How does your practice manage online reviews? Do you ask for reviews in person? Do you ask for reviews at all? Is your stream of reviews in short supply lately? Your practice may consider using a review management system to acquire a steady stream of reviews, build a high ranking, minimize negative reviews, and work towards expanding your practice’s online reach. Building your practice’s reputation gets you noticed by potential new patients, and a high ranking makes your practice the favourable option.
Online reviews do more than just sway prospective patient opinions. Online reviews can also:
- Give you a higher score on industry-specific rating websites, such as RateMDs, Opencare, or ThreeBestRated. Having more high-level reviews will increase your chances of appearing more often to people looking for providers on these types of websites.
- Boost your local SEO.
- Provide valuable feedback that can show you what your practice’s KPIs (key performance indicators) are.
ABELDent Reputation Management Software (RMS) is ABELDent’s system designed to acquire high-star reviews and minimize low-star reviews. ABELDent RMS seamlessly integrates with your ABELDent practice management software to simplify the process and minimize the need for third-party programs.
How does ABELDent RMS work?
With ABELDent RMS, you can send review requests to specific patients (or all patients) from the list of patients you treated today. Send review request emails to the patients you selected, with an email template customized to your practice’s liking. The emails include a rating scale that your patients can click on. High ratings, such as four and five-star redirect the reviewer to a public-facing review website of your choice, such as your Google Business Profile or Facebook. Lower ratings link reviewers to an internal review form that sends feedback directly to your practice, providing patients a place to voice their concerns in a private setting. The internal feedback form allows your practice to turn around bad experiences and retain valuable patient relationships.
Turning Negative Reviews Around
Sometimes, despite the parameters you put into place, people will go directly to your public profiles to leave negative reviews.
Rather than viewing negative reviews as setbacks, approach them as a chance to demonstrate your dedication to resolutions. Responding to a critical review carefully and thoughtfully can have more impact than the review itself. By responding to these reviews promptly and skillfully, you can show the online world that your dental practice values patient feedback and takes proactive steps to address any concerns. The best-constructed replies demonstrate empathy that makes your office seem genuine and trustworthy to newcomers.
Here is how you can turn any review, positive or negative, into an opportunity to show your office’s authenticity online.
- Respond quickly
Try responding to all reviews, especially negative ones, as soon as possible. A quick response helps to turn around the reviewer’s negative experience.
A quick response also signifies to potential patients who may be looking through your reviews that your office cares about negative experiences and is actively working towards acknowledging these reviews.
- Express concern and take accountability
One of the most important things to keep in mind when responding to critical reviews is to ensure that the reviewer feels that their issues are heard. The best way is to express concern for the reviewer’s issues, which can be done in a number of ways.
One way a business can express concern is by offering an apology for the reviewer’s negative experience. An apology, whether it is requested or not, is a popular starting point because it demonstrates a desire to be accountable. Apologizing also lets the reviewer know that their concerns are being heard, which, as we discussed, is the main driving force for negative reviews.
Another method of expressing concern is repeating the specific criticism in the review in the response. Doing this shows the patient you are listening to their feedback. Indications that your practice cares about the reviewer’s experience has a positive impact on people who read the review and may even reassure other patient and potential patients that your clinic cares about all of their experiences.
- Ask for more information or provide a next step
Depending on the review, you can take a few different routes with your response. If the review is vague and the reviewer’s name does not match any patient you know of, try asking the reviewer to contact your office via phone or email to see if you can turn their experience around. Providing an avenue for resolving their issues or taking their concerns offline shows your office’s initiative and dedication to solving problems. Some individuals may even adjust their initial review if they see that their concerns are being addressed.
Keep in mind that negative reviews happen to nearly all dental practices at some point. Taking the time to craft a thoughtful response can demonstrate your practice’s commitment to improving patient experience and is a strong display of transparency. When asking for feedback, remember that using a review management system such as ABELDent RMS can direct negative reviews to an internal form rather than a public setting.
