ease VC adjust.
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Visibility
Packaging
Freq. Cleaning
Warranty
Ease Battery Chg.
On-going expense
Multiple Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple mic
& Single Mic
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Factor in yellow denotes top ten correlate of overall satisfaction.
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Consumer Need for a Volume Control
Yes
35%
Yes
28%
No
46%
No
40%
Not sure
25%
Not sure
26%
Single Microphone
Multiple Microphone
Customer Satisfaction is related
to Need for a VC
% Overall satisfaction
100
Desire for Volume Control?
Yes
Not sure
No
93
81
79
80
57
60
60
42
40
20
0
Single
Multiple
Number of Microphones
Significant Differences
Performance Factors
Factor
Single Mic
& MarkeTrak
Benefit
Reliability
Sound clarity
Natural sounding
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Sound of voice
Soft sounds
Loud sounds
Whistling/feedback
Multiple Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple mic
& Single Mic
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Factor in yellow denotes top ten correlate of overall satisfaction.
Significant Differences
Performance Factors (Cont.)
Factor
Single Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple Mic
& MarkeTrak
Value (price/perf.)
Directionality
Use in Noisy Sit.
Battery Life
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Multiple mic
& Single Mic
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Factor in yellow denotes top ten correlate of overall satisfaction.
Significant Differences
Listening Situations
Factor
One-on-one
T.V.
Small Groups
Listening to music
Place of worship
Outdoors
Leisure activities
Single Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple Mic
& MarkeTrak
Multiple mic
& Single Mic
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Factor in yellow denotes top ten correlate of overall satisfaction.
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Significant Differences
Listening Situations (Cont.)
Single Mic
& MarkeTrak
Factor
Car
Restaurant
Concert/movie
Workplace
Telephone
Large group
Multiple Mic
& MarkeTrak
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Multiple mic
& Single Mic
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Factor in yellow denotes top ten correlate of overall satisfaction.
Summary of Key Findings
Single Mic
DSP
Multiple Mic
DSP
+3%
+17%
Factors with 10%+ improvement
(vs. MarkeTrak)
4
14
Top ten consumer factors improved
(vs. MarkeTrak)
0
6
Net listening situations improved
(vs. MarkeTrak)
-1
4
Net performance/value factors
improved (vs. MarkeTrak)
-2
6
Significant differences
(single vs. multiple microphone DSP)
1
14
Overall customer satisfaction
improvement (vs. MarkeTrak)
Conclusions
• Performance in noise:
• Key reason why hearing-impaired do not buy
hearing aids (MarkeTrak).
• #1 hearing aid improvement sought by hearing
aid users (German study).
• #2 reason why 907,000 of our customers place
their hearing aids in the drawer (MarkeTrak).
Conclusions
• Consumer studies now demonstrate the superiority
of multiple microphone hearing aids over omnidirectional only aids:
• Kuk (Hearing Instruments, 1996) - analog
• Kochkin (Hearing Review, 1996) - analog
• Schuchman, Valente, Beck, Potts (HR, 1999) – analog
(double blinded study)
• Kochkin (Hearing Review, 2000)- digital
• Consumer research supportive of dozens of small
clinic/lab studies or theoretical papers.
Recommendations
• Fit all qualified candidates with directional
hearing aids (BTE, Full concha, half shell).
• Ask manufacturers to extend directional feature to
lower priced product (not just high end
programmable.)
• Completely automatic aids are tremendous feature
for some, but not all, consumers:
• Make sure your patient can live without VC or
directional/omni-directional switch.
• Lack of control could dramatically impact satisfaction.