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Reviews that Shine: How Dental Practices Can Use Google Reviews to Boost Their Reputation

Posted on by Rebecca Elms

In today’s digital world, everything, whether goods or services, seems just a click away. Today’s consumer decision-making process is significantly faster than it once was. When a consumer is browsing the Internet looking for a product, all potential providers of that product get mere minutes or even seconds to make their case. Online presence and reputation today have become a valuable asset for any business. When the consumer is spoilt for choice, how do businesses such as dental practices stand out from the rest of the field? 

Enter Online Reviews. Historically, dental practices relied primarily on word-of-mouth referrals to attract new patients. However, as we pivot towards online engagement, word-of-mouth referrals have taken a digital form. 1 in 2 people trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family. In the online review space, Google continues to be the undisputed king, with 73% of the global market share in 2022. Google Reviews are today’s word-of-mouth. 

Let’s dive into what Google Reviews can do for a dental practice. 

Enhances Trustworthiness and Credibility 

Google Reviews act as social proof to instil confidence in potential new patients. They are a testament to the quality of the patient experience provided by the dental practice. Practices with high numbers of reviews and high star ratings immediately attract the confidence of potential patients. For instance, consider two hypothetical dental practices: Practice A with an average rating of 4.8 from 250 reviews and Practice B with a 3.5 from only 50 reviews. Which one would you trust more? Naturally, Practice A appears more reliable. A higher number of positive reviews significantly enhances the practice’s reputation. 

Increases Online Visibility 

An increase in positive Google Reviews also improves the practice’s visibility in local searches. That’s because review numbers and freshness signal relevance and authority to search engine algorithms like Google. Each new review, whether a detailed five-star rating or a brief one-liner, serves as an update to the practice’s online listing boosting its domain authority. The result: the practice appears higher in search results for queries such as “dentists near me.” For practices looking to expand their patient base, visibility among such local searches is extremely valuable. 

Provides Constructive Feedback for Improvement 

While positive Google Reviews have multiple benefits, constructive feedback shared by patients can also prove invaluable for dental practices. By carefully analysing the themes and patterns emerging from such reviews, practices can gain insights into areas of improvement. For instance, if there are multiple mentions of long waiting times or treatment path confusion, the practice can address these issues proactively by improving appointment scheduling or better focus on patient education. Google Reviews provides an authentic platform for patients to voice their concerns and for practices to improve continually. 

Influences Decision-Making Among Prospective Patients 

Prospective patients scanning through a myriad of options often turn to reviews to tip their decision when choosing a dental practice. Google Reviews offer a glimpse into real patient experiences and shape perceptions about the practice. Patients leaning towards a practice may reconsider if reviews frequently mention problems like lack of parking facilities or poor listening skills among staff. On the flip side, those on the fence might be persuaded to book an initial appointment after reading reviews praising the gentle demeanour of dentists or the child-friendly environment. By showcasing such experiential aspects, Google Reviews strongly influence the dental practice selection process. 

Distinguishes the Practice in a Competitive Landscape 

Most clinicians aim to offer exceptional clinical skills, cutting-edge technology and comfortable care. However, in a crowded marketplace, these table stakes may not be enough to stand out. This is where leveraging Google Reviews can provide an edge over competitors. A dental practice with numerous positive patient reviews has a discernible advantage. While a practice may boast cutting-edge technology and expertise, without reviews, it risks going unnoticed, becoming the proverbial tree that fell in the forest with no one around. Patients are more likely to choose a recommended practice over another with similar credentials but no reviews. Google Reviews gives much-needed visibility and credibility to help practices distinguish themselves. 

Given the immense value Google Reviews offer, how can savvy dental practices proactively leverage them? The following strategies will help you get started. 

Actively Request Reviews – Do not leave reviews to chance. After positive patient visits, politely ask them to share their first-hand experiences online to help fellow patients. 

Respond to All Reviews – Engage with patients who posted reviews, thanking them for their feedback and acknowledging suggestions, if any. This fosters goodwill and encourages more reviews. 

Educate Patients – Since patients may be unaware of their influence, educate them on how reviews guide other patients and boost your practice’s visibility. 

Track Review Volume and Sentiment– Use a monitoring tool to track the number of monthly reviews and overall sentiment so you can respond appropriately. 

Invest in Patient Experience Training – Equip your team to deliver consistently above-and-beyond patient experiences that translate into positive reviews.  

As dental marketing continues its inevitable shift online, Google Reviews have emerged as digital word-of-mouth and a top influencer during the patient acquisition journey. Dental practices that embrace this change and adopt strategies to actively generate more positive reviews will gain an edge over the competition. Remember, in the online world, every review is a beacon; make sure yours shines the brightest. 

