Behind The Scenes Archieven

The Story of Écoutez

Written by Seytec on 3 May 2023. Posted in Behind The Scenes, Featured, News. No Comments on The Story of Écoutez

“Connecting you to the sounds of life.”

We’re excited to open our first store soon in the USA in Southlake, Texas. We can’t wait to meet you! Until then, we hope you’ll enjoy reading about why we’re headed from The Netherlands to the Lone Star State.

Our Origin

Écoutez is a Dutch family company created by sisters Ilse and Lisette Kolenbrander. The Kolenbrander sisters share over 20 years experience in the hearing technology business.

Ilse and Lisette noticed early on that most hearing aid offices are cold and clinical. The typical experience felt very sterile and impersonal. They also noticed these offices often featured inferior hearing aid products.

Ilse and Lisette knew something had to change. They soon committed to providing a superior experience for people with hearing loss. This led them to create Écoutez Hearing Aid Boutique.

At Écoutez, you will find an atmosphere that is more like a luxury retail store and less like a doctor’s office. And you will find products that are graceful and stylish.

Our Name

“Écoutez” means “listen” in French. Here in Texas it’s pronounced “eh-coo-tay”. “Listen” is an important word for our company. We listen to our customers when they tell us about their hearing loss. And we empower them to listen to the sounds of life. There’s nothing more fulfilling for our team than helping our customers hear again.

We help our customers hear by listening to who they are and what they experience. Every customer has a different story. You even have different goals for improving your hearing. Some of our customers want to improve their marriages. Others want to go to work and not fear missing out on important conversations. And still others want to enjoy concerts and sports events.

Our Logo

A lot of times, we’ll ask customers what they miss about hearing. Many of them say the first thing they miss hearing is the sound of birds chirping. That’s why we’ve chosen a bird to represent the brand. We love when our customers call us to let us know they can hear birds again.

No matter if you’re in The Netherlands or in the Lone Star State, we can all celebrate the experience of sound.

Coming to the USA

Our success in The Netherlands was very encouraging. This made us consider providing hearing solutions in other countries. We can do so much to help people in the USA with hearing loss, because it is often ignored. The average person waits 7-10 years to seek professional help with their hearing loss. We want to change that. Starting with Texas!

Ilse and Lisette are ecstatic to bring our unique retail approach to the USA. At our Southlake, Texas store, you’ll find out that an Écoutez hearing solution is something brand new. You’ve never experienced anything like the Écoutez Hearing Lab!

The Hearing Lab

In our Hearing Lab, we use the latest technology to provide you with a FREE hearing test. Then, we sample the world’s finest hearing aids to see what is the best fit for you. We also show your partner how you hear the world now, and how your hearing will improve with the right hearing aid.

But our favorite thing that sets us apart is that our relationship will not end when you leave the store.

The Écoutez team of audiologists and consultants will continue to guide you for years. We’re here for calibrations, to answer questions, and to listen and chat. In fact, in The Netherlands, many of our customers stop by to visit on a regular basis for a fun chat over coffee or tea.

You’re Invited!

You’re invited to our Grand Opening Weekend. We’ll be throwing a special “Heareasy” party (our version of a speakeasy ) and a weekend of fun events. Sign up for the event below, which includes a free hearing test!

See You Soon!

A Behind-the-Scenes Preview of the Ecoutez Hearing Aid Boutique in Southlake Town Square

Written by Seytec on 3 May 2023. Posted in Behind The Scenes. No Comments on A Behind-the-Scenes Preview of the Ecoutez Hearing Aid Boutique in Southlake Town Square

We’re here to change the way people treat hearing loss in the USA, and that starts at our first American store in Southlake, Texas. Please enjoy this sneak peek at what goes into creating our unique retail approach to hearing solutions.

Interiors

“Everywhere you look in the new store, you partake in a visual feast. This is intentional and all goes back to the customer experience.”

It’s important for us that our customers feel both comfortable and inspired. In The Netherlands, we found that hearing loss was most often treated in cold medical environments. There was no thought that went into the experience for the hearing impaired.

At Écoutez, you’ll experience warmth and elegance. Much consideration goes into how our customers feel as soon as they walk through the doors.

We worked with a marvelous Dutch interior designer, Chantal Hoozemans, to create the store’s interiors. Ecoutez is proud to be a family business. Hoozemans is a cousin to Ilse and Lisette, our founders. This familial intimacy allows Chantal to understand their vision on a higher level.

“Chantal knows exactly who I am and what I want,” says Ilse Kolendbrander. “She translates that perfectly into the interior design.”

Hoozemans chose a “modern classic” theme for the first Écoutez store in the USA. These elements are timeless and invoke a sensory experience.

Notice the curated balance of plush velvet and invigorating metallic tones. Everywhere you look in the new store, you partake in a visual feast. This is intentional and all goes back to the customer experience.

“I enjoy the table at the front of our store. From there, people often sit and drink coffee and chat. We are here to create a community of people dedicated to empowering their hearing,” Ilse says. “That starts at the front of the store where our customers sit together and share their stories and their experiences. They can also see the entire store and stimulate their senses.”

"I enjoy the table at the front of our store. From there, people often sit and drink coffee and chat."

“When people experience hearing loss, the other senses elevate,” Ilse adds. “We love being able to provide the taste and smell of coffee, the inviting feeling of our furniture, and a fantastic view of our beautiful store.

Technology

In The Hearing Lab at Écoutez, technology is a tool we use to help our customers empower their hearing. We’re proud to put our technology into the hands of our trusted audiologists. It’s inspiring to watch as they turn a small, precious hearing aid into a powerful extension of a person.

Another thing our customers always comment on is the comfort of our sound booths. This is where we perform our hearing tests.

“The traditional sound booths in the industry are so small. It’s a very claustrophobic experience,” Ilse says. “We created something bigger and more comfortable. Our booths give a more calm feeling. It’s important that customers are able to relax. This helps our technology take better measurements. Then, our audiologists are able to provide better results to our customers.”

You’re Invited

We can’t wait for you to experience hearing empowerment at our Southlake Town Square store. Currently, we’re following the COVID-19 pandemic like everyone else. We look forward to opening as soon as it’s safe for our customers and team.

Our first step to getting to know everyone in DFW is throwing a huge Grand Opening weekend party. This will include a FREE hearing test and a Heareasy Party, our version of a Roaring 20s Speakeasy.