Dealing Positively With a Negative Review

Dealing Positively With a Negative Review
Wednesday, February 27, 2013

In an age when online review sites such as Google+ Local, Yelp, Bing Local, and Angie’s List influence consumer behavior, it’s disheartening when you find a negative one-star review for your practice on the internet.

Your practice is your baby and you’ve worked hard to build it up and make it shine. Bad reviews feel awful. So what is a business to do when you get the dreaded bad review?

Initially, you may feel like you need to strike back and defend your practice with a lengthy recount of the real situation and focus on why the reviewer is wrong. After all, you know your practice better than anyone. You also may feel the reviewer is either misrepresenting the details of his or her experience, or flat out lying about it. But this type of confrontational response is exactly what you do NOT want to do.

So what can you do to save your practice from a bad review?

First, don’t panic. Take a deep breath. As long as you are not constantly getting bad reviews, they are not entirely detrimental to your practice. A negative review can actually be a positive thing if you deal with it appropriately. Here’s how to spin a negative into a positive for future potential patients:

  • Negative reviews can actually add credibility to your review profile. When potential patients see a mix of different ratings, they are more likely to trust the overall review process. Many people worry that online reviews may be gamed, staged or faked. A negative review makes the good reviews shine and adds an amount of realism to the review profile.
  • Remember to always respond positively and politely—even to the worst reviews. An example of a succinct positive reply:

Thank you for your feedback, we are sincerely sorry your expectations were not met during your visit (or call/email/chat/etc.). That doesn’t sound like our usual approach. We do take all of our reviews seriously, and will use this information to make future improvements.

  • Keep it short and simple. No one cares about the details, they care that you take notice. You are human. Everyone has a bad day. If it happens, own it, apologize and move on.
  • You are in control. Negative Reviews give a practice the chance to respond and reach out to potential customers and clients. This can have an effect, not only on the person who left the negative review, but also on future potential patients. And this may be the most important part – How do you want to appear to those potential patients reading the bad review days, weeks, or months later? You can win over a lot of people by showing your compassionate side, and showing you care about the people who patronize your practice.
  • Don’t be defensive. Never respond with anger, rudeness, or condescending words. That will come back to haunt you. Online review sites are here to stay and reviews will be indexed and accessible on the internet for years to come. Don’t respond right away when emotions may be soaring. Take time to collect your thoughts and calm down. Put your best foot forward. Don’t respond until you can do so positively.
  • Always take the high road, even if you believe the review is fake, or the person leaving the review is not being 100% honest.
  • Do not try to change the reviewer’s mind. Just be positive, be thankful, and be sincere. Do not set the stage for a response war or an inflammatory rebuttal. Write about your commitment to customer satisfaction. Offer the reviewer a chance to talk more about the situation by adding a statement such as, “Please contact our office so we can find out more about your experience and help correct the situation.”
  • If you know the person leaving the review, be proactive and try to contact your reviewer by email or through his or her profile. Take this as a learning experience on how to improve certain aspects of your dental business. Reach out to the reviewer and make amends. He or she may even change the review, or leave a follow-up to the original review and explain how you made things right. Sometimes that can be the best publicity ever.

Online reviews are all about public opinion and public perception. It doesn’t matter if the reviewer is right or wrong, it’s about what you do with the opportunity to respond publicly. You have the ability to change the perception of those that find your business listing in the future. This is your chance to turn a negative into a giant win for your dental practice.

  • <<
  • >>

Comments

-->