Trust is the most crucial factor when it comes to keeping and getting new patients. If someone is already a patient, the amount of trust they put in your practice is determined by the quality of the service they receive.
Good service is what everyone’s expecting. The good news is that we’re not here to tell you the obvious but to provide you with new and innovative ways to grow your practice.
Nowadays, with websites and online platforms, there’s a way to build trust with your patients before treatment or even before any direct contact. You can achieve this by creating a patient testimonials section on your website and social media accounts, allowing you to work as your own reviews page.
A practice without online reviews or testimonials is most likely to seem suspicious to a potential patient. A survey revealed that 72% of consumers would trust online reviews as much as recommendations from friends and family. Therefore, you should take word-of-mouth to another level by posting your patient’s experience on the internet.
How do I get my patients to give me their testimonials?
The first step is to build a friendly relationship with your patients, so when you ask them for their testimonials, they’ll be glad to help. Be honest with them, tell them how useful it would be for you if they would put out a good word on your behalf to contribute to building a trustworthy image for new patients to see.
We recommend creating a simple, yet informative online form where they can share the experience they had with your practice. Try to avoid yes or no questions, you want patients to elaborate on how their visit to your office went.
Have your front desk staff hand over an iPad with the form for them to answer directly at the office. Take advantage of the fact that they’re already there.
If you don’t want to get your staff into the extra hassle you can always create a patient database (including email and phone numbers), to send out automated messages with a direct link to the form. If you give them practicality, they’ll be more willing to help.
If you want to automate your practice, feel free to contact our team for more information.
How should a testimonial look like?
Luckily, as long as you provide the best care for your patients, you’ll naturally garner positive reviews.
Of course, you want them to be positive testimonials, but also, they must seem realistic. Exaggerated testimonials are not likely to be trusted. That’s why creating your form to guide patients on the type of information you want to receive is the best way to achieve positivity and realism at the same time.
Patients aren’t solely focused on the quality of care. Thus, it’s essential to consider a patient’s perspective beyond the doctor’s office. The whole office must have a good appearance and feel, and your staff should be welcoming, or you’ll be risking negative testimonials from patients.
To create the form, focus on three main categories:
- General: Have in mind office appearance, staff friendliness, manners, your staff’s attire, waiting times, etc.
- Quality of care: Consider aspects such as accuracy of diagnosis, communication about treatment, receptiveness to concerns, methods and techniques, time spent during treatment, results, etc.
- Administrative: Ask them about how hard it was to book an appointment, fill in paperwork, etc.
The internet wields a tremendous influence over people’s choices in all areas of their lives, from where to eat, what to wear, where to travel, to where to get care when they are in pain. That’s why as a healthcare professional, you must carefully work on your online image with the same thoughtfulness and intentionality as you take care of your patients. If you need help optimizing your website to showcase your patient’s testimonials or creating a database with their information to send out automated messages, we can help. We’ll set you up with our best practices, automation, and ready-made resources to help you boost your practice!