How to Ask for Great Dental Patient Reviews

It’s nice when people say nice things about you. The problem is, sometimes they don’t tell you what they think unless you ask. And those nice things (like reviews) can have a huge impact on your dental website SEO.

If you have trouble asking for patient reviews, we have some tips to go about doing it the right way, so you’ll get more reviews, and better ones at that.

Ask the right people.

It goes without saying that you’ll get the best reviews from your happiest patients. While you can’t do anything to discourage or prevent dissatisfied people from expressing their opinions on public review sites like Yelp or Google, you can actively encourage those who will say positive things about you.

Have your team help compile a list of your best and happiest patients, then keep track of whether or not they have ever provided you with a review or testimonial.

Ask at the best time.

The best reviews follow the moments when patients have the best experiences at your office. The very first visit by a new dental patient is often your best opportunity to create a positive impression and make their previous experiences at other offices pale in comparison.

Asking them on the spot for a review (better yet, a video testimonial) is your best chance to get their cooperation. Once they leave the office, your odds of collecting a review will decrease greatly, but at least make sure they walk out the door with easy instructions for leaving a review on your website or Facebook page.

Ask them more than once.

Even if your first opportunity slips by, it doesn’t hurt to ask again (and again) for reviews from your patients. Email and text messages are great ways to follow up without being too pushy. If you’re sending personal emails, include a reminder of why their most recent appointment was such a great experience. If you’re seeking reviews on a larger scale and sending automated emails, your messaging will need to be less specific, but should still remind them how much you would appreciate their opinion. Either way, include links to the web page, social media, or review site where you’d most like them to post their review.

Ask great questions.

When you do get your chance to collect that perfect review, use open ended questions to help guide your patient to give a response that is more detailed than just “Dr. Jones is the best.” Suggest that they describe their experience at your office, what impressed them, why they chose your office, or why they would recommend your office to their friends.

Ask how you can be better.

The biggest key to getting great reviews is being the best you can be and consistently exceeding the expectations of your patients. Positive reviews can reinforce things you already knew you were doing well, but bad reviews can be red flags for things you’ll need to fix. If you do receive negative feedback, reach out to the patient and have a conversation about what went wrong. It can be even more valuable than positive feedback.

Be prepared for bad reviews.

If you do get a bad review, do you know how to deal with it effectively? Download a FREE copy of our guide, Responding to a Bad Review.