Hearing Aid Benefit and Satisfaction Results from the MarkeTrak 2022 Survey: Importance of Features and Hearing Care Professionals

Abstract

The hearing aid market is rapidly evolving with advancements in features and potential changes in service delivery models, including the new over-the-counter device category. Data from the MarkeTrak 2022 survey indicate most hearing aid owners report regular quality-of-life benefits from hearing aids, even more than in previous surveys. The increased likelihood of hearing aid benefits might be attributable to modern hearing aid features advancements, such as wireless connectivity and rechargeable batteries. Hearing aid satisfaction rates have been relatively stable over the years, indicating that more than 80% of hearing aid owners are satisfied with their devices. Hearing aid satisfaction rates do not appreciably vary by fitting channel; hearing aid owners fitted in person, fitted remotely, or self-fit are similarly likely to report high satisfaction with their device. However, only respondents in the in-person channel gave establishment ratings (reflecting their willingness to recommend) that resulted and reflected a positive net promoter score. Given the potential for net promoter scores to be related to brand growth and customer loyalty, this finding has implications for the development of over-the-counter hearing aid service-delivery models. Additional work is warranted to explore the factors that negatively affect hearing aid owners' satisfaction with the companies delivering limited services.

MarkeTrak and EuroTrak: What We Can Learn by Looking Beyond the U.S. Market

“…In France, the satisfaction rate with the quality of service during fitting and follow-up care is 87%; the comparable rate in Germany is 89%. For a more complete overview of the satisfaction rating for hearing professionals in the United States, see the article by Picou 7 in this edition.…”

Focusing on Positive Listening Experiences Improves Speech Intelligibility in Experienced Hearing Aid Users

“…This was intentional because we wanted the participants to note these particular listening experiences and not other experiences relating to comfort, physical appearance of the device, connectivity, battery life, etc. However, it could be relevant to ask hearing aid users to focus on/report a broader range of positive experiences with their devices, such as the physical aspects and accessories, that can contribute to the user's overall experience ( Picou, 2022 ).…”

Predictable Factors of People with Asymmetrical Hearing Loss Wearing a Hearing Aid in the Worse Ear Only

“…The MarkeTrak 2022 survey, the largest-scale survey that the Hearing Industries Association has regularly conducted in the United States, stated that overall satisfaction with hearing instruments was 83% and ownership of binaural hearing aids was 70% for those fitted in person. It shows that 64% of respondents reported “regular” quality-of-life benefits with hearing aids, but 9% and 2% stated their quality of life improved rarely and never, respectively, even though they were current owners [ 36 ].…”

“…There are too many factors influencing hearing/listening as well as hearing aid performance, such as, for example, audiometric factors (e.g., type, degree and configuration of hearing loss), personal factors (e.g., motivation, expectation, stigma and previous experience with devices), demographic factors (e.g., age, sex, job and listening environment) and external factors (e.g., cost and counseling) [ 4 , 5 , 36 ]. A lot of previous studies included personal and demographic factors, but few studies evaluated specific audiometric data.…”