Getting the Feedback Your Practice Needs
Reputation management is key to a successful practice. For a dental practice, one of the most important things is hearing from patients. In getting the feedback your practice needs, you are able to grow into that success. Not only that, the online reviews that patients leave are instrumental in bringing in new patients!
But what exactly needs to be overcome to engage in reputation management effectively? And what is the role of software in reputation management?
Let’s explore the options for your dental practice!
The Importance of Online Reviews
Online reviews are a cornerstone of reputation management. Online reviews provide an essential window into your dental practice. Potential patients hear about first-hand experience of your practice from other patients. They get a sense of your authenticity. They get a sense of what they can expect when they book an appointment with your practice. Online reviews exert a lot of influence on potential patients. Revealingly, 2020’s Consumer Review Survey from BrightLocal indicated that consumers show a lot of trust in online reviews. So much so, in fact, that 84% of consumers will trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.
Online reviews, then, are a powerful contribution to the success of a practice. So what are the roadblocks surrounding online reviews for dental practices?
Opening your practice up to online reviews takes a certain amount of vulnerability. Many dental practices are concerned about negative reviews. This is very understandable! However, there’s some good news about negative online reviews:
- the percentage of consumers that leave ‘very negative’ online reviews is about 1%
- the percentage of consumers that leave ‘somewhat negative’ reviews is about 10%
This points to the positive power of online reviews for your practice.
Overcoming Reputation Management Roadblocks
However, the process of soliciting these online reviews has its own roadblocks. For one thing, often practices wait too long to ask for an online review. There are lots of reasons for this. One may be a lack of prioritization. But, what is more likely is that there simply isn’t time to prioritize this. Dental practice staff are busy. There are a lot of logistics to keep track of in running any medical clinic. In the day-to-day of running your dental practice, it can be hard for your staff to find the time.
Part of the reason for this is another roadblock. It’s incredibly time-consuming to do ask for patient reviews manually. First, you have to keep track of which patients have most recently been in to see the dentist. Second, you have to compose an email that reflects well on your practice to ask for this review. Carving out time for your already-busy staff to chase after patient reviews is not easy.
It is also not necessary, because tools exist to make this process easier!
Let’s explore how automated software can benefit your practice!
Automating the Reputation Management Process
The importance of software in reputation management cannot be overstated. As we say at Intiveo, the reputation management software helps turn your happy patients into advocates for your practice.
Of course, first it’s important to stay accountable. Sending quality improvement surveys at the end of an appointment doesn’t just open up an opportunity for a review. It also keeps you accountable to your patients. Constructive feedback will allow you to find ways to improve your treatment delivery.
However, with positive feedback, a door opens up for a positive review. Automating a request from these happy patients streamlines the process of requesting this review. As a practice, you are able to hone in on those happy patients through that initial quality improvement survey.
But this is not the only advantage of reputation management software! There are other major advantages, including:
- Being able to see your aggregated reviews in one place. This can be a valuable tool not only for keeping track of your happy patients, but also for seeing the strengths of your practice. You get a chance to see what your patients value. This can inform decisions that you make for your dental practice.
- The ability to embed survey results in your website. Embedding a review widget on your website allows your reviews to spontaneously update. This means that you can showcase your positive reviews. They also consistently update!
Let’s see reputation management software in action by exploring what we offer at Intiveo!
What Reputation Management Software Can Do for You
The Intiveo Social Review Add-On shows you the benefits that you can expect from this kind of automated software. Again, a lot of these benefits are connected to the idea of turning your happy patients into advocates for your practice. A number of practices have seen truly positive results since switching to Intiveo! These positive results include a significant rise in the number of patient reviews – for example, Conestoga Oral Surgery reported an average of 100 patient reviews a month!
First off, the software automatically sends the patient a simple yes or no question: did you have a great experience today?
How they answer determines what the follow up message will be. If they have a concern, Intiveo’s software allows you to invite them to address that privately. They have the option of sending a message directly to your practice. That way, there are opportunities for your practice to incorporate that feedback.
However, if they answer yes, the automated software invites them to leave a review on the social media platform of your choice. This gets the good word out there about your practice! Your happy patient has become your advocate.
Reputation management software doesn’t just help you harness the power of a positive review. It also allows you to grow as a practice. Automating requests for more detailed feedback allows you to keep statistics on how well you’re doing. Looking deeply into that granular level gives you some very strong indications of where you’re at, and how you’re doing. As in most patient communication, customization is key. You can send different surveys based on particular appointment types. This will give you the information you need to deliver that essential dental care, in a way that is truly supportive of your patients.
Curious to learn more about Intiveo? Book a meeting!
Managing Your Reputation, Growing Your Practice
Reputation management is fundamental to running a successful practice. Reputation management software allows you to streamline this process. Automating requests for feedback saves your staff time. It also gets the patient at the right time: directly after their positive experience at your practice. Asking for a review turns your happy patients into advocates for your practice!
Get started today with reputation management software!
