Used to be that a poorly prepared meal, an inept roof repair or an arrogant doctor produced negative word of mouth only amongst the small circle of friends of the dissatisfied recipient. Those days are gone.
With the advent of Yelp, Google, Trip Advisor, Zagat, Angie’s List and dozens of other niche review sites, a misunderstanding or unmet expectation of a patient can tag your practice with “avoid-this-doctor-mojo” that can last, well, forever. This has even spawned a new industry called “online reputation management.”
Before you hire a consultant, there are some steps you can take to prevent your reputation from being besmirched by an unsatisfied or uninformed patient.
1. Fight Fire With Fire. When patients gush about their success with your chiropractic care, besides getting a video testimonial for your website (where permitted), encourage the patient to submit an online review with Yelp or Google. (You might even have some special business cards printed that describe how to submit a review.)
2. Set Up a Google Alert. Set up a Google Alert to send you an email whenever you or your practice name is mentioned on the Internet. If it’s a review site, most allow the service provider an opportunity to respond and make things right. Set up a Google Alert here.
Welcome to practicing chiropractic in the new millennium!