PRACTICE INSIGHT decision may be based solely on online ratings and reviews. Although online reputation manage-ment creates new challenges for chiro-practic offices, it also provides practices with the opportunity to better inform and guide patient choice. Health care organizations are now managing and promoting their online ratings, reviews and surveys as a way to retain existing patients and acquire new ones. To re-main competitive in the new era of health care consumerism, below are a couple of tips and best practices to help chiropractors manage and enhance their online reputation. Online patient feedback has created a highly competitive landscape where star ratings and reviews on chiropractor online profiles can be a differentiator. The volume of these reviews matter, too. Would you give more con-sideration to a restaurant with 50 reviews or one that has three reviews if they have the same rating? Encouraging patient feedback is crucial for increasing online reviews that can help market your practice and capturing valuable insights to help you understand where you can (or need to) make improvements. To turn intentions into actions, con-sider sending post-appointment fol-low-up emails or text messages, with links to recommended third-party websites and your own site, asking patients to rate and/or review their experience. It’s recommended to send the request soon after their visit. Asking permission to send them a text message or email can help increase response rates among those who opt-in. Some practices even have collateral they pro-vide patients on how to leave a review online. Keeping the frequency of your requests for feedback to no more than once every six months for each patient. Asking them too often can turn them off from providing a review. 1. Increase your online presence EXCELLENCE Your online reputation Improve your practice by following these crucial tips BY AARON CLIFFORD A AARON CLIFFORD is the senior vice-president of marketing at Binary Fountain. 22 Canadian Chiropractor May 2018 www.canadianchiropractor.ca Photo: Fotolia s a chiropractor, you’ve worked tire-lessly to improve your patients’ quality of life and build your practice – and then you get a two-star rating on Google. No one likes a bad review and you don’t want it affecting your business. Patient feedback is changing the business of health care. Patients are spending more and more time online researching practitioners to select the best provider. A recent U.S. national survey conducted by OnePoll and commissioned by Binary Fountain, found that 75 per cent of consumers say online ratings and review sites have influenced their decision when select-ing a provider. For instance, consumers are using patient feedback from rating and review sites like Healthgrades, Vi-tals and Google; social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and hun-dreds of other sources to help select a provider just as they would utilize re-views on TripAdvisor to find the best hotel or restaurant. With the increasing amount of online ratings and reviews posted to third-party rating and review sites and social media, it’s important for chiropractors to be vigilant about monitoring their online reputation. For many prospective patients, their first impression and potentially final 2. Respond to online reviews Responding to both positive and nega-tive reviews is vital for health care prac-tices to showcase that patient experience is a top priority. Engaging with both positive and negative reviews provides practices with the opportunity to spot-light and thank the positive reviews, and conduct appropriate service recovery on
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