Are You Reaching Out To Get Reviews From Happy Clients?
July 7, 2017 By Practice Growth Pras
Whether you’re an established practitioner or part of a growing office, client testimonials may be one of your best available resources. By tapping into your current customer base, garnering reviews and nurturing healthy discussion, you can both gain new fans while prioritizing the old ones. Harness the power of happy patients, and spread the love to new visitors. If you can solicit customer reviews and testimonials effectively, you’ll grow as a preferred provider. According to MarketingProfs, 67 percent of consumers read less than six reviews before trusting a business. As a practitioner, these reviews count even more. Let’s discuss how to garner them.
Solicit To Real Patients
Sadly, a lot of practitioners “review stuff.” They ask friends, family and even other staff members to bolster their reviews. You’ll need to ask real patients for real accounts, including a rundown of events, appointments, and the overall experience. A Maritz Research study suggests that 75 percent of online survey respondents consider reviews to be fair. This study was adapted to veterinary practices, prioritizing real reviews over fake reviews. Don’t worry about quantity. Shoot for quality. Your respondents will follow your lead.
Be Visible
You’ll have more success if you’re accessible. Before asking patients to leave any reviews, make sure you’re accessible across multiple review sites. Online reviews are crucially important, as 72 percent of consumers trust them as much as personal recommendations. If you want high-quality, timely reviews, you’ll need to make the process as simple as possible for customers. Meet them where they are. Specifically, meet them online. Use Yelp, LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Reviews.
Prioritize Their Happiness
Happy patients rarely share positive feedback if they’re not prompted. That said, negative experiences tend to result in immediate—and negative—reviews. The average customer won’t search for ways to leave a review, experts say. To get good feedback, get ahead of them. Make on-the-spot reviews, and gather testimonials as soon as services are completed. A good way to do this is to have an accessible iPad available at your front desk. Make sure it has direct links to your review profiles, and share links to your regular newsletters, too.
Make It Fun
Testimonial writing can be lengthy, boring and monotonous—but it doesn’t have to be. Give your patients incentives, and make gift-giving a clinic setting standard. Don’t violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, however. Establish a clinic gift-giving policy which follows Office of Inspector General rules. So, spend under $10 per gift and no more than $50 over the course of a calendar year. Check out this post for in-depth coverage on gift-giving as it relates to healthcare practices.
