We’ve written in the past about garnering reviews. We know they’re important, but getting patients to take time out of their day and write one can be a difficult task. To accomplish this, we’ve often recommend incentives, such as our successful “Have a Cup of Coffee on Us” campaign. But what if you didn’t have to offer an incentive at all? Recently, we spoke with one of our clients, Dr. Amy Vlachakis, about her process. At Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry, they have over 70 reviews, all without offering incentives of any kind.
Our Interview with Dr. Vlachakis
How do you get patients to write a review? Is the process done via email, or do you have something posted in your office, as well?
We do ours exclusively via email. That being said, I instruct my team to listen for “compliments” from patients and know how to ask for a review if they hear something said in the office. (Example: Patient “This was the best cleaning I’ve ever had…I didn’t know the dentist could be this good.” Staff: “We are glad to hear you like our service. Providing online reviews is a great way to let others know about the great dental care we offer.”)
Do you only send the Google link to patients, or do you include Facebook/other review sites in the email?
My focus is on Google reviews, because they just work better and are more important in general searches. We send an email with both our Google and Yelp links. It is sent from my personal work email, not via a system or service.
How often do you send the emails? Do you only send to patients with Gmail addresses?
I try to send emails at the end of the week. I personally send it to any patient who is a “New Patient” to our office. Any email address provided will work (I always ask for feedback because I am obsessed with doing what is right and getting input from patients). For established patients, I may send an email once a year, especially if it is a Gmail address.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I am not a huge fan of practices trying to do a “catch-up” and reach out to all their patients to try and build feedback. It took us 3 years to go from a few reviews to 70…and 70 is a lot by most dental office standards. It is a process.
Do you have questions about talking to your patients about reviews? We can help! Send MDPM an email at: info@mdpmconsulting.com, or give us a call at 972-781-8861. Talk to MDPM Consulting today!