Verbal communication is crucial for industries, so sectors like legal services, healthcare, and education harness the power of technologies like VoIP to streamline calls and other forms of communication.
As discussed in our post, “Top 5 Industries Benefiting Most from VoIP in 2025,” calls are effective because they allow people to receive information quickly and receive an immediate response. However, hard of hearing (HoH) individuals may struggle with calls, affecting their ability to relay concerns or seek answers to questions. This can be a barrier to receiving helpful services.
Businesses that use voice messaging shouldn’t avoid HoH callers, especially as rates of hearing loss continue to rise. Instead, adapting communication strategies can ensure HoH callers are accommodated and included to improve service and may even be beneficial to callers without hearing loss. Here’s how voice messaging businesses can accommodate HoH callers:
Adjust speech
Calls can be difficult for HoH individuals who may struggle to hear through a phone. Quick and mumbled speech with a lot of jargon can be confusing and frustrating and prevent them from obtaining or giving vital information. Adjusting speech can ensure HoH callers can hear properly and offer effective communication.
Employees should speak slowly and clearly without shouting to ensure that HoH individuals hear each word. Repeating and confirming information prevents miscommunications or wrong details that may have gotten mixed up due to difficulty hearing. Minimize background noise as much as possible; a quiet environment further helps with any distractions or hindrances to clear speech.
Above all, be patient and understanding of their challenges. Avoid rushing, pressuring, or speaking over them to make the call a more comfortable experience. Encourage callers to call in a suitable area with minimal noise to ensure clarity for all parties involved.
Adapt to new technologies
While HoH callers can face many challenges when it comes to voice messaging and calls, many more technologies can aid with hearing. Advanced hearing solutions can make it easier for HoH callers to hear over the phone, and many of these innovations are accessible to more people.
Hearing aid glasses from Nuance Audio are ideal for people who don’t like the look and feel of traditional hearing aids since they look like regular prescription glasses. They use beamforming technology to amplify sounds in the direction the wearer is facing; when calling, they can put the phone on speaker mode to heighten the sounds and hear clearer. Earbuds like the Apple Airpods Pro 2 can also work as over-the-counter earbuds, and the wearer can adjust the settings to boost hearing and suit their preferences.
Voice messaging companies can ask callers if they use any hearing aids or these new technologies and provide further instructions or adjust speech to make the call clearer. This technology optimizes voice messaging and calls to suit their hearing needs.
Consider visual aids
Calls can help deliver information swiftly and effectively, but that may not always be the case for HoH callers. Some details may be lost due to choppy signals or fast speech. If possible, use visual aids to support verbal communication. Emails, texts, and chats can offer a written version of the information mentioned in the call and give HoH callers something to refer back to if needed.
Video calls can also be a beneficial tool, combining the ease of calling with a visual component; many video conferencing platforms also have chat functions to supplement the call. Other technologies like mobile apps can help with visual aids.
Apps like Nagish use artificial intelligence to transcribe phone calls in real-time. It can convert text-to-speech and speech-to-text, allowing callers to choose if they want to hear and speak or read and type. Offering visual aid options to HoH callers can provide flexibility and convenience, allowing them to choose how to receive and give information based on their preferences and hearing levels.
If you have questions about using HoH apps and best practices within your business, call us at (336) 544-4000 today!