Google Reviews
Patient reviews, unsurprisingly, may make or break your practice’s internet reputation. Positive reviews assist you in two ways: they increase your chances of being picked by a new patient and of being viewed and trusted by Google. Naturally, the more favorable evaluations you have, the more likely you are to increase your internet profile and the amount of new patients who make appointments. If you presently have few or no reviews, don’t be afraid. Most patients who have had a favorable experience with your practice would gladly agree to give you a positive review if you recommend it. Because you’ve already claimed your practice’s business listing, you may reply to both good and negative reviews professionally to help preserve your online reputation as it grows.
5-star reviews demonstrate to Google that your dental office is helpful to patients, causing your site to rank better in Google Search results. Positive internet reviews will help indicate potential customers that your practice is a solid choice for dental services if your business appears as a relevant search result.
But where can you begin as a business owner to encourage high-quality reviews? How can you persuade a typical patient to post a Google review? To start off, it’s critical to set up your Google My Business Profile (GMB).
Google My Business Profile
Google is the most popular Internet search engine, and many individuals begin their search for dentists with a simple Google search. Google My Business is a feature that Google provides for local companies such as dentistry offices. When someone searches Google for a local company, this listing service appears. Google My Business listings display alongside Google Maps and above organic search results.
Click here to learn more about Google My Business. (link the the other blog)
Google Reviews
Google reviews are conducted using the Google My Business platform. Patients may submit reviews and see other reviews once you’ve set up your Google My Business account. When a potential patient searches for your dental practice on Google Maps, you will appear in the results. Appearing in the coveted map pack guarantees that your website will receive more hits than your competitors. Without a question, Google is the most essential review site for dental practices.
Requesting Reviews
Most of your dental patients, especially the ones that like you the most, will be willing to provide an online dentistry review. They must, however, be asked. They won’t be able to accomplish it on their own. This indicates that your team’s contribution to achieving your objective is critical.
If one of your patients has a particularly positive connection with one of your team members, have that team member urge them to submit a brief review while they are still sitting in the chair. Prepare for and choose dental patients that you believe would be glad to write you a review. Dental offices that implement this method receive more online dental patient evaluations than those who do not.
When asking your dental patients for reviews, make it clear that you and your team rely on them to locate more wonderful patients like them. Inform them that their input will assist you in determining how to enhance the patient experience in your clinic. It is OK for your team to inform your patients about the aim you have established.
At the end of a visit, ask a satisfied patient if they would be prepared to give a review of their experience. Don’t forget to inform them where they can write a review—handing out business cards with a QR code that directs them to your Google listing makes it easy for them to provide good feedback.
Responding to Reviews
Begin by committing to responding to each evaluation within a day or two after getting it. This demonstrates that you are attentive and interested in what your patients have to say. When people are studying your dental office, they may see that you haven’t reacted to any of your reviews, or, even worse, that you’ve taken months to respond to a patient review.
You don’t have to spend a lot of time coming up with creative, one-of-a-kind comments to each review. Simply confirm that you noticed all of your favorable reviews with a simple “thank you” remark. When patients post favorable online reviews, thank them for their business, request important suggestions on what may be improved, highlight a change that occurred as a result of their feedback – any engagement demonstrates that you care. Never dismiss favorable feedback from customers.
However, if you ever receive a poor review, you may want to spend a bit extra time on it. First, check if you can speak with the patient who left the review about the problems raised in the review. This may cause them to change or remove their review. Providing exceptional customer service might sometimes persuade a patient to remove a bad rating and replace it with a favorable one.
Recognize that you cannot prevent unfavorable reviews, but you may reduce their impact by using the knowledge to enhance your business process. Remember that an online review provides you with the connection to your consumer that you require in this digital age.
An internet review has a significant impact on how people perceive your company. They are the means through which you will get new clients and retain existing ones. When you don’t have a plan to enhance your digital presence and then execute on that plan, you’re losing significant revenue.
More Tips for Reviews
Another strategy to encourage your patients to post feedback is to send out automatic follow-up emails or texts following a visit. It’s also an effective method to remember patients who you’ve previously asked in person by providing a simple option for them to follow through. Inform them that their feedback will help your dental office improve future patient encounters. Make a point of thanking them for their patience and including a link to your Google listing.
The simpler it is to submit a review, the more likely it is that your patients will offer feedback. An easy strategy to generate more reviews is to have a link on your website that respectfully asks your patients to share their experience. A link on your website is also useful for patients who wish to post a review but misplaced your email or SMS.
Ready to Maximize Your Reviews?
If you’re ready to take your dental practice to the next level, contact us at The Dental Engine today. We can set you up with a free consultation to help you design a future strategy to guarantee your dental business continues to flourish. The Dental Engine makes it feasible for your dental practice to produce positive reviews faster so you may rank higher on search engines more rapidly.