AudZone founders are building a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for the Australian
audiology market with online capabilities. Gold Coast audiologist CHRISTO FOURIE explains.
After launching the AudZone AI scribe, developer and audiologist, Christo Fourie began receiving a steady stream of inquiries: could the team build an Australian audiology-specific CRM that worked seamlessly with it?
That demand has now become the company’s next major focus. Fourie, a Queensland-based audiologist has joined forces with Sydney audiometrist Daniel Fechner to develop a new CRM – customer relationship management platform – to replace older, largely offline systems still used across the sector.
Their goal is to create a modern, fully online platform that integrates clinical workflows, business operations and artificial intelligence in one place.
The planned AI-driven practice management tool – called AudCRM – will include online scheduling, billing, patient intelligence, device tracking, AI-assisted workflows and detailed data analytics. It will integrate directly with AudZone AI scribe, extending the scribe’s functionality beyond note-taking and Hearing Services Program (HSP) compliance into broader clinic management.
Fourie says the gap in the market became obvious early on.
“Most CRMs available to audiology in Australia are older systems, some without true online capability, such as bookings or integrations,” he says. “There’s also limited use of AI, so interfaces are constrained and it can be difficult to connect multiple clinicians efficiently.”
The AudZone AI scribe, launched in late 2025, was the first developed specifically for Australian hearing care, designed to support clinical documentation and compliance with local standards.
“Many people assumed AudZone was already a CRM,” Fourie says. “When they signed up, we would ask what system they were using, and many weren’t audiology specific.”
Some clinics had turned to generic allied health or overseas platforms in search of more modern functionality, often sacrificing essential audiology features.
“They were losing things like audiograms and claiming functions just to get a more contemporary system,” he says. “That’s when we realised there was a real need.”
User feedback reinforced that conclusion, with surveys highlighting frustration around limited functionality, poor integration and lack of innovation in existing systems.
Local problems, local solution
Fourie has seen how a reliance on overseas-based platforms has emerged as a recurring issue in the industry.
“Support is a big one,” he says. “When Australians start work on Monday, it’s still Sunday where many of these systems are based.
“This time difference can lead to outages or delays in resolving technical issues at critical times. Some users told us their systems were down on Mondays and they couldn’t log in.”
Locally available alternatives were often built on older technology and lacked flexibility and intelligence of newer platforms, he adds.
“We now have AI and AI agents that can transform how clinics operate,” Fourie says. “With the right tools, users can have a ‘business in a box’ – marketing, CRM and even a virtual receptionist powered by AI.”
The concept goes beyond digitising existing workflows, aiming to use data and automation to actively improve performance. For example, the system could analyse business performance across marketing, operations and clinical outcomes to identify areas for improvement.
“Your reporting integrates with AudZone, and the AI can highlight where your opportunities are,” Fourie says.
Over time, the platform is intended to build a detailed view of each patient journey, linking referral pathways, clinical interactions and outcomes. “You’ll be able to see how a client was marketed to, what happened in the clinic, how clinicians performed and which processes worked best,” he says.
That data can then be used to generate insights and recommendations, effectively acting as a virtual business adviser.
“That’s the longer-term vision – using AI not just to record information but to help run and grow the business,” Fourie says.
In the short term, the focus is on matching and improving on existing systems. Fourie says the initial goal is to reach parity with current Australian CRMs while offering fully online functionality.
Development has reached that stage, he says, with the next step being to match key features offered by international software systems, including the Noah system for the hearing care industry.
Beyond that lies the broader “business in a box” concept.
“New providers looking for a CRM are finding overseas options expensive and local ones too limited,” he says. “They often end up using general allied health systems, and losing core audiology features like audiograms, stock management and device ordering.”
The aim is to eliminate those compromises by offering a single, purpose-built platform. “The vision is to have the best possible CRM for Australian audiology,” Fourie says.
