Why reviews matter to your private practice may seem like a no-brainer. Still, when you’re facing stiff competition, it’s important to look at every piece of your brand reputation with a careful eye.
Often these reviews play a vital role in a patient’s first impression, which can set off a chain of expectations that you either did not intend to set, you don’t have the means to fulfill, or worse—stop the prospective patient from contacting you at all.
Join us as we take a deeper look at the power of reviews in promoting your private practice.
Why Reviews Matter for Promoting Your Healthcare Practice
When it comes to healthcare, a staggering 84% of consumers use online reviews to evaluate providers prior to making an appointment and 80% trust those reviews as if they were recommendations from a close friend or family member!
With numbers like that, it goes without saying that your online reviews can be a powerful asset when it comes to attracting new clients.
While the five star rating system can be daunting, thankfully you don’t have to stress over a flawless score: “More than half of consumers say reviews that are less than perfect appear more ‘authentic.'” And in fact, six out of ten say that they will continue to do more research on products that have perfect, five-star reviews.
That just goes to show that being genuine and transparent is essential, because even negative reviews can be turned around with a thoughtful, empathetic reply!
Generating More Reviews
Your digital marketing strategy should definitely strive for the best review scores possible. Without a known history of patient satisfaction, your practice may very well not even appear on the first page of search results, much less on a patient’s radar.
Don’t worry, though—you don’t need to be overwhelmed by patient visits in order to secure a healthy number of online reviews.
Studies show that between email, phone calls or even messages on social media platforms, text messaging is the most effective way to reach consumers. In fact, texting has a 209% higher average open rate than other forms of messaging, with 95% of texts opened within 3 minutes!
With the proper digital communication tools set in place, you can improve the chance of your current patient-base leaving public feedback. By sending an automated text message after each appointment with a link to write a Google review, you can better take advantage of those statistics and significantly increase the odds of a patient leaving a review that’s influenced by your patient satisfaction surveys.
Meeting Patient Expectations (More Efficiently)
Your online presence should cater to the information that patients want to see, but with your reputation relying heavily on the personal experiences of your current clients, it can be hard to guarantee that the details you want to flaunt are actually making it into online reviews. By determining what potential customers are looking for in reviews, you can structure and influence the type of feedback your current patients are leaving.
To get you started in the right direction, we’ve compiled a small list of patient expectations based on hard numbers that can easily be addressed with the right technology at your fingertips.
Communication and Responsiveness
Patients value highly responsive and accessible channels of communication.
When polled, 82% of consumers want immediate responses when they leave a message via webchat, text message, email or phone. Additionally, 70% of clients expect provider follow up within 48 hours.
Using a practice management system that supports multiple channels of communication as well as the ability to design custom engagement campaigns is key to establishing a seamless and unified online persona worth reviewing.
Modern Payment Options
In today’s digital age, physical paperwork is quickly becoming a thing of the past and many healthcare practices are making the switch to software based documentation. Despite this transition, InstaMed’s Annual Trends In Healthcare Payments reports that 81% of providers still send paper bills in the mail, an outdated collection tactic that’s dwindling in success.
However, it should come as no surprise that people want virtual payment options and 80% of patients specifically want to pay using their phone. With text messaging established as the most effective way to communicate, combining texting with virtual payment options can give your practice the best of both worlds: streamlined collection rates and satisfied clients.
Using the Power of Automation
Meeting the level of engagement that patients expect can be a lot of work, but with the power of automation, you can satisfy everyone and increase the odds of positive feedback!
Creating a highly-engaged patient goes beyond the scope of their appointments in the clinic – it starts the moment a patient decides to make contact with your practice, between appointments, and even beyond the completion of care.
Throughout it all, patient engagement software can help you collect feedback that helps you prompt patient reviews at just the right time.
Read the Guide:
A Roadmap for Effective, Patient-Centered Marketing
