Satisfied customer!

I joined a new company last month. A company that markets a medical device that helps profoundly deaf people hear again. It is a cochlear implant, which to put it very roughly, replaces a non working part of our inner ear. This device gives very good results esp for little kids between the age of one to ten.

One day I had to attend the switch-on of one such kid. The switch-on is a process in which the external and internal parts of the device are connected (usually three weeks after the surgery) and it is 'switched on'. This means that the person will start hearing, again, from the implanted ear.

So, there I was, delivering all the accessories that come with the package. And here is this cute round faced kid, with bright shiny eyes, looking at all the goodies and trying to muster enough courage to handle them. So, naturally I handed them to him to keep on his desk.He turned bashful and ran to his mom, peeping from behind her at all the packages.

Soon all the packages were checked against the delivery note. We moved on to the programming room. Since this is the first time the child was going to hear from his damaged ear, we have to map the speech processor of the device to prevent scaring him with too much sensory input.

Usually its done by connecting the processor to a computer and different sounds are passed to the implant. The subject is then asked to mention which sound he / she hears. This way we are able to measure the personal lower and upper level of audible sound.

Everytime he heard a sound, he would raise his hand and it would be like an inner light would turn his face on. He seemed so happy on hearing, that he would keep raising hands for every sound we made, like a laugh or a word to some one else standing in the room.

When we had mapped and had our fun with the kid. I had to explain the function of each and every accessory. The audiologist, who was working on the case, did the explaining and everytime she spoke, this kid kept saying..." Mom, pay the uncle, I can hear!!"

First time in my sales career ever has a customer said to me, this works, please take the money. Have begged, grovelled, threatened even for payment, but this spontainiety in such a small kid, never.

Furkaan, May your life be long and may you always hear. I did not know you and had never met you before.. but you have made me happy in ways you cannot imagine.

Peace be to your family and may Allah always be merciful to you.

Vibhu