About the Author

Sean has 18 years of experience in the Australian Dental Information System industry and currently works as Head of Product and Innovation at Centaur Software. Sean holds a Bachelor of Applied Science from RMIT University and a Master of Business Administration from Swinburne University.

Sean is a passionate data analyst who loves everything data. Outside work, Sean spends most of his time doting on his little daughters, Amelia and Olivia.

Patient retention mastery – Through the eyes of a dentist: Building and implementing a retention strategy to boost your bottom line Webinar

Posted on by Mona Valinataj

We hope you enjoy the Patient retention mastery – Through the eyes of a dentist: Building and implementing a retention strategy to boost your bottom line Webinar with Entrepreneur and Dentist, Dr. Dish, and Customer Experience and Retention Specialist at Centaur, Josh Gerrard.

 

During this webinar, Dr. Dish and Josh explored the following topics:

  • Three fundamentals to a successful dental practice.
  • The importance of patient retention.
  • The impact of NO system on your practice.
  • Strategies for patient retention – Think like a patient.
  • Benefits of patient retention.

You can reach out to Dr. Dish via email at ghoseadhishwar@gmail.com.

PatientCare is Australia’s only automated patient experience solution designed specifically for the dental industry and seamlessly integrated with Dental4Windows & Dental4Web.

Your practice will benefit from higher patient retention, increased rebook rates, more quality online reviews, improved operational efficiency, and increased patient satisfaction and loyalty, all while saving your team hours of manual work by automating the post-treatment care that you provide.

If you don’t currently use PatientCare, and would like to learn more, click here to complete the contact form and one of our friendly team members will be in touch.

Enjoy the Patient retention mastery – Through the eyes of a dentist: Building and implementing a retention strategy to boost your bottom line Webinar?  Never miss an important update or a new webinar announcement again by joining our Official Dental4Windows Facebook Group.  Click here to join!

The importance of extending the patient journey by providing care beyond the chair

Posted on by Rebecca Elms

Does your dental practice focus on creating a great patient experience? It’s very likely you answered “yes” to that question — this is just a common-sense way to build great relationships with your valued patients.

Now for a harder question: When do you work on creating that experience? Many practices struggle to find the time to reach out to patients between visits. If you only interact with your patients when they are at your practice or when it’s time to schedule an appointment, you may be missing an opportunity to create strong, enduring connections based on extended post-treatment care.

Great patient care should go beyond the time that patients spend at your practice. This may involve post-treatment follow-ups and active efforts to collect and act on feedback. Dental practices that stay active in contacting their patients stand a better chance of not only building patient satisfaction and loyalty but also better positioning themselves to earn glowing Google reviews, providing social proof to prospective new patients.

Post-treatment: A critical time to reach out

What happens when a patient goes home after a treatment? Many dental practices disengage at this point, with the default assumption being that everything went well. Perhaps they reach out to request an online review, but generally, they don’t make meaningful contact again until it’s time to schedule a follow-up.

The logic behind the no-follow-up approach is that if the patient needs assistance, they will contact the practice. There is an extra step, however, that could turn this downtime into a valuable part of the patient relationship. Namely, it’s simple for practices to make patients feel looked after and cared for by being proactive and following up the day after a procedure.

Sending out a questionnaire is an effective way to determine how the patient is feeling. This allows the practice care team to provide informed and helpful responses in case the patient is experiencing discomfort or has more questions. If the patient has no concerns, that’s a good outcome, too. In that case, the practice can respond by requesting a Google review — the satisfied patient may give some very positive feedback.

Practices that collect patients’ opinions and feelings can act based on important measures such as Net Promoter Score, which is the ratio of customers who would recommend a business. Knowing how happy your patients are is the key to fine-tuning the patient experience.

Strong bonds yield positive reviews

When prospective patients are deciding on a new dentist, their likely first step is to go online and read the reviews from your current patients. The rapport and level of care you show your patients will determine the tone of those reviews.

Checking in with patients after their visits, and showing that you truly care about their well-being, allows you to build relationships based on trust. This is the crux of “care beyond the chair.” If people only hear from their dentists when they’re in the practice or scheduling an appointment, will they care enough about the dental practice to write a good review?

It’s a simple but important process — collect feedback to see what your patients most need from you, provide that level of service and then, finally, ask for a review. You’re getting off to a great start by simply asking for their thoughts and feelings. Following through on that information is the perfect way to create a loyal audience.

Following up and staying in contact with patients is a way to turn quiet periods in the patient relationship into moments that build trust and loyalty. With a modern technology platform to store the data and automate initial outreach, you can seamlessly make this new approach part of your practice’s patient experience.

Visit the PatientCare site to learn more.