Hearing instrument specialists (HIS) play a vital role in your hearing care. They help provide you with information on what hearing aids are best for you and will assist you in picking out the perfect ones to combat your hearing loss.

Purchasing a hearing aid is a large investment, so it’s crucial to trust the professional you’re working with. With the right guidance, you will find the right devices to meet your hearing loss, lifestyle and budget needs.

With that in mind, here’s some advice on how to pick the right hearing instrument specialist:

Ask for local referrals

The first thing you should do is ask people you know whether or not they’ve been to a hearing instrument specialist. If everyone in your area points you to the same person, then you know they’re trustworthy and should do a good job. Likewise, if the same name keeps coming up and people are telling you to avoid them, then you may want to look elsewhere.

Check online reviews

Another thing you can do is head online and check reviews of local hearing instrument specialists. Again, this will help separate the best from the rest, ensuring you only focus on people with reviews that you can trust.

Look at the services offered

Most hearing instrument specialists offer the same core service, hearing testing and helping you select the right hearing aid. However, some may offer more after-purchase services or offers, so check around to find the best one to meet your needs. Try and find someone that offers a more complete service, so you get great value for money.

Check the types of hearing aids they supply

This is a very important step because you want to pick a HIS with a wide variety of hearing aids. If they only stock one brand of hearing aid your options will be restricted. Likewise, some might have a working relationship with a particular manufacturer and only sell their hearing aids. Ensure you find someone with a broad range of styles, types and brands for you to choose from.

In reality, choosing the right hearing instrument specialist isn’t a difficult task. Look at what other people recommend to separate the trustworthy specialists from the bad ones. Then, it’s a case of surveying their services and the variety of hearing aid technology they offer. Hopefully, this should all contribute to finding the best specialist for you.