Facebook Reviews: The Good and The Bad

As a business owner, you no doubt understand the value of customer feedback. With the help of social media, patients can easily leave a review about any type of product, service or website with the click of a few buttons. While every business owner hopes to receive nothing but positive reviews, the reality is you may need to deal with a few less-than-satisfied patients from time to time. Today, we’re diving into how to respond to both negative and positive Facebook reviews in a way that will keep your patients happy and your online reputation in tact!

When searching for a service, potential patients will likely turn to reviews to decide whether or not they want to patronize your practice. People like to share their experience (especially negative ones) online and that’s why these impressions are so important! The important thing to remember is that any review, whether it’s negative or positive, deserves a response.

So, let’s just get the bad part out of the way: the dreaded negative reviews. The good news is that with an appropriate response, you can turn a negative situation into a positive one. Your first instinct might be to panic or send back a defensive reply but the main objective here is to remain transparent, positive and apologetic. Even if your customer doesn’t end up returning to your practice, or remains upset, you’re showing potential patients that you are honest and will handle any potential problems head on. Here are a few simple steps you can take when responding to a negative review:

1. Acknowledge the patient’s complaint: calmly let them know you are aware of their concern and are working on a solution to fix it (if applicable).
2. Offer an apology and thank them for the feedback.
3. Explain why the error was made but focus on providing them with the solution.
4. If needed, offer a discount or perk next time they visit to correct the issue.

Responding to a positive Facebook review is just as important. A response to a good review not only lets your patients know you value their experience with you, it also boosts your online image It could even inspire other satisfied patients to leave a glowing review, which can really help drive traffic to your business! A few key things to remember:

1. Thank them for the review and for being a great patient.
2. Use your practice name and keywords in your response. You’ll want the positive review to show up when people search for your practice.
3. Optional: ask them to share their positive experience with their friends and/or encourage them to connect with your social media.

Reviews are open to the public and your goal is for patients to view your practice as a business they can trust.. As long as you respond and consistently work to make your patients happy, you’re doing the right thing!

—Caity McCarthy, Social Media Specialist, Sesame Communications