Bad Google Review - ChiroSecure

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Hