Knowing how to get patient reviews is important. If you’re wondering why, it can be summed up in three statistics:
- Nearly 75% of patients have researched their medical care online.
- Almost 70% of patients say a positive online reputation is important when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider.
- When surveyed, 95% of respondents said online reviews are reliable.
This is good news because68% of customers have left a review for an organization after being asked to do so.
If you’re looking for ways to perfect your ask, we’ve got five simple tips and some branded thank-you gifts to help you get started.
#1: Make leaving reviews easy
Before thinking about how to get patient reviews, you need to designate a space where those reviews can be left. Make sure you have a presence on Google®, Yelp®, Facebook® and/or your organization’s website to make it easy for patients to leave feedback. And be sure to share handouts or QR codes that direct patients to those sites.
#2: Create an “ask” script
By creating (and practicing) a script, your staff will be able to turn compliments or other end-of-appointment communication into a chance to ask for reviews. A script similar to this can make the exchange more comfortable:
“Thank you so much for that compliment. It would be a big help to us if you could review us online at [location]. It helps us to know what we’re doing right and lets other patients know where they can get the service they deserve.”
Offer a branded thank-you gift, like a lab coat cell phone wallet or combination phone stand, pen and stylus imprinted with your organization’s website and social pages, to make giving reviews easy.
#3 Use an automatic ask
If asking for reviews face-to-face isn’t possible, consider sending emails or text messages that include an easy, mobile-friendly link to leave a review. By sending an immediate ask post-visit, you can capture reviews while your services are fresh in patients’ minds.
As an incentive, offer to send them a fun mailable item, like multicolor bandages or a growth chart.
#4: Reach out to long-time patients
If someone has been coming to your office for five, ten or even twenty years, chances are they appreciate the services you provide—and would be happy to share that information. Reach out to long-time patients through the mail or a phone call and:
- Thank them for being a loyal patient.
- Share that you’d love to get their feedback.
- Ask if they’d be willing to post an online review.
#5: Reward staff for asking
Even with training, forming a new habit like asking for reviews can be a challenge. You can use fun incentives, such as:
- High-end wireless headphones for hitting a personal goal, whether it’s number of asks or number of reviews received per week.
- A contest where the person who gets the most reviews in a month receives a packable travel jacket.
- Smaller prizes, like a wireless charger, for attending a weekly practice session or doing roleplay with a coworker.
Say hello to potential patients
Once you know how to get patient reviews, it’s likely you’ll start getting more website traffic—and getting more patients. Which can lead to more reviews and even more patients.