Negative reviews
… we’ve all read them! It’s possible
your practice has already received one. We certainly feel better when our
reviews speak highly of our practice, employees, product, services and so on, yet
we can learn a great deal from criticism, and that includes negative
reviews.
The
statistics are staggering!
74% will
change their mind based on a negative on-line review [Harris Interactive]
89% of
users trust the reviews they read on-line [Cone, Inc.]
92% of
users read on-line reviews [Etailing Group]
Social
media gives patients/customers an easy platform for posting reviews. The ability to remain anonymous allows more
freedom to write harsh reviews.
We
recommend reading the guidelines below so you can be prepared and have a plan
for when you receive a negative review.
Monitor
your reviews and respond as quickly as possible. Some media platforms (such as Google+) allow
you to respond publicly. This will show
the reviewer and other customers that you’re responding and taking an interest
in what your customers are saying.
When you
discover a negative review, you’ll most likely be upset, perhaps angry. But here are some tips that may help you
handle them, if not well, at least better:
·
Don’t
respond until after you’ve calmed down.
·
Apologize
if the situation deserves a legitimate apology.
·
Thank
them for the review.
·
Offer
your thoughts as to why you believe the review is incorrect (if applicable.)
·
Share
what steps you’re taking to improve the situation.
·
If
a refund, discount or additional service is offered to keep the reviewer as a
customer, make sure it is consistent and that every customer/patient who
complains is treated the same.
·
If
the social media platform does not allow for a public response, it’s still
important to respond directly to that customer.
·
Never
threaten or write a harmful or disrespectful message toward a reviewer.
·
Keep
your message as positive as possible.
It’s
important to respond to every review, both positive and negative ones. Customers are taking time to write about your
service or product and you should definitely thank them. Engage the reviewer by
asking additional questions – if applicable – and be sure to share details
about the product/service they mentioned.
Don’t
post or have an employee post a fake review.
If a potential client were to find out, the damage to your reputation
could be severe.
Use what
you learn. For example, if you get a
handful of people suggesting that they’d use a new service, different product,
or would like a change to be made, try to initiate the change.
Beware of
Trolls! There are nasty people online
known as “trolls” whose main thrill in life is to harm as many people and
businesses as they can. If you believe
that you’ve got a “troll” leaving you negative reviews, politely and
generically thank them for their review but try not to engage them. They’ll hopefully get bored and move on to
another target. Don’t argue, ban or
block them from the site because they’ll get their troll friends to bombard you
with even more negative comments.
Unfortunately,
some competitors stoop to low tactics to post false reviews to trash their
competitors. There are programs that can
mask their I.P. (internet protocol) address so they can post numerous reviews
from a list of aliases from one computer.
If you believe this is happening, stand up for yourself and post about
how their complaint has not occurred at your business. Again, keep your message positive and do not
post any harsh words towards the reviewer.
You may also want to work with an SEO company who can help design a
campaign to counteract the bad reviews.
Above
every thing else, encourage your customers to leave positive reviews. Give them a link to a place where they can
leave a review. Again, engage with your
customers to send the clear message that you care about them and their
feedback.
We hope
the suggestions we’ve shared will help you respond appropriately to less-than-positive
reviews. We’ll leave you with a great
quote and hope you will leave us your comments as well:
“Customer complaints
are the schoolbooks from which we learn.”
- Anonymous
Schedule
a practice assessment and we can discuss ways to gain positive patient reviews
and grow your dental practice.
Toll Free
888-421-1808
