How Should Doctors Address Reviews on the Internet
Introduction
Reviews on the internet can make or break medical practices, and as people mostly judge a book by its covers, doctors must actively address their reviews online.
Building a healthy online reputation is significant for doctors to succeed in the digital age. According to Invoca, 5 percent of all the searches on Google are related to health. In fact, 94 percent of patients use online reviews to evaluate doctors. It is astonishing if your reviews on the internet are outstanding. But, if they are not, you have to think about altering this crucial problem.
Doctors should proactively reach out to both happy and dissatisfied customers across the internet.
If you are still wondering how to do so, we have got your back with some fantastic tips to address reviews on the internet.
Why Is It Necessary For Doctors To Address Online Reviews?
We all know that maintaining a reputation online for doctors is essential to sustain in this digital era. So, you should consider addressing the online reviews due to the following reasons:
Understand The Patient’s Thought About You
With the help of online reviews, doctors can understand what their patients like and feel about their healthcare practice. You can gain a mammoth of insights into your patient’s thoughts. Obtaining feedback will help you to understand the effectiveness of your services. If you receive positive feedback, it can work as a testimony to good service. However, negative reviews provide more room for improvement. Therefore, addressing reviews online, whether positive or negative, can help you deliver the best service possible.
Win Against Your Competitors
Online reviews help the patients evaluate whether the doctor is worthy of treating them. It builds confidence in them, and they will stick to those who have managed reviews on the internet.
If you have a few positive reviews in the past and some negative reviews in the present can change the game entirely if you don’t pay attention. Moreover, the patients will assume that the management has changed, and the patients will move to someone else. Addressing the online reviews effectively will help you to win over your competitors.
Points To Remember Before Addressing Online Reviews
Before addressing the reviews on the internet, the doctors are advised to consider the following points:
- Negative reviews may be a result of miscommunication. The chances are that the patients did not consider your advice, or they may have forgotten to provide you with enough information for the treatment. Thus, you should understand the communication gap effectively and take action accordingly.
- The doctors should not take any of the negative reviews personally.
- The doctors should not get defensive or mad while addressing the reviews online. It will prohibit you from getting patients back or attract more patients to your healthcare setting.
How Should Doctors Address Reviews On The Internet?
Now, you must be contemplating what should be the right way to address reviews on the internet. You should take a deep breath and remain calm before formulating a considerable response. Here are some of the tips that you should consider:
Respond Positively To The Negative Reviews
Around 72 percent of the patients believe that negative reviews will ward them off from visiting the doctor. If you have received a few negative reviews online, you should take this opportunity to transform a dissatisfied patient into a happy one.
Sometimes, you may feel agitated to see all the negative comments. But, you should prevent yourself from reacting unpleasantly to these reviews. Instead, you should positively address the negative reviews and assure the patients that you will consider their opinion in future offerings.
You can use the following words to respond to the negative reviews of your patients:
“Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you had an unpleasant experience, but we appreciate you for bringing this to our attention.”
Correct A Perceived Wrong
It is relatively strenuous to understand the psychology of the customers on this. However, if you succeed in correcting a perceived wrong, the patients will become fans of your services than those who are just starting to avail of your treatment. You will impress the prospective patients by showing that you are willing to mend things up. It is not possible to make everyone happy with your services, but patients will love that you care for them.
Respond Privately Whenever Required
Whenever you find that the review on the internet is serious, or you think you should address this issue privately, your conscious mind is telling you the right thing. You can use email to address some reviews privately. You can also hit the Call button to talk to your patients privately and resolve their issues directly.
Be Empathetic
Negative reviews on the internet are more often the result of being helpless or losing control. It may also be an outcome of their visit to your clinic or something distressing going on in their life. In that case, you should show empathy to your patient so that he can have confidence in your services. It creates a connection between the doctor and the patient, which is essential to understand the patient’s problem deeply and treat them eventually.
Don’t Be Defensive
When a patient feels ill about the doctor, it is enticing for you to retaliate in kindness. However, it is definitely not a good idea. The great way to deal with the situation is to divert the conversation, take complete charge, and resolve the patients’ concerns. You can ask them if:
- They can tell what is troubling them.
- Their most concerning health problem
- Their fundamental health goal.
- They can visit the healthcare setting for proper evaluation of their situation.
Avoid Excuses
It is annoying for the patient to hear, “It is our standard procedure.” If you make such excuses, the patients will turn their back. You should keep one point in mind that you can alter or modify any rule if they are not delivering effective care to the patient. You must understand that the patients only want to know how you can help and not how you cannot.
Conclusion
Whether the online review is positive or negative, it is evident that it will not disappear any time in the future. Doctors who address online reviews effectively may build a remarkable reputation online.
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