Case Study: Patient-Centric Feedback – How a Dental Clinic Improved Its Ratings and Retention
- Industry: Healthcare
- Feature Used: SMS Reviews, Private Feedback
Introduction
A well-established dental clinic, known for its quality care, began noticing a decline in patient retention and new appointment bookings. Despite providing excellent dental services, the clinic’s online reviews did not accurately reflect the positive experiences of the majority of their patients. With a Google rating of 3.9 stars, potential patients were choosing higher-rated competitors, affecting the clinic’s growth and reputation.
The clinic owners recognized that their problem wasn’t service quality—it was the lack of positive online reviews. To address this, they turned to Feedback-Guru to enhance their reputation and retain patients.
The Challenge
The dental clinic faced two primary challenges:
- Underrepresentation of Positive Feedback: Happy patients were not taking the time to leave reviews, while a few dissatisfied patients posted negative feedback, impacting the clinic’s overall rating.
- Decreased Patient Retention: The clinic noticed a trend of patients not returning for follow-up visits, possibly due to small service hiccups that were not being addressed before they became larger issues.
The clinic needed a solution to capture patient feedback early, resolve any concerns privately, and encourage satisfied patients to leave public reviews.
The Solution
Using Feedback-Guru’s SMS Reviews and Private Feedback features, the clinic implemented a patient-centered feedback system:
- Collecting Private Feedback: After every patient visit, the clinic used Feedback-Guru’s SMS feature to send a feedback request. Patients could privately share their thoughts on their experience, helping the clinic identify any issues in real-time.
- Resolving Issues Privately: Any negative feedback received through the private system was handled immediately. The clinic followed up with patients to resolve concerns about their appointments, ensuring those issues didn’t escalate to public complaints.
- Encouraging Positive Reviews: For patients who provided positive feedback, Feedback-Guru directed them to the clinic’s Google Business profile. The simplicity of the SMS system made it easy for satisfied patients to leave glowing reviews, boosting the clinic’s online reputation.
The Results
Over the course of six months, the dental clinic experienced significant improvements:
- Increased Google Rating: The clinic’s average rating rose from 3.9 stars to 4.6 stars as more positive reviews were posted, reflecting the clinic’s true patient satisfaction.
- Higher Patient Retention: By addressing patient concerns quickly through private feedback, the clinic saw a 15% increase in patient retention, as more patients returned for follow-up visits after their concerns were resolved.
- More New Patients: The higher Google rating improved the clinic’s visibility in local searches, leading to a 25% increase in new patient appointments. Potential patients were more likely to trust a clinic with higher ratings and more positive reviews.
Testimonial
"We always knew our patients were satisfied, but it was hard to get them to leave reviews. Feedback-Guru made it easy to capture their feedback right after their appointment, and the SMS feature is so convenient. Now, our reviews reflect the care we provide, and we’ve seen a big improvement in patient retention."
Conclusion
By using Feedback-Guru to gather patient feedback privately and encourage positive reviews, this dental clinic was able to improve its online reputation, increase patient retention, and attract more new patients. Their story highlights how effective reputation management can help healthcare providers thrive in today’s competitive market.
Want to improve your clinic’s online ratings and keep your patients coming back?