Given the increased competition in the dental industry in recent years, reputation management has become paramount. Online review platforms like Google and Yelp make it easier than ever for communities to leave candid feedback about local establishments, your practice included. 

‍

‍

How are your online reviews reflecting on your business? One bad review can hurt your reputation. On the other hand, multiple positive reviews help build your social proof and attract new patients to your practice. 

How Are You Managing Online Reviews?

Your dental practice will inevitably receive reviews over time – the question is how you will choose to manage them. Your response to positive and negative reviews will reflect on your company and have an impact on your overall brand. 

Not only do you need to manage reputation by correcting issues that come up in negative reviews, but it’s just as important to show appreciation for your patients’ effort by responding to positive reviews. Each time you post a response to an online review, it shows you listen to feedback and value your patient community’s opinions. 

Who’s Managing Your Reviews? 

A best practice for review management is designating one person who will respond to reviews. In a dental practice, a front office staff member often handles this task. It’s helpful when the person managing reviews doesn’t have direct involvement in the treatment. One person managing reviews is also beneficial for establishing a consistent voice for your company.

You should also consider using Swell Review to streamline your review management process. Dental Intelligence's dashboard offers a native integration, making it simple to respond quickly to your reviews across all platforms in one place. Systematizing review management makes it a routine part of the day, so you can check it off the list and move onto other priorities.

How to Handle Negative Reviews

Responding to negative reviews requires a little more finesse and restraint than positive reviews. Consider these tips for managing your online reputation through negative review responses:

• Be okay with bad reviews: It’s normal and expected to get a bad review now and then. You can leverage negative reviews to your advantage through service recovery and careful responses. Don’t let the content of bad reviews lead to an aggressive rebuttal.  
• Consider your approach: Avoid approaching the conversation defensively. Instead, show kindness and compassion for each negative review. Instead of defending yourself, hold the intention to connect with the patient personally.
• 3 A’s of customer experience: For a simple, formulaic method of handling negative reviews, we recommend the tried-and-true triple A approach: Apologize when needed, appreciate the patient, then amend by looking for opportunities to correct the problem.

Here’s an example of how to use the 3 A's to respond to a negative review: 

“We appreciate patients trusting our team with their dental care and take patient satisfaction very seriously. I'm sorry that we fell short this time. We would love the chance to make things right. Please reach out to us at [phone number] or [email address] so we can further discuss and find a resolution.”

If for some reason you receive a review from someone who is not a patient, you can reach out to Google and petition to have it removed. Google’s review policy prohibits fake content and spam. If you can verify the person isn’t one of your patients, you can submit a request to remove the review.

How to Capitalize on Positive Reviews

Positive reviews create an opportunity to strengthen the relationship with a patient. You might respond to a five-star review by saying something like: 

“Thanks for sharing your feedback. We always appreciate hearing from our patients. Have a great day!”

Capitalize on these responses in a few ways:

• Elaborate: Take a moment to elaborate on points shared by the reviewer, helping to strengthen your brand and reputation.
• Humble brag: When applicable, bring in something else you’re doing that relates to the review.
• Key differentiators: Look for opportunities to weave in value propositions and your business priorities that help you stand out from the competitors. 

Finally, leverage this gold-mine of good reviews on other platforms. When someone posts a review, you can repurpose the content to post to your social media accounts and publish it on your website. Just make sure to get permission from the patient first since the user owns the content. Some review sites have specific details in their service terms that review submissions are not licensed for general or commercial use.

Leverage Review Responses to Strengthen Your Brand

Responding to reviews is an essential step to show your patients you genuinely care about their experience and satisfaction. Online review management only takes ten minutes a day, especially with streamlined reputation management tools like Swell, and it can have an undeniable impact to boost your brand and improve opportunities in the future.

‍