1 Jun 2016
A survey conducted by Dimensional Research and published by Marketing Land showed 90% of customers reported their purchasing choices are influenced by online reviews. Here, Casandra Pearson explains how to manage these reviews to protect the online reputation of your practice.
Casandra Pearson
Job Title
With the popularity and reach of review websites and social media platforms increasing steadily, maintaining a good reputation is critical to a business’ success. When a customer has an experience that is memorable (either positive or negative), they are likely to share that experience with others, with research showing slightly more people share a negative experience than a positive one.
Because the most common and farthest-reaching method of sharing an experience is through the internet, businesses should be aware of, and responsive to, the reviews left for them.
Reviews can be left on many different online business listings, social media sites and review websites. The most popular sites for customers to leave reviews are Yelp, Google (including Google+ and Google My Business) and Facebook. However, there is a plethora of other sites that employ a star-based rating system, where a five-star rating indicates excellent service, and a one-star or no-star rating indicates a very poor experience. Every time a review is left for the business, it affects its overall rating, which appears underneath the business name on the listing.
This rating is one of the first things a person sees when viewing a business listing, so it plays a major role in attracting (or deterring) potential customers. While business owners have no control over what their customers write about them on review sites, there are methods to improve that average star rating.
Common comments put into negative reviews concern long waits, expensive services and rude or uncaring staff. As a solution, we recommend all staff members be trained in customer service and be knowledgeable about the products and services offered.
The front desk and reception staff especially should be attentive to the customers who are waiting and be able to give approximate pricing for common services. Because the staff at the front desk are the first and last people the customer interacts with, they have the power to make or break the customer’s experience.
There are, of course, unavoidable situations that result in an unhappy customer. However, there are strategies a vet can employ to keep that person’s negative feedback from going on to the internet.
The most effective thing a business can do is to give customers another way to express their concerns. Instructing staff to listen sympathetically to concerns (within reason) gives the customer a chance to vent their emotions. Another method is to have surveys available, either on the practice website or as a hard copy at the clinic. Any number of ways for a client to give feedback about their experience can be effective, so long as they feel their feedback is being taken seriously and is valued.
The most important thing for the staff involved in a negative review is to remember not to take what the customer says personally; the client will probably be upset with his or her experience, and, because people love their pets dearly, it is easy for them to become more emotional than rational.
The best thing for a business owner to do when a negative review is posted is to take action, both offline and online.
In reviews, writers often give clues as to who they are, such as the date or time they were at the business, their pet’s name, condition or breed, as well as the situation or specific employee they dealt with. If the customer has left enough information to identify his or herself, the vet or business owner should reach out to him or her, preferably by telephone, and ask to speak with him or her about his or her concerns. If the client is willing to talk, either in person or on the telephone, a resolution often can be reached, and he or she may choose to remove or update the review to reflect the new service he or she received.
It is important for the client not to feel pressured to remove the review; it should be made clear to him or her the aim of the contact is to resolve the issue, not to get the review taken off the internet. Taking action offline helps to resolve the issue with the customer.
While the review is still online, people are still going to see and read the review. While the offline actions taken will help resolve the issue with the client, readers of the review are left out of the rest of the conversation. To change this, it is best to reply to the review so those who read it get the whole picture. A short, polite and personal response is almost always the best strategy.
There are some common themes to many of the negative reviews customers leave for businesses. For example, they may complain the prices at the clinic are too high. The following is a sample of wording that could form the basis of a good response to a review expressing this concern:
“Dear [name of client]. Thank you for your feedback. We at [name of clinic] strive to provide the highest quality care to our patients, and our prices have to reflect that quality.
“However, we do offer payment plans to try to ease the burden.
“If you’d be willing to give me a call, I’d like to speak with you about your experience.”
Another common negative review follows the death of a pet. During this time, the client is emotional and may be lashing out at his or her vet to apportion blame for his or her pet’s death. A sample response to this could be:
“[Client name]. We were very sorry for your loss, and as pet owners we understand how hard it is to process the loss of a beloved pet.
“If you feel comfortable, I’d appreciate you giving me a call to talk about your experience.”
Again, this response is short, personable and polite without becoming defensive. It is important for business owners to not become entangled in an online power struggle where everyone can see the responses. Even though the client may frequently have his or her facts wrong about the procedures or pricing, telling them they are wrong can come across as an attack on the client.
If the client chooses to respond angrily to the vet’s response, it is recommended the vet should not respond again; the client begins to come across as emotional or unstable, whereas the business maintains its professionalism.
In some instances, review websites will allow the page owner to flag or report a review. The rules on this vary by each site, but in general the page owner can report the review if it is left for the wrong business, if it includes profanity or if it is a personal attack on a staff member.
While flagging these sorts of reviews for removal is a good idea, many sites are stingy about removing reviews, so the business should still take the actions mentioned above.
The last way to combat negative reviews is with statistics. Business owners should ask happy and loyal customers to write reviews about their business. Because the average star rating on a business’s page is an average, the more positive reviews a page gets, the less impact the occasional negative review will have.
While staff at a veterinary practice have no control over what people choose to say about it online, they do have control over their practice and how they respond to any negative reviews.
Ensuring the customer receives good service, is well informed and has other ways to express his or her concerns can prevent negative online reviews.
Responding both offline and online to the customer, as well as getting more positive reviews, helps lessen the impact of a negative review.
By using these strategies, your business can build an online reputation as being professional, well run and compassionate, in turn making you the first choice for prospective clients.
