I have been dealing with some IT issues recently, specifically related to email. I will spare you the details, but suffice to say I needed assistance from the support centre of a large, international company.
Each time I contacted them, I specified in their online form, that due to my mild hearing loss, I would prefer to liaise with them via email. I appreciate that sometimes it is easier to listen to someone explain their problem and it is easier to give oral advice, but I assured them I was capable of following a list of tasks to follow.
Despite this, they kept calling me. I would reply via email to reiterate that I preferred email based communication, but to no avail. I was told I would need to speak to someone on the phone. Apart from one phone call, I felt as though I muddled through each call and felt exhausted and frustrated at the end of each call. I had to focus hard, to hear what people were saying to me.
One person was lovely and patient with me and I experienced a much better call. Another person, despite having good intentions to start with, became snappy and frustrated with me. It was even harder to hear him because there was a loud noise in the background. I think he had a printer running but I am not sure. I came away from this call feeling very annoyed, and discriminated against for having a mild hearing loss. I was really concerned about how people manage when they have a more pronounced hearing loss.
How do people with a moderate to severe hearing loss manage phone communications when seeking help?
Organisations, whether small to medium enterprises or large organisations must offer diverse communication options to truly meet the needs of all customers. A flexible system is essential to ensure inclusivity and effective service delivery.
I appreciate that there are cost implications here, but there is so much more available to us to use these days, including:
Final comment
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