Marketing your dental practice to a wider audience can be challenging without positive patient reviews. Over three-quarters of potential patients use reviews to decide which practices are worth visiting, so positive reviews are a powerful tool to grow your practice.

Many of your patients may not leave reviews after their appointments, which means you miss the opportunity for their positive word-of-mouth marketing to entice other patients to your dental practice. Understanding when and how to ask for reviews from your patients can help your practice solve many of the reasons patients don't leave reviews.

1. You Are Not Driving Patients Toward Reviews

Patients who don’t know where or how to leave reviews for your dental practice will simply not post them. Optimizing your business operations and encouraging patients to post their experiences is the first step to getting more engagement.

For example, you could post links to your website, Google, Facebook, and Yelp on posters around your office. These could read, “We Care About Your Opinion. Rate Your Experience With Our Staff!”

2. You Are Waiting Too Long to Request a Review

Waiting too long after appointments to email your patients with links to reviews can be a mistake. It’s best to reach out within 24 hours while their experience remains fresh.

3. You Don’t Automate Your Reviews

Your staff may not have the time to solicit reviews from every patient who comes through the door. Automating the process frees up time and resources and means you never forget to ask for a review. 

You can set up emails or an automated calling system to contact your patients shortly after their visits. Dental Intelligence Online Reviews allows you to easily request reviews from patients.

4. You Are Pressuring Patients to Leave Reviews

Avoid using direct confrontation that pressures your patients into leaving reviews. Being too forceful can land you in an ethical gray area. This mistake discourages patients from taking time out of their day to leave positive feedback and could even drive your patients to another dentist.

5. You Respond Inappropriately to Negative Reviews

As your practice grows, you may receive a few negative reviews from hot-tempered patients. However, responding professionally to negative feedback helps you maintain a trustworthy public image and shows that you are receptive to patient concerns. People may be more willing to leave reviews when they see your staff respond appropriately to online comments.

6. Your Office Has Long Wait Times

Keep your dental practice running smoothly to avoid disappointed patients who aren't motivated to leave reviews. Poor service could even result in negative reviews.

Reduce wait times in your office with effective schedule management strategies, initiate follow-up calls, and keep patient records organized and accessible when they request them.

7. You Don’t Call Patients Back

Establish and optimize an office-wide phone system that allows your front desk staff to keep up with calls. Answering your patients’ calls and questions will encourage them to leave positive reviews about your practice.

You can also use your phones to contact patients on a waitlist if another patient cancels their appointment. Fitting them into the schedule sooner than they expected is a good look for your practice and may earn you a review.

8. Your Staff Behaves Unprofessionally

Unprofessional behavior from your staff will prevent you from getting the positive reviews you need. Train your staff to manage stressful work situations productively to ensure 100% professionalism during every patient interaction.

9. You Rush Your Patients Out the Door

Your practice may treat over a hundred patients every week. Still, it’s important not to make them feel rushed in and out of the office during appointments. Allowing them to process the customer service experience and make informed decisions about your practice significantly increases their chance of leaving reviews. 

Dental Solutions That Help You Earn Positive Reviews

Many dental practices ignore the importance of earning positive reviews, but yours shouldn’t. The benefits of investing time to accommodate patients and resolve their concerns will help you boost outreach and fill your appointment slots.

At Dental Intelligence, we know how to get more online reviews for practices like yours. Schedule a demo today and see how reviews can help your practice grow. 

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