A pair in a drawer and a credit that never arrived
A patient was fitted five weeks ago. They came back, said the aids were not for them, and handed them in. The dispenser put them in the returns drawer with a sticky note. Two months later, during a stock check, someone finds them. The manufacturer's return window closed weeks ago.
Every hearing clinic that offers a trial or satisfaction period has a version of this story. The patient side usually goes fine. It is the back office side, getting the aids back to Phonak, Oticon, Signia or whoever supplied them in time for a credit, that leaks.
Two clocks, no single view
The root cause is that two separate time limits apply to the same pair of aids, and they are recorded in different places.
| Clock | Where it usually lives | What goes wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Patient trial period | Patient file or the sale paperwork | Nobody checks in before it ends |
| Manufacturer return window | Supplier terms, the order confirmation | Nobody knows the date for this pair |
| Follow-up appointments | The diary | Not booked in time to decide inside the trial |
| Refund to patient | Card terminal or finance provider | Handled, but not linked to the return |
On top of that, return terms differ by manufacturer and sometimes by product, and the person who knows them is often one experienced dispenser. When they are on leave, the drawer fills up.
The cost of returns that slip
A missed return window means the clinic pays for aids it has refunded to the patient. Even when returns are made in time, the chase for the credit note takes office time, and credits that are never matched against invoices are easy to lose. There is a quieter cost too: patients whose trial ends without a check-in are more likely to give up than patients who get a follow-up while there is still time to adjust the fitting.
How we track each pair from fitting to credit
- When a fitting is recorded, a trial record is created for that pair with the serial numbers, the manufacturer, the patient's trial end date and the manufacturer return deadline, calculated from rules you set per supplier.
- Follow-up appointments are prompted automatically at the points you choose, so the patient is seen while there is still time to fine-tune.
- A board shows every pair on trial, sorted by the earliest deadline, with the ones closing soon highlighted.
- When a patient returns aids, the dispenser logs it on a tablet or PC in a few taps. The return is then a task with a due date, not a sticky note.
- The return paperwork for that manufacturer is pre-filled, and the tracker records when the parcel is sent and its tracking reference.
- Expected credits are listed and matched against credit notes when they arrive, whether in email or in your accounts package such as Xero.
- Anything unmatched after a set period is flagged to the practice manager.
We connect to your practice management system for fittings and patient details where it allows, and use Noah or your stock records for serial numbers. Where a connection is not possible, a simple form at fitting does the job.
The supplier rules sit in a small table your practice manager can edit, because manufacturers change their terms and your agreements with them are yours to keep up to date.
Life after the drawer
The practice manager opens one screen on Monday and sees which pairs are on trial and which deadlines fall this week. Dispensers get a prompt to see patients while there is time to help them. Returns leave the building with the right paperwork and a tracking number, and credits are checked off as they arrive rather than discovered missing at year end.
When your most experienced dispenser is on holiday, nothing depends on their memory.
Does this sound familiar?
- Returned hearing aids sit in a drawer or box until someone gets round to them.
- You have paid for at least one pair that went back to the patient but not to the manufacturer in time.
- Only one person knows each manufacturer's return rules.
- Credit notes from suppliers are not checked against returns.
- Patients reach the end of their trial without a follow-up appointment.