Interview with Kevin Kouba, Divisional Vice President - North America Professional Hearing Aid Battery Sales, Rayovac

Carolyn Smaka:  Kevin, thanks for talking with me today.  Congratulations on the launch of Rayovac’s new business-to-business website.  Tell me how it came about.

Kevin Kouba: Sure, Carolyn.  As the technology leader and to support our flagship Proline brand, an online ordering system for professionals seemed to fit nicely into the suite of business tools that we provide professionals. 

We want to stay ahead of the curve not only with products, but also with our initiatives, like business tools and marketing programs for professionals. In addition, we want to continue to be a company that is very easy to do business with and, therefore, customers should have the opportunity to do business with us however and whenever they see fit.  If that means working with one of our consultants one-on-one, we will do that.  If that means ordering batteries at night or on the weekend so that they can spend traditional working hours with patients, we want to provide that opportunity too.  Or, it may be a combination of the two.

 The new Rayovac business-to-business website enables professionals to order batteries whenever they have access to the Internet, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  It’s very easy to use and is loaded with features.  It’s a secure site, and it’s mobile friendly too, so it can be accessed from your PC, tablet, iPad, or smart phone.  You can choose your payment method and pay online.  If there are any promotions, you can access those as well. And, if you want to contact a product consultant, they’re just one click away.

Carolyn: It sounds incredibly convenient.  What if I have special customization with my Proline batteries?  Can I order online?

Kevin:  Yes, you can.

We do a lot of customization of Proline battery packaging with practices’ names and addresses or business identification.  When you order online, you simply verify the imprint we have in our system, and that’s it.  The order is processed with your customization. 

When we onboard customers with the online ordering site, we verify that all the account and customizable imprint information is correct.  After the initial set up, information is saved and you are ready to go.

Carolyn: Will ordering online affect when my order ships?

Kevin:  No.  With Proline, we guarantee shipment within 24 hours of receipt of the order, whether that order is placed online or via one of our consultants.   Batteries ship factory fresh from our plant in Portage, Wisconsin. We offer free shipping on standard ground, and you can request overnight delivery if you want.  Ground shipping can get anywhere in the continental United States in three days.  We also ship to Canada.

In terms of shipping, you can choose where you want the product sent, either the same place you have always receive them, or you can ship to a new office or another location as well. 

Carolyn:  Sounds great. What kind of feedback have you had from professionals since you launched the site?

Kevin: Our customers are thrilled, as you can imagine. 

In fact, they asked for it.  We survey our customers from time to time to benchmark our performance and ensure we are meeting their needs.  In a recent survey, almost 70% of our customers said that they would like an online ordering tool - which is not a surprise when you look at consumer behavior today.  People are ordering online.  Professionals want to focus their business hours on seeing patients and running their practices, and they were looking for a way to get our great services and products at their convenience even if it is outside traditional business hours.  They are very happy to see that the new site is now available.

Carolyn:  Kevin, you mentioned that Rayovac’s new online ordering website is part of a suite of business tools for professionals. 

Kevin:  Right.  We offer a host of resources in our Business Builder program.  It starts with helping professionals understand and define the role they want batteries to play in their practice.  We know that batteries can play a significant role in improving patient satisfaction.  To get a good fitting with a hearing aid, you need a good battery.  A hearing aid without a good battery is useless.  So patient satisfaction is a big part of it.  Another part of it is creating a profitable practice, to help you not only survive, but thrive, so you can reinvest back into your business.

We can help professionals benchmark their battery business, based on the number of hearing aids that they fit over time.  We can assist them with projecting how many batteries they should be selling based on their hearing aid fittings, and then help them take it to the next level.  If their battery sales are lower than what would be projected based on their hearing aid sales, then there may be some fundamental things that we can do to help them jumpstart their business.  Things as simple as making sure that you have batteries on display in your practice, so when patients are in your office, they see them and ask for them, can really make a difference.  Training your staff to ask people if they need batteries before they leave is another basic practice that will increase sales.  We have great displays and other merchandising materials, as well as other tools to create awareness and provide helpful information for patients.  We have a whole array of patient retention tools such as appointment cards, greeting cards or postcards that can be used for birthday clubs, coupon books and battery club cards, and more. We also have tools to create referrals. There are a lot of great resources in our Business Builder Program.  Our product consultants are trained and available to help hearing healthcare professionals manage their battery business.

Carolyn:  I learned a lot from your AudiologyOnline course, Using Hearing Aid Batteries as a Tool to Grow Your Business.  Until then, I had always taken batteries for granted, and not thought of their impact on a business. 

And with all the new technology in hearing devices, batteries are more important than ever.

Kevin:  You are absolutely right.  The technology behind our batteries is first and foremost what it is all about.  We continuously work with hearing aid manufacturers, professionals and consumers to ensure that we can power not only today’s advanced hearing aids, but those of the future. We remain committed to advancing battery technology for the hearing healthcare market. 

Carolyn:  How do professionals get started with online ordering?

Kevin:  They can simply register at www.thepowerofhearing.com or contact their Rayovac product consultant at 800-356-7422 and we’ll get them set up.

Carolyn:  Thanks Kevin.  It’s been great catching up about Rayovac’s new online ordering website.

For more information, visit www.thepowerofhearing.com or the Rayovac Expo Page on AudiologyOnline.