Staefa (Switzerland), 18 December 2013 – With its two brands Phonak and Unitron, Sonova is the preferred provider among hearing care professionals and is achieving a very high level of customer satisfaction. This is the outcome of two representative surveys among hearing care professionals conducted by an independent research institute on Sonova’s behalf. The two surveys took place in 2013 in North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. In one of the surveys, 1,115 hearing care professionals anonymously provided information on brand awareness and preference. In another survey among Phonak and Unitron customers, a total of 1,806 hearing care professionals were asked about their level of satisfaction.
The anonymous survey conducted among 1,115 hearing care professionals in 11 countries* on brand awareness and brand preference in the competitive environment shows that Phonak is both the most popular and best-known brand in these countries. In 10 out of 11 countries, Phonak achieves a brand recognition of between 97% and 100% among hearing care professionals. Unitron obtains a very high level of brand awareness - over 95% - in its two traditional main markets, the USA and Canada. With its two brands, the Sonova Group is the preferred provider in all countries surveyed when compared to the competition. With its products based on the Quest technology Phonak receives particularly high marks for innovation, standard of technology and meeting customer needs. Unitron is renowned for its customer service and convincing price-performance ratio, particularly in its two main markets.
This is also mirrored by the results of the customer satisfaction survey completed by a total of 1,806 hearing care professionals (1,491 Phonak customers in 24 countries** and 315 Unitron customers in six countries***). For both brands, it shows a very high level of overall satisfaction with all aspects of the performance profile surveyed. Customers primarily see Phonak as their favorite brand in terms of hearing aids, fitting software, and accessories. The Phonak customers participating in the survey highlight in particular the wide range of products available on the Quest technology platform and the high level of first-fit acceptance of the hearing aids. Unitron customers mainly value the service and price-performance ratio. The service aspects "accessibility", "support", and "complaint handling" receive particularly positive ratings.
"We are very pleased to be so successful with our dual-brand strategy in the hearing instruments segment. The two surveys we commissioned among hearing care professionals clearly show that Sonova, with its brands Phonak and Unitron, offers the best-known and most popular product portfolio in the countries surveyed. At the same time, we are able to successfully demonstrate the distinct positioning of both the Phonak and Unitron brand through a differentiated customers experience. Due to our high pace of innovation, we are in a position to offer our customers an optimal solution for every need", says Lukas Braunschweiler, CEO of Sonova.
A summary of the results can be obtained from Sonova.
* Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA
** Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA
*** Australia, Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, USA
