From the age and experience of a dentist to a dental practice’s location, patients consider many factors when choosing a dentist. Of all factors, the recommendation of fellow patients is the leading factor for 39.2% of all patients. Four out of ten of your prospective patients value the opinions of and online reviews shared by your current patients. These statistics highlight the importance of gathering and sharing your dental practice’s online reviews.
This article discusses five key statistics that show the impact of online reviews on your dental practice. As you read, you will find out about the different ways prospective patients learn about your dental practice by reading online reviews
Six Statistics That Highlight The Impact Of Online Reviews On Dental Practices
1. 90.4% of patients trust online reviews
It is human nature to seek out the opinions of others when making an important decision. For a long time, word of mouth marketing successfully introduced people to products and services. However, with new communication and sharing technologies, word of mouth marketing now extends beyond friendly in-person gatherings. Today, it includes online reviews shared on review platforms.
Patients rely on online reviews, shared on Google My Business or other dental-related review platforms. Public reviews are useful because any and everyone can see them. You can claim and set up your dental practice’s profile on these platforms. By encouraging your current patients to share their reviews on these platforms, you’re increasing your dental practice’s visibility, boosting your brand awareness, and developing patient trust.
2. 73.6% of people read reviews to learn about the quality of your dental service.
Online reviews are typically a summary of a patient’s experience with a dentist or dental practice. The patient’s experience is a sum of all interactions the patient had with the dentist or practice. Anyone who reads these reviews will put themselves in the original writer’s shoes and identify with their experiences.
As patients read online reviews, they watch for details that give them a glimpse into your dental service. Prospective patients are curious about the measures you take to provide excellent service to your current patients and the process you have to attend to patients.
3. 46.9% of patients read online reviews to learn how you solve your patients’ problems
In addition to using online reviews to learn about your dental service quality, patients use reviews to assess your system for ensuring all patients’ needs and queries are attended to. They want to know if you are an active listener, how you communicate with your patients, and if you’re readily accessible. Essentially, they want to gauge the quality of your relationship with current patients.
The patient-dentist relationship is one that is based on trust, empathy, and willingness to collaborate. Your prospective patients need to know that they can trust you to provide them with the best dental care and be confidential when you need to be. They want to know that you’ll seek their consent before ordering a test or signing off on treatment. Patients will look for hints about these qualities in the online reviews they read.
4. 69% of patients observe the date a review was written
The more recent an online review is, the more accurate and relevant it seems. When reading online reviews, patients pay attention to how recently the review was written. Recent reviews give patients a clearer and better picture of your expertise and quality of service. They reassure prospective patients and encourage them to decide on your practice sooner than later.
Your most recent review shouldn’t have been written over a year ago. A review that is over a year old may not be as impactful as a more recent review. As such, you should have a system in place for requesting, gathering, and sharing reviews. With Connect the Doc’s review tool, you can automatically ask patients for their reviews after each appointment and share them across multiple popular dental-related review platforms.
5. 84.5% of patients believe half of dentist reviews are genuine
No patient should have to make an important decision based on fabricated information. Fake reviews can damage your dental practice’s online reputation. If you find fake reviews on your Google My Business profile or any other review platform, report the review or contact the platform to delete the review. You, or someone on your team, should set assign time to go over your online reviews to respond to patients’ reviews and report fake reviews.
Online Reviews Help Gain Patient Leads
Online reviews have a significant impact on your dental practice’s patient acquisition, online reputation, visibility, lead generation, and ROI. They attract patients to your practice and are essential to building a foundation of trust between you and your prospective patients. With Connect the Doc’s review tool, you can start implementing a tested strategy to gather and share online reviews. Contact a Connect the Doc specialist today to begin leveraging your online reviews.
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