Patient reviews can either make or break a business. Regardless of how great your technology is, how impressive your credentials are, how skilled your staff members are, true reputability comes from great patient reviews. It only takes one rave review to snowball into brand loyalty, repeat visits, multiple referrals, booked appointments and increased profits.
Although asking for reviews can feel awkward, it’s essential for the success of any aesthetic business, medical spa, laser clinic, or physician’s office. And it’s much easier to do once you’ve made a game plan. Keep reading to learn different ways to ask for a patient review and the best time to ask.
Start with Your Most Loyal Patients
When it comes to asking for patient reviews, it’s best to start with customers who have built a relationship with you. It doesn’t make sense to ask a first time client or someone coming in for an initial consultation to leave a review about your business. Instead, target patients and customers who show brand loyalty, never miss an appointment, invest in multiple services, and who trust you and your staff. These clients are more likely to refer friends and family to your business because they trust you and your technology and have experienced great results at your practice.
If you’re a new business that’s just starting, wait until the third or fourth treatment to ask for a review. Again, try to build rapport and a relationship with your patients before squeezing out a review from them. Once you’ve established trust with a client, then you can ask for a review.
Ask for a Review at Checkout or the End of a Treatment
Another great time to ask for a review is when you’re wrapping up a treatment or scheduling a patient’s next appointment at checkout. A client is more likely to leave a nice review immediately after receiving a positive treatment experience, and even more so while they’re still in your practice.
Think back to the last time you ate at a restaurant, and the cashier flipped their iPad around and asked you to leave a tip. You probably felt more inclined to leave a bigger tip if the food and service were good and if the cashier was kind and friendly. Aesthetic practices can play out a similar scenario when asking for patient reviews. Have your friendly and knowledgeable laser practitioner ask the client to write a quick review or leave a positive rating while applying aftercare following a treatment. Receptionists can also ask patients if they enjoyed their treatment, and if the answer is yes, leave a review while they schedule their next appointment.
Include Review Links in Email Campaigns and Text Reminders
Keeping in constant communication with patients outside of your practice is crucial for building a relationship and trust. While email campaigns and text reminders are primarily used to inform clients about the latest company updates or remind them about upcoming appointments, they’re also great opportunities to ask for reviews.
To make things easier, embed links to your social review profiles like Google My Business, Facebook, RealSelf, and Yelp at the end of every automated message you send. And it should go without saying that your website should also have those social links listed and easily findable.
While you’re at it, display your social review profiles in your waiting room and treatment rooms. A quick and easy way to direct people to your profiles is by creating and promoting a QR code that takes patients directly to your review page after scanning.
Be Personal
Another great tip for receiving reviews is by being personal with every client. Again, positive reviews stem from a variety of things, especially exceptional customer service. Small things like remembering a patient’s birthday or a story they shared with a staff member can go a long way. If a laser technician has formed close relationships with a handful of clients, have them request a personal review about their experience. Even if it’s about a single staff member, a positive review is a positive review and reflects your business well.
Offer Incentives
One of the best ways to get a review or referral is by offering incentives. No patient or customer can pass up a good prize or discount. If all it takes is writing a review to get one, your clients will likely take advantage of this simple task to receive a reward. Incentives don’t have to be crazy or elaborate, but they can be creative. You could reward new reviewers with a $10 Starbucks gift card or create a grand prize raffle drawing with the reviewers’ names every month or quarter.
You can also include staff members in the incentive program by rewarding them for every online review they get from their patients. That’s a win-win-win situation!
Now that you know how and when to ask for patient reviews, set some review goals for you and your staff members to hit every week. Goals will keep you motivated and also give you something to work towards. Furthermore, be mindful of the feedback you’re getting and use the patient reviews to maintain or improve your business’ success. Never let the fear of burdening your patients stand in the way of your success. If you want to grow your business and your patient reviews, ask for reviews often!
To learn more about earning patient reviews and improving your clinic’s marketing, click here or below to watch the free pre-recorded, webinar, “10 Marketing Tips for Your Aesthetic Business”!
