On Friday, we published a blog post about hosting a solutions-focused event. Today’s post continues this topic with recommendations from Thumper Johnson, Director of Audiology at Mid Kansas ENT, about how to make your event a success.
- Plan ahead: Consider the event timeline and the staff needed to support each stage of planning.
- Know your staff: assign roles appropriately:
– Each staff member invites a group of attendees and works with them.
– Have someone available to troubleshoot technology issues.
– At the end, have someone review “the basics”: insertion / removal for new users, batteries, cleaning, etc. - Reception: Prepare for methods of payment (credit card, check, cash, prepay), name tags, folders, direction, purchases, etc.
- Fitting: Pre-program hearing aids considering the following: Auto DFS, Receivers, Tips, Individual DFS etc.
- Pairing: Pre-pair to streamer(s) being used and TEST each device!
– Have some way to test as hearing aids are being fit.
– Provide instructions for receiving the signal and post them/provide a hand out. - Reservations: How many people can you handle? Limit the number of reservations.
- Purchasing: Have paperwork prepared for those who want to purchase. Put a card in the folders to allow attendees to indicate their desire to purchase. You can then follow up with them individually and they don’t have to stand in line.
- Follow Up: Schedule follow-up appointments ASAP to review fit (ensure new patients are seen within the first week). Also send a handwritten thank you note to each attendee.