Interview with Jeff Crumb, Simply Hearing Software Inc.

Topic: Features and Benefits of Simply Hearing OMS

Jeff Crumb

SMAKA: Today I'm talking to Jeff Crumb from Simply Hearing Software. Welcome, and thanks for taking the time to talk with me today.

CRUMB: Thank you Carolyn. It's great to be here.

SMAKA: What is your background and your role at Simply Hearing Software?

CRUMB: I am the CEO and Founder of Simply Hearing Software Inc. I've been in the software industry now for 15+ years. I started off as a software developer right out of university and worked my way up through different roles at various organizations. In 2004 I founded Simply Hearing Software Inc.

SMAKA: How did you decide to go into software for audiology and hearing care practices?

CRUMB: As it happens, I have some family members who are audiologists. For years they had been telling me that there was a need for a strong software package for their industry. I decided to take them up on that in 2004 and get out on my own by starting my own company and developing software to meet this need.

SMAKA: Regarding Simply Hearing OMS, what functions does it serve for a hearing care practice?

CRUMB: Well early on, when designing the system, I wanted to gear the software not only to smaller organizations but also to medium and large organizations. As a result, today there are unique features in our system that cater to both worlds. Certainly the software works really well for smaller organizations that may have one or two locations but it also is extremely well suited to mid and large sized organizations. For example, a large organization is very concerned about both security and stock management and there are features in our software that specifically address those needs. These are less important features in a small organization and as a result can be turned off. Also, when it comes to scheduling, of course, you can schedule for an unlimited number of locations as well as for an unlimited number of audiologists or professionals.

As far as the reporting functionality goes, Simply Hearing OMS provides real-time reporting across your entire organization, regardless of size. We also provide clients with full access to our database for reporting purposes so they can create their own custom reports. In addition, we provide full support for web services which is utilized to integrate our system with other systems such as NOAH or Microsoft CRM. We have those types of integrations in place at organizations around the world today.

So those are definitely some areas where we separate ourselves from our competitors by offering some features and functionality that they don't necessarily offer.

SMAKA: You mentioned organizations around the world;does that mean Simply Hearing OMS is available both inside and outside of North America?

CRUMB: Yes, our system is currently the only commercially available system that is fully multilingual. The system can be run in English, Spanish, Portuguese, other European languages, as well as multibyte languages like Mandarin, Thai, Japanese and Hindi.

We have significant installations not only throughout North America, but also in many other places around the world such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand.

SMAKA: I know that the electronic medical record (EMR) is a hot topic right now in audiology. Does Simply Hearing OMS support EMR?

CRUMB: Yes, absolutely, that is another feature that we offer. In addition to data like insurance information, demographics, and types of hearing loss, we also allow you to "go paperless" and attach electronic files to any patient record and that's a unique feature to our software today. It enables you to have a true, full electronic medical record and get away from paper as much as possible.

SMAKA: I know that support is really important for people when it comes to software, so what does Simply Hearing Software Inc. provide in terms of support?

CRUMB: We have a support team here at our office that is available by telephone and email, and we provide extended support hours so that we can be available during business hours for our customers around the world. We know that support is extremely important and we take it very seriously. As a result, we ensure that we have people here to field questions and provide assistance when needed.

SMAKA: What are some of the common questions that you get from audiologists about your software?

CRUMB: One common question is whether our software integrates with a financial package such as QuickBooks or Microsoft Dynamics NAV, and the answer is yes. They also want to know whether our software can run on a Mac or on a PC or both. The latest version of our software is browser-based that can either run on a Mac in a browser or on a PC in a browser, so that capability is certainly now available.

We also receive questions from people who are considering using our software who ask, "Can this be hosted for me?" We're one of the only companies out there that offer a hosted capability where we can actually host the data for a client on a managed server or if they prefer to have it installed on their own premises, we offer that as well. Other companies are either only hosted or completely not hosted, but we have the flexibility to offer both options.

SMAKA: Today I imagine some people would like to access their clinic software via notebooks or their iPads. Is that possible?

CRUMB: Yes. The browser works on any browser-enabled device (iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, BlackBerry PlayBook or an Android device), however, what we find is that just because you have a piece of software that runs in a web browser it doesn't mean it's optimized for every device. For example, iPhones and BlackBerrys have pretty small screens. As a result we are currently working on a mobile application specifically optimized to run on a mobile device with a smaller screen. It will be available later in 2012 and it will link directly to our system in real-time. It will be a proper mobile application as opposed to having to find your way around using a web browser application on a smaller device.

An iPad is great for browsing the web but it's not as ideal for entering a lot of data into a business application. It's certainly not as easy as using a PC with a full sized key board and mouse. But when you design an application specifically for an iPad or an iPhone, then, you can really capitalize on the device's features to benefit the user and address their needs.

SMAKA: You mentioned support, Jeff, but what about training? What kind of training do you provide?

CRUMB: We feel that training is certainly very, very important when moving to any software package. We find that each customer has unique needs;some customers require a little more time, training and/or support than others and we are happy to guide them through the training process. When a company purchases our software, the purchase price includes a certain amount of training, and then we certainly offer training beyond that. We also have fully documented user guides and exercise booklets to help with training.

Typically, a trainer would spend a couple of hours going through the material and then leave the user with some exercises to complete. Together they would schedule an appointment to come back, check on the customer's progress and provide further support if needed. We genuinely want to make sure that people are comfortable and have a solid understanding of how to get the most out of the system.

SMAKA: If people want more information, what would be the next step?

CRUMB: The best thing to do would be to fill out the information request form on our website. We like to give people a guided tour through our system, spend time answering their questions and understanding their needs. Whether they are currently using another system and are looking for certain features or whether they are not using another system and want to know what our system can do for them, we want to talk to them about what our software can provide for them. Then, we can leave them with a 30-day trial that they can access allowing them to play with the software. We typically find that a 30-day trial works best for most people, so that they can really get a good understanding of the software and its benefits.

SMAKA: That makes sense. It seems with software, you don't know what you have until you really use it on a regular basis.

CRUMB: Exactly. We get calls from all sorts of practices - small, medium and large companies, who are either struggling with their current software package or struggling because they are not using anything. The guided tour and 30-day trial is the best way for us to show them what we have. We certainly look forward to talking with any practices out there about what we have to offer and how we can help their business.

SMAKA: Thanks Jeff. I appreciate your time in giving us an overview of Simply Hearing OMS.

CRUMB: Thank you, Carolyn.

For more information, visit https://www.simplyhearing.com/ or the Simply Hearing web channel on AudiologyOnline.