Dear Unsatisfied Patient
By Jim Higgins, Solutionreach
The internet has made things a lot easier—and a lot harder—than they once were for healthcare organizations. Once upon a time, all you had to do was worry about providing great care and your customer loyalty took care of the rest. Have a bad day? An irritable patient? You could rest assured that a negative experience here and there wouldn’t really have a big impact. Not any longer. Today’s savvy patients are a whole new ballgame. Instead of complaining to the front desk staff, there are some—around 12 percent of patients—who will simply hop online and leave a scathing review about their experience instead. This review can have a lasting impact. As of 2018, 86 percent of people read reviews and 57 percent say they only trust a business if it has four or more stars! Ouch.
No one likes receiving a review from an unsatisfied patient, but when it happens, it’s best to respond and approach with care. Practices need to be strategic when it comes to managing patient reviews. Here are some ways to minimize the impact of negative reviews on your online reputation.
Tackle The Negativity Head-On
It’s natural to feel tempted to just delete negative reviews, but, according to experts, that’s not only a bad choice, but may be impossible. Google, for instance, will only remove bad reviews if they specifically violate Google’s guidelines. Most negative reviews will not fall under these guidelines. Unless the review contains offensive language, is obviously fake, dangerous, or so on, the best way to handle it is to simply respond. Be professional in your reply—avoid getting defensive. Even if the patient makes outrageous statements, remain calm, reasonable, and positive in your response. Apologize for any inconvenience, let them know you appreciate the feedback, and are looking into how you can improve. Remember, however, to never reveal patient information in your response. In fact, due to regulations such as HIPAA, the best course of action is to try to…
Move The Conversation Offline
One of the best ways to address negative reviews is to take the conversation offline. If you can identify the reviewer, reach out to the patient by phone or email. If you can’t identify them from the review, ask them if they can message you their contact information to follow up. Once you’ve thanked them for their input, see if you can address the issue raised in their negative review. Don’t promise to change things that you know won’t happen but do see what you can do to make things better for the patient. Two or three weeks later, be sure to follow up. Many patients who feel they have been heard and understood later change their negative reviews to positive ones.
Respond Quickly To Every Review (Not Just The Negative Ones)
If you have lots of reviews, especially negative ones, without any response, it sends the message that you don’t really care what your patients think. Not what you want! Studies show that 89 percent of consumers read the responses businesses leave to reviews. To ensure that readers see your response, make sure that you reply quickly—within the same day, or no more than two days later, if possible. Make sure you set up alerts to immediately notify you whenever a review has been posted. Most review sites make this easy, allowing you to respond as quickly as possible to any patient review.
Bury It In Positivity
A great way to counteract negative reviews is to collect more positive ones than negative. Reviews get old very quickly. In fact, 85 percent of patients don’t think reviews older than three months are relevant anymore! When you have a favorite patient, or after a particularly great appointment, request a review. This can most easily be done through a quick text message while the patients are still in the office. Many patients aren’t aware that they can leave a review, and they may not know how or where to leave one. It is great for you to walk them through the ways they can leave reviews.
Make Needed Changes
Though managing reviews may seem time-consuming, it actually gives you a lot of valuable information. Just as you may gather feedback from surveys or focus groups, reviews can give you insights into your front office management, your check-in process, the flow of your treatment, and anything else that may occur within your healthcare organization. Think of negative reviews as a way to improve weaknesses you may not be aware of and make your practice even better!
While building your online reputation, you are sure to get a negative review from time to time. Tackle these reviews head-on, remaining kind, calm, and transparent. As you do so, your ability to handle negative reviews will actually demonstrate the positive way you deal with adversity. Who knew that negative reviews could actually help you highlight a strength—and look better—online?!?
About The Author
Jim Higgins is the founder & CEO of Solutionreach. You can follow him on Twitter: @higgs77.