From singing to audiology: Gabriella Viglione’s journey to partnership

Gabriella Viglione has always had a keen interest in science and biology. But with a background in music and singing, audiology was a bit of a surprising path.

“I originally intended to become a speech pathologist as that felt like a natural fit with my music background, however after having studied some introduction to audiology subjects in my undergraduate degree at university, I was immediately drawn to the field of audiology and knew this was the perfect career. I always knew that working in an allied health/science profession working closely with others to improve the quality of life of others would be extremely rewarding. Another aspect of audiology that was appealing to me being it is a very female-dominated industry,” she says.

After working for several years, Gabriella decided to join Specsavers, and fulfil her dream of running her own business.

“I have always had an interest at some point in my career to start my own audiology business, however as the industry of audiology becomes more and more competitive in Australia, I was beginning to think this was no longer a viable option. The opportunity presented by Specsavers to be a partner with the backing of the global Specsavers brand however allows me to achieve this goal of running my own business and working as a clinician,” she says.

“I have numerous friends and past colleagues who have made the jump to Specsavers as partners, who have all spoken very highly of their experiences and journey. Additionally, I was looking for a change of direction ideally wanting greater independence and to better align my clinical practice with my personal clinical morals and ethics of which Specsavers values and procedures perfectly align.”

Gabriella has joined as the partner at Specsavers Lake Haven and Morriset and says working across two stores on the New South Wales Central Coast is a dream come true.

“The entire store team at Lake Haven have been brilliant and seeing how eager they are to offer audiology services in-store. The team has been so motivated and friendly affirming for me that I’ve definitely made the right decision. Strangely enough, the shopping centre at Lake Haven is where I used to spend time with my grandmother as a little girl, so life has definitely come full circle!”

Gabriella says she’s been highly impressed with the process, induction, and communication around joining the partnership and opening her stores.

“I would describe the Specsavers model as an engine with the hearing screeners keeping everything moving. The model works because of the huge database and volume of people entering the store daily from which new leads are generated and brought into the audiology business daily. Also, the ‘hearing check’ appointment as a triaging appointment is another valuable part of the model that ensures the quality of audiology appointments and customers seen to utilise the time in the audiologists’ diary. ”

And would she recommend partnership to her own connections and colleagues?

Absolutely, is the answer.

“Other than having the independence to run your own business, for me the biggest drawcard to joining Specsavers as a partner and audiologist, and the main reason for why I would recommend Specsavers to future JVPs and audiology professionals is the ability to work clinically with the customers best interests in mind, being customer-focused and customer-driven,” she says.

“I have always felt that by doing what’s best by the customer all other business successes will naturally follow, and Specsavers model, procedures, and ethics perfectly align with my own.”