What do you do when you’ve completed a treatment for a patient and later on you discover they posted a negative review about you and your practice for the world to see? Imagine this being written about your dental practice online by one of your patients: “I don’t usually write reviews, but I feel compelled too. Dr X did a terrible job on my teeth and I’m so upset! I would avoid this dentist like the plague!”
This type of negative review can be disappointing and it forces you to realise that you’re always one customer away
from a bad review so you need to be ready. Here are five practical steps you can take if you do find a negative review about our practice online.
1. Stay calm
When you come across a negative review which you believe is inappropriate, simply read it, pause and take three or more deep breaths. It is easy to get emotionally charged when you think your practice is being attacked unfairly, but avoid at all costs having a public battle online; it could escalate out of control and damage your practice’s reputation even further. Publicly disagreeing with your patient in a defensive manner could change how your existing and prospective patients perceive you. There’s a saying I learnt a long time ago: “It’s not what happens in life, but how you handle it.” Remember this saying when you’re faced with a negative review.
2. Collect the facts
Put the review into perspective; don’t let yourself get angry, instead find answers. Most negative reviews are posted because a patient felt mistreated or their experience/results were dramatically below expectation. Whatever the situation might be, go through your patient’s file to collect all the facts. Attempt to pinpoint what occasion they are referring to. Identify who the patient is, who they saw and what treatment they had.
3. Connect and create dialogue
It’s important to write an appropriate public response back for the patient and others to read online. It’s also vital to ensure that you don’t put your dental practice in danger by breaking the patient’s confidentiality and privacy inside your response (do not mention anything about the treatment you provided – that might lead to a greater issue for you to deal with).
The worst thing you can do is ignore a negative review; it could potentially put off new and future patients, causing a loss of revenue. It’s all about communication, so do your best to allow your patients to reach out to you. This will show them that you are listening, interested and that you care. Always respond in a professional tone and let them know you’re available for them to approach you at a suitable time. If the negative review was about a specific dentist, let your response to the review show the actual dentist involved is taking ownership of the situation.
For example, “Dear Claire, I am genuinely sorry for the way you feel after your experience with us. I strive to make all my patients feel satisfied during and after every visit. I do value your feedback and would appreciate if you can contact me on (555 -555-5555) to discuss the matter. Many thanks. Dr X”
Others will read your positive response and will be influenced by it too. Furthermore, the patient might eventually delete the review due to your attitude and approach. The internet is a great resource and on sites such as www.esparkleonline.com there are response templates available which you can work from.
4. Take ownership
A string of negative reviews about your practice could lead you to want to make some changes. There may be things happening in your practice that you need to start addressing as it might continue to affect your reputation. Use the feedback from the reviews to make key business decisions such improve staff training and development.
5. Encourage reviews
Encouraging your loyal customers to post what they think about your service on Google +, Yelp or on your Facebook page will benefit your practice. It will help win trust and encourage potential patients to take a leap of faith to do business with you for the first time. It will also support in pushing down your negative reviews.