How many people reading this article have ever made a house call? Don’t be shy…go ahead and raise your hand! In years gone by, all sorts of professionals made house calls. I can remember our family doctor coming to the house when I was sick (Yes – I am that old) and my father and his accountant sitting at our dining room table on a number of occasions going over his books. He was a butcher with a small neighborhood store. House calls were just a normal part of doing business for professionals, the same as for the milk man and butcher shop deliveries.
When I first started fitting hearing aids in the mid 70’s I was expected to make house calls. I worked in a big city, Baltimore, (Go Ravens) and in the farming communities to the west. Seeing a client in the office was enjoyable, but rare. I might not have been the most knowledgeable hearing aid specialist in town and truthfully, in the beginning, ringing the door bell of someone I had never met before with the purpose of selling them hearing aids was an uncomfortable experience, even though the people I met usually turned out to be warm and friendly but I got accustomed to it.
In today’s world, with all of the testing that is either being mandated or at least expected, it can be difficult to do in-home testing and sales, although there are still a good number of offices offering this valuable service; especially so for “shut ins.” In a structured office environment where each minute is scheduled and expected to contribute to your bottom line it is hard for a professional to justify going to a client’s home. The results however, in client satisfaction and good-will more than make up for it. Remember, referrals come from happy clients and asking for a referral in your client’s home is more likely to have a positive outcome than doing it in your office or over the phone.
In my later dispensing years, 2000 – 2007, I had a small rural office in Arizona, but still made house calls which I scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday evenings. This way I did not disrupt my office schedule even though I might not get home for dinner at my normal time. At the same time I also had a satellite office in a hospital. This required me to become quite efficient at packing and carrying everything I needed to test, fit, sell, and repair instruments, including programming with a Hi-Pro. With the advent of open fit technology, all of this has become a lot easier.
So when the opportunity presents itself, why not do a few house calls? For people trained in a clinical setting it can be a real change of pace and you might just learn a few things from clients who are more likely to tell you things they might otherwise not say in your office. Who knows, you might enjoy the experience and your clients will certainly appreciate your dedication to their well being.
