Many practices are concerned with how they appear online, and rightly so. These days, before a patient visits your office, they usually check you out online. And that doesn’t mean they visit your web page.
Usually, they Google your practice name or doctor name, and see the several search results that come back. Often, they choose to look at pages that include reviews from other patients. Why is this what they care about? Because most patients don’t feel qualified to judge a physician’s clinical expertise, but are really interested about what their peers have to say.
If they read several reviews saying that other patients were happy with their overall experience at the practice, they feel far more comfortable scheduling their appointment. If they see several bad reviews (especially ones where patients say they didn’t feel welcomed, or that they were treated rudely), they may now search for other practices in their area.
Yes, you can have an impact on the quality of your online reviews!
- Make sure your office culture is to treat patients as guests (much like a nice hotel would). Your patient-facing staff should ALWAYS smile and greet patients.
- Don’t ignore your office appearance. Your parking lot should be easy to find and well lit, and your reception area should be clean, comfortable and freshly painted.
- Last but not least, if you’re comfortable with the patient experience you are offering, ASK. Ask your patients to complete online reviews. Most will not, but some will. Let them know it is important for potential patients to know what other patients think to help them make their healthcare decisions. They’ll agree with you!
After asking them, send them home with a reminder of how important their comments can be. Provide a simple written take-home piece that asks for their review, with basic instructions.
