Feedback from your patients is vital, not only so you can understand what you’re doing right and what your office should try and improve, but also because online reviews are essential. After all, people usually turn to them when deciding between products or even when deciding which dental practice to schedule a visit with. How do you encourage feedback from your patients?
Try Our Quiz on Encouraging Patient Feedback
- True or False: Reviews can help SEO.
- True or False: You can simply ask your patients.
- True or False: We have campaigns to help!
Answer Key
- True. Google actually looks for reviews when ranking sites. Since their goal is to improve user experience, a company that has lots of reviews also has lots of customer/patient engagement and is more likely to address the user’s needs. Having no reviews can actually be as harmful as having only negative ones!
- True. Let your patients know that feedback is important! Now, this doesn’t mean badgering them every moment you see them. But having a sign on the front desk, letting the staff remind patients that they can leave feedback after they sign out, or even posting on social media asking for their thoughts and opinions occasionally can all help. Often, a happy patient is glad to let others know about their experiences. Now, this doesn’t mean every testimonial that hits Google and Facebook will be positive. But even a negative review gives you the opportunity to respond with politeness and patience, further solidifying your reputation as a professional in your field.
- True. We have had many clients succeed in encouraging testimonials with our “Have a Cup of Coffee on Us” campaign. A practice simply offers a $5 gift card to a coffee shop, such as Starbucks, in exchanged for a review. An immediate reward, even a small one, often nets better results than being entered into a drawing for something bigger. If you would like to learn more about this campaign, please give us a call!
Do you have questions about encouraging feedback from your patients? 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!