Q.
Why did you make this product disposable?
Q.
How can you manufacture a product at these prices?
Q.
Is SONGBIRD DIGITAL™ available in more than one size?
Q.
How will SONGBIRD DIGITAL™ impact my practice?
Q.
I have patients currently wearing Songbird's analog product.
How do I switch them to SONGBIRD DIGITAL™?
Q. Why did you make
this product disposable?
A. Our mission
is "Bringing Better Hearing to the World." That
means a total focus on the hearing aid non-user. We hope to partner
with hearing healthcare professionals who will also embrace this
mission. The Songbird Digital Disposable Hearing Aid is very appealing
to the non-user and we will invest heavily in consumer communications
to build non-user interest. We will work with professionals who
want to grow their practices and team with us on approaches to
attract non-users and expand the market. Disposability means advanced
technology. Because our product is disposable, we can use custom
design features not available to other manufacturers.
Disposability means
no battery changing, so no battery door. That frees up the faceplate
area for a large Mega-Mike
Microphone. In fact, the Songbird microphone has a diaphragm that
is seven times larger than current microphones. The Mega-Mike
microphone produces excellent sound fidelity, while its ultra-low
noise floor is an enormous benefit for patients with mild to moderate
hearing loss. Disposability also means a 70-day product life which
allows us to use ultra soft materials in our ComforSeal
Tip. The ComforSeal Tip fits deep in the ear canal, past the second
bend, and creates an active seal. This limits occlusion, boosts high frequency sounds, controls feedback
and enhances retention, even when talking or chewing. That means
that the Songbird Digital Disposable Hearing Aid provides patient benefits
and the ability to hear in noise that will result in outstanding
patient satisfaction and substantial growth to your practice.
Q. How can you manufacture
a product at these prices?
A. That is
an understandable question, given the fact that hearing aid prices
have risen sharply over the last several years. Unfortunately,
despite technological advances, the number of people who wear
hearing aids has not grown.
Songbird has taken
a very different approach: we’ve teamed up with our parent company,
the Sarnoff Corporation, and a network of high-tech suppliers
from around the world that we call the Global Hearing Alliance
to re-invent the hearing aid. Our product is designed from the
ground up using all custom components that were developed exclusively
for the Songibird Digital
Disposable Hearing Aid. We will use no common components as is
the current industry norm. All of our suppliers are signed to
long-term exclusive agreements and together have invested nearly
$20 million to build the capacity needed to supply the millions
of component sets we’ll need. These huge volumes will give us
access to the highest quality components at a very low cost.
Songbird has invested
an additional $20 million in order to incorporate many elements
of high-speed automated manufacturing into our CyberTech
manufacturing process. This technology will help us to drive our
costs down while building products of the highest quality.
Q. Is Songbird Digital available in more than one size?
A. Songbird Digital is now available in three tip sizes. With the addition of new larger and smaller sizes, Songbird Digital now fits approximately 80 percent of adult ears.
Following this clinically proven protocol can optimize fitting success with Songbird Digital Disposable Hearing Aids:
- Start with the 8mm tip size. Begin an initial fit with an 8mm tip size for both male and female patients. If the patient is comfortable and there is no feedback, then you can complete the dispense.
- If you have feedback or if the instrument is too loose, move on to the 9mm tip size. If that isn't satisfactory, try the 10mm size.
If you don’t have one of Songbird Digital's tip sizes in your office, please contact your Songbird sales representative.
Q. How will Songbird Digital
impact my practice?
A. Songbird Digital
appeals to a younger, more mildly impaired non-user population
(ages 45-65). The present hearing aid wearer base tends to be
older (over 65 years) and moderately to severely impaired. Therefore,
Songbird Digital will bring significant increases in patient volume to
your practice without negatively impacting your present business.
Songbird Digital represents a new product and a new approach for a new
market. There is a huge unmet need that currently exists among
the 23 million Americans with untreated hearing loss. Despite
advances in technology, this group has resisted the idea of wearing
a hearing aid.
The reasons are well
known to all professionals – you see them every day. Patients
that are interested in Songbird Digital, however, are NOT the people
you see in your offices each day.
The Songbird Digital
Disposable Hearing Aid has been developed to directly address
the reasons why so many resist wearing a hearing aid. It is a
product of the highest quality that’s easy to get and easy to
use. Songbird Digital’s low cost of entry makes trying it an easy decision
– one that doesn’t require a huge financial or emotional commitment
from the user. Songbird will invest heavily to interest the non-user
in our product and in visiting the hearing healthcare professionals
who dispense it. And that means new patients and new business
for Songbird Dispensing Partners.
In our market research
we asked non-users who were interested in buying Songbird Digital, "If
Songbird Digital wasn’t available, what other hearing aid would you be
interested in?"
72% said NONE
23% said Crystal Ear®
(Songbird Digital represents a professionally dispensed answer to the
mail order problem.)*
Therefore, it’s easy
to see that Songbird Digital will provide a significant new business opportunity
for every Songbird Dispensing partner. A strong partnership between
Songbird and the profession can surely Bring Better Hearing to
the World.
*Crystal
Ear® FS is a registered trademark of Tools For Living®
Q. I have patients currently wearing Songbird's analog product. How do I switch them to Songbird Digital?
A. When your patients come in for their next replacement hearing aids, simply give them the new digital hearing aids in their current format. Be sure they understand that the new digital aids will last for 70 days, not 40.The difference in price amounts to a few cents per day for digital sound quality. If you have further questions about handling Songbird Digital within your practice, please contact your Songbird sales representative.
