The negative feedback is one of the harmful things that can seriously damage your practice’s online reputation. The effect of this can have a big impact on your bottom line. Patients who see negative reviews on sites like Google and Facebook are often urged to look elsewhere for their healthcare needs. In this guide, you will know why it’s important to respond to bad reviews and share some Examples of negative reviews.
Three tips for responding to negative reviews:
Here are some tips to keep in mind whenever you respond to a negative review.
Apologize:
Apologize to the patient for the negative experience, although these claims are not true. Show empathy to show patients you care about everyone who walks through the door.
Emphasize your commitment to great service:
It is important to inform potential patients that this one-time experience is not representative of the services you would typically provide; say something like, “We strive to provide the best possible service to all of our patients.”
Chat offline:
Handling unhappy patients is usually handled non-publicly. You can leave a phone number or email address where patients can contact you.
Examples of Negative Comments:
Let’s look at different Examples of negative reviews. They are given by,
Patient vs Dr David Kim (Plastic Surgeon):
In this example, the patient accused Dr Kim of collecting paid reviews and attempting multiple surgeries on his patients to earn more money and even deliberately failing the first surgery, Dr Kim uses a genuine response method that is not easy! See how Dr Kim calls for the humanity of business to listen to the patient. I am truly sorry that this patient feels this way below. He approaches each topic the review presents and makes a real effort to try to clear up any confusion where he can.
Patient with Dr William K. (dermatologist):
After giving it a 2-star rating, patients accused Dr Kwan of fooling patients with his spaceship-like, lavish and overpriced clinic. Watch the clinic office manager’s response to seeing how she calmly handled the criticism by avoiding direct arguments. This is the opposite of what Dr Kim mentioned above. For this type of response strategy, you are responsive but still keep it professional and short. This is a great example of a negative opinion that is more opinion than fact.
Patient vs Dr Gray (plastic surgeon):
The patient is angry with Dr Gray for not respecting his time and showing up late to every appointment. Read the Dr Gray’s measurable response, complete with a short, sweet apology, especially when applied to patient care. But in this situation, it’s perfect while responding to negative reviews to deal with any situation coming in and learn from it. Always get positive reviews from your patients to check your online reputation.
Patient with Dr Sherry S. (Dentist):
This review is not entirely negative; however, it was nice to see how Dr Shieh responded in a concise manner by keeping her tone neutral and understanding her issues with patients. She views the reviews objectively from the patient’s point of view. Many patients prefer to look at three or 4-star reviews because they are more honest when you reply. Show that you are actively caring for patients, even if it’s for a short time.
How to identify spam or fake reviews?
Sometimes you may get reviews from people who are not really patients. It could be one of the following instead.
- Confused people and left comments for incorrect practices.
- Angry former employee
- Dirty competitors
View a reviewer’s profile to see if you are dealing with a fake reviewer and here are some signs to look out for.
- Repeated language
- A large number of reviews in a short period of time.
- The reviews are posted in totally different areas.
If you believe you are dealing with fake reviews, please report Most of the major review sites provide you with this option.
It’s important to remember that the moderation process can take some time, but there are steps you can take right away. Make sure you provide answers that tell a story from your side so as not to misunderstand the patient, No matter how unfair the review is. Do not forget to maintain etiquette because you still represent your business.
If you believe you are dealing with fake reviews, please report Most of the major review sites provide you with this option. Sometimes you may get reviews from people who are not really patients. It could be one of the following instead, Confused people and left comments for incorrect practices.
It is important to remember that the moderation process can take some time but there are steps you can take right away. Make sure you provide answers that tell a story from your side so as not to misunderstand the patient, No matter how unfair the review is. Do not forget to maintain etiquette because you still represent your business.
