In today’s digital age, online reviews have become make-or-break for dental practices. Positive patient testimonials can boost your visibility and credibility, while negative comments can seriously damage your reputation.
But begging patients for reviews often backfires and comes across as unprofessional. Instead, focus on systematically collecting feedback in a strategic way. Apply these tips to get more five-star reviews and build patient trust:
Start at the Beginning
The review collection process should begin at the first interaction with your practice. Ensure the initial patient experience is positive through excellent customer service. When patients are delighted from day one, they will be primed to leave positive feedback.
Survey All Patients
Email satisfaction surveys to every patient after their visit. This lets you gather honest opinions regularly at scale. Use net promoter score (NPS) surveys to measure satisfaction and identify unhappy patients immediately. Follow up on negative feedback quickly to address issues.
Survey at Peak Happiness
Patients are most satisfied right after a positive experience at your office. Send a feedback survey within 24 hours of the appointment while it’s fresh on their minds. Immediate responses will slant positive.
Send Reminders
Only about 30% of patients respond to a single survey request. Follow up politely with multiple email or text reminders for non-respondents. The more responses you receive, the more data you’ll have to benchmark satisfaction.
Make it Quick
Keep surveys ultra short with just key quantitative ratings and an optional open-text question. Limit it to 2-3 questions that can be completed in under a minute via mobile. You’ll get significantly higher response rates.
Ask In-Person Too
Capture feedback during in-office visits in addition to digital surveys. Hand patients comment cards or have them rate your practice on a tablet. Some patients may provide face-to-face feedback more readily than online.
Only Solicit Reviews from Promoters
Ask your happiest patients for online reviews. This means sticking to patients who rated you a 9 or 10 on an NPS scale. They will gladly leave five stars and boost your online presence.
Reply Publicly
Make sure to publicly respond to all reviews, positive and negative. Thank patients for taking time to review your practice. For negative reviews, apologize and offer to make it right. Other patients will notice your responsiveness.
Analyze the Data
Dig into your survey data to spot trends, both positive and negative. Share feedback internally and make improvements to address common complaints. Follow up on individual dissatisfied patients.
Conclusion
Following a structured system to request and collect patient feedback consistently, along with embracing a reputable reputation management platform like mConsent, will yield a steady stream of new online reviews while also providing valuable insights into your practice. Avoid review begging by proactively surveying patients using these techniques.
