Being Proactive in Handling Online Reviews!
Thomas F. Dock, BS, CVJ
Managing Editor, Veterinary News Network
Board of Certification, American Society of Veterinary Journalists
I recently took a cross country trip and stayed at a Ramada Inn in the middle of Kansas. Although the price was right, my family's experience here was far from perfect.
So, being the social media guy that I am, I decided to post some reviews of my experience, just to see if I would get any sort of response. I posted my review on Yelp and noted that there were NO other positive reviews of the hotel. To this day, almost 3 weeks later, there has been no official response from Ramada. I also reached out to them via their website, but was amazed to find that your comment was limited to 450 characters!! That limitation did not even begin to give me enough space to address my concerns. As expected, I have yet to receive a response from the chain. Finally, the hotel had virtually NO Facebook presence...I didn't even bother posting, assuming from other posts I have seen that there would be no interaction through this medium.
Do you think that I will EVER recommend this hotel to friends or family?
We have mentioned this before but it is imperative that you find ways to monitor what is being said about you and your business online!
Now that I have reiterated that again, how about some proactive steps for handling reviews?
First, assign someone in your practice to be an official "reviewer". Let them spend an hour a week writing reviews about local businesses in your area. Have them do this from a home computer, mobile device or some other location. Most review sites will favor reviewers who are active on their site and reviewing a multitude of businesses versus the "one-time" review from someone. By allowing an employee to function in this role, you are getting them connected online and decreasing the odds that their reviews will be filtered. Now you have someone with the ability to post an immediate positive note whenever and wherever a client tries to malign you in social media.
On a positive note, this person may also be able to help your friends in the local business community by posting positive reviews!
Next, it is vital that you "claim" your business at the review sites so that you can have a voice.
Again, this is not news to anyone, but have you gone out and done it? Without claiming ownership, it is nearly impossible for your voice to be heard when reviews hit the site. If you are having trouble with this step,
contact us and we will help you.
Is your website "contact us" friendly? I recently saw many veterinary sites that had absolutely NO way for a client to connect with the practice virtually. Take a look at your site and see if your "Contact Us" button is visible and user friendly.
Are you already personally active on the review sites? Let us know so that we can leverage the power of our network here at VNN to help out fellow VNN members when they are facing suspicious or malicious reviews!
Finally, despite what the review sites say, it is NOT wrong to ask satisfied clients to post reviews. Find out if your dog and cat owners are 1) happy with you and 2) if they are avid visitors to review sites like Yelp. Engage them to post reviews for you and help spread the word about your good work!
Until next time...
Tom