You probably know by now that online reviews are the best way to spread word-of-mouth feedback about your practice in an effort to attract new patients. Scouring through online reviews is how consumers decide where they will eat, stay, travel, what to buy, and which doctor’s to see, including dentists. If you aren’t asking patients for online reviews, you’re really missing out on free advertising. And the chances are most of your patients would love to spread good things about you and your practice. But unfortunately, what we hear from most team members and dentists is that everyone is too busy, or they don’t think about asking until after the patient leaves, or asking for reviews feels awkward. Well, we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to feel that way! And, once you get in the habit of it, it’ll feel as natural as walking patients to the front desk to check out. If you don’t make a big deal out of it, they won’t either!
So, how do you ask for online reviews?
To start, be sure to designate a review site like Google as the main source of your online reviews. That way, you can share the same link with patients and collect all of the reviews on one credible site. Once you’ve decided on the review site that you will use, generate a link that can be sent to patients via text or email as a follow-up to their most recent appointment. But don’t just start firing off texts asking for reviews when you haven’t even mentioned it to your patients. You should already be following up with patients a day or two after appointments, and it’s the perfect time for the next step. Ask for a review!
For instance, say that you call your patient, Suzie, the day after getting a crown. Be sure to also ask about her visit first. Ask how she’s feeling. Be sure to remind her of any post-op instructions to properly care for her tooth and ask if she has any questions or needs anything. Now, thank them for trusting you with their care, and ask if they could take a minute to share their experience online. Let them know that sharing their experience helps others in the community learn about your practice so that they, too, can receive exceptional care. When the patient agrees to share the review, you can ask their permission to text or email (depending on how your practice decides to send the link) a link that they can click on to leave their feedback. Thank them for their willingness to leave a review before ending the call.
What if the patient has negative feedback or complaints?
First, don’t get defensive. Everything the patient shares with you is about them, not you and your feelings. Apologize for their experience. Don’t apologize for specific things the dentist or team member did or didn’t do, as this could get into admitting fault. Instead, you can say something like, “I am truly sorry that you are dissatisfied with your recent visit,” or “I apologize that your visit yesterday did not go as expected.” And then, let them know that you are here to help and would like an opportunity to “make things right” or have the office manager call them to discuss settling the matter. And then. From here on out, listen with the intent to understand. Don’t focus on your response. But if the patient is vague, like they say, “Well, I didn’t like how I was treated yesterday.” Ask open-ended questions to gather specifics that you can share with your office manager. Perhaps the office manager or dentist is able to resolve the issue. However, be sure to confirm the best number to reach them and let them know that the person who can help will call back within a set time, like 24-48 hours.
What if a patient left a negative review and didn't mention anything to you about their visit when you called?
If the patient already left a bad review and didn’t address the issue with you, the review should still be addressed publicly with a response. A designated individual from the practice should monitor the reviews and respond as soon as possible to negative ones. Because even when people see a negative review, what’s more impressionable is how you respond. Ignoring the bad reviews is the worst thing that you could do! It’s better to respond with something like, “Thank you for taking the time to share ways that we could improve. We apologize that we fell short of your expectations during your recent visit. We would like to understand your experience better. Please call our office at (insert phone number), and we would be happy to address this with you.” Even if they don’t call, you’ve done your part. That way, people see that you do care about making things right. They understand that you’re human and people make mistakes, but it’s how you handle the situation that makes the biggest difference.