The AudZone AI scribe will remain available as a standalone product for clinics that want to retain their existing CRMs, but the full value is expected to come from integration.
“The scribe transcript is incredibly valuable – we’re seeing that with HSP compliance checks and saving time,” Fourie says. “But within a CRM, you have access to much more data, such as claim dates and operational metrics, which allows the AI to make more accurate assessments.”
Bringing everything into one system also improves consistency and reduces duplication. “The more data we can use, the more accurate and useful the outputs become,” he says.
Prototype timeline
A CRM prototype is in development, with an early working version expected around July-August and a broader release planned for October-November 2026. The timing coincides with upcoming changes to the HSP, which will reduce the number of claimable HSP items.
“It’ a good time for a new, Australian -focused audiology CRM to enter the market,” Fourie says.
There are no plans to take the system overseas, with the focus on supporting local providers, particularly independent clinics; at its core, the project is about strengthening the independent sector.
“We want to make it as good as possible for Australian small businesses,” he says. “The heart of the industry lies with independents, and that’s who we want to support so patients get the best outcomes.”
Fourie says the aim is to reduce administrative burden and allow clinicians to focus more on patient care. This way users can spend more time with patients, rather than on administration.
He points to the rapid pace of AI development as a key advantage.
“Every time AI improves, our product will improve with it,” he adds.
User-driven development
Practitioners are actively involved in testing and shaping the system. Clinics are being surveyed and their feedback compared with existing platforms to ensure the new CRM meets and exceeds expectations.
“There’s a list of complaints about other systems, and we’re addressing those directly in the prototype,” Fourie says. “People are emailing us with ideas, and we’re adding them. Because we’re a small team, we can act on feedback quickly.”
In some cases, requested features are implemented within days.
“Daniel and I are both hearing care providers, so we understand workflow and efficiency,” Fourie adds.
The concept has been building for some time.
“Practitioners were asking for this even before we started developing it,” Fourie says. “Eventually it became clear it needed to be done.”
Central to the platform’s potential is the depth of data it can access and analyse. By bringing everything together – clinical data, business metrics and AI – Fourie says users can obtain “a much richer picture”.
That opens the door to more advanced capabilities, including predictive and goal-oriented insights.
“In the future, a clinician might say, ‘find me $20,000 in the next two months,’ and the AI could identify the best ways to achieve that through marketing, recalls or other opportunities based on available data.”
The subscription-based model will evolve alongside user needs, much like the existing scribe.
“We’re not just building this for ourselves,” Fourie says. “We’re building it for the industry.”
User input is central, with feature requests helping shape development priorities. “We’ve surveyed users extensively and are making sure their needs are included,” he adds. “It’s essentially a collaboration.”
Fourie says that being locally developed allows for more relevant and timely updates.
“We can quickly update things like device lists, manufacturers and wholesale pricing,” he says.
The system is designed to integrate financial and operational tools, guiding new clinic owners from setup to full operation within one platform.
“You could go from zero to a fully functioning clinic with integrated marketing and financials,” he adds.
Recent updates to the AudZone AI scribe website also reflect a broader focus on usability, with a simplified interface designed to improve navigation. The CRM will follow a similar approach, with customisable layouts and visual settings, Fourie says.
Development of the AI scribe continues, with features gradually extending into CRM territory. “It already has some mini-CRM capabilities, like appointment summaries,” Fourie says. “But we wanted a dedicated system that stands on its own, whether users choose the scribe, the CRM or both.”
The move into CRM development evolved organically. “We started pulling information like hearing devices and patient data into the scribe,” he says. “Without a CRM structure, it became clear we needed a more comprehensive system.”
Clinics interested in the platform can register via the AudZone CRM waitlist page to receive updates and contribute feedback. “Once they sign up, they can complete a survey and tell us what they want,” Fourie says. “That input is shaping what we build.”
Read more and join the waitlist at audzone.com.au/crm-waitlist.
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