Nowadays, people rely on online reviews more than anything. Although reviews are from strangers, people tend to believe them as they would a friend. This means reviews can either make or break the business, especially for dental practices. So, you need reviews and a review management system for managing them. That said, it is important for you to have good reviews for customers to put their trust in you but the question is how. Let’s find out.
Send A Personalized Email
The first thing you can do to ask for reviews at a dental practice is by sending a personalized email. Even though it is an old-school method, it still does wonders when it comes to dealing with both new and old clients.
All you need to do is ask the patients for their email when they are filling out their paperwork. This will help you add them to your email list. And once you are done fixing their teeth, you should request them to pen down a review or send them a personalized email with a link directing them straight to the review section.
Ask Them Face To Face
Asking your patients for reviews face-to-face is yet another effective strategy. However, it can backfire if the customer is not in a good mood. Make sure that you do not ask for a review in the middle of the job. If a patient is there for dental filling, you can ask for a review during the process.
So, your review request should come somewhere between after the treatment and before they pay. If you are not comfortable asking for reviews face to face, you should still muster up some courage and do it. If a customer does not respond to your request, do not hesitate to present another option.
Tell your patients how valuable their feedback is and how it is going to help improve their practices.
Ask For Reviews On Social Media
Social media has become a world in itself. No matter what is happening around the world, you have access to the news with just a single click. Back in the day, social media platforms were meant to connect people who were far away from each other.
Today, social media platforms play an important role in spreading news and information that could easily impact the reputation of individuals and institutions, etc. So, you could turn it into your superpower or let it destroy you.
If you are not on social media platforms, it is time that you started. Join every major social media platform and share links to your profile/page with your customers. This will allow them to access your page and review your services even without you asking for them.
Solicit Reviews On Your Website
Your website is a great source for you to receive some reviews. If your patients use your website to book appointments or ask questions, then you should add a review section to your site. Repeat clients who have never penned down a review before might be tempted to provide a review having seen the review button.
The review button should direct your client to the review section or site. We suggest Google reviews since they have the most impact. Make sure to place the button where it is easily visible. If your website is outdated, get a free website design for an update and user-friendly site.
Take-Home Instructions
Some of your patients might be familiar with writing reviews but others won’t have an idea. This means they are going to need help and you will offer them. If you request a customer for a review and they are not able to do so, you can provide them with take-home instructions, helping them to easily pen down a review.
Simply provide them the platform to write whatever they want. For instance, ask them to mention their treatment duration, pain intensity, and overall experience to help them overcome their hesitation.
Postcards
Sending postcards is yet another old-school way of getting reviews. But sending postcards will surely make your customers feel special. Generally, postcards are meant to be sent during a special occasion or event. For example, if you have achieved a milestone in your career or expanded your services, you can let your customers know via postcards.
So, a postcard after an appointment will surely help you get a lot of reviews even from those patients who simply forgot the first time they were asked.
Text Messages
Text messages are increasingly becoming popular for doctors to remain in touch with their patients. It is an excellent opportunity for you to ask for reviews while having a normal conversation with your patients via text messages.
However, you should wait for the right moment. If the patient happens to be busy or not in the mood to pen down a review you should wait until next time. In addition to that, do not stress your customer with constant text messages.
Once you have messaged your customer and they have not responded, you should wait a few days to send a reminder. Add a link to your review section/page for the customer to know where to write the review.
Hire Experts
If you are serious about reviews and their quality, you will need to hire serious people for them. As a dentist treating patients throughout the day is already a tough task. So, while you respond to questions, handling negative comments can bring the worst out of you and that could be damaging for the business.
For this reason alone, you need specialists who help you get good-quality reviews. These people are experienced and specialize in marketing businesses and handling negative reviews. So, all you need to do is provide the best services and let the experts handle everything else.
Reward The Patient
Rewarding the patient for their review is simply thanking them for the time and effort that they put in. However, keep in mind that review sites and other social media platforms are strictly against offering incentives to influence reviews.
This could permanently damage your online reputation and you might drop down to zero within days. Therefore, when a patient offers a review, simply provide them with a 5 or 10% discount once they visit for the treatment next time.
Be Professional
As mentioned earlier, social media can either make or break the business. At the same time, not every day is going to be the same for you. Some days, you might receive good reviews, and other days it might be full of criticism.
Instead of getting frustrated or being angry with your responses, you should that keeping it professional will also get you positive reviews and help turn potential customers into actual customers. Things on social media can flare up both easily and quickly.
Therefore, you need to be careful and mind your responses every time keeping in view that everyone can see.
Conclusion
Asking for reviews for your dental practice will require utilizing multiple strategies. However, you will need to be consistent with your efforts. Getting positive reviews won’t be an overnight process but will take time. You will need a strategy and a review management software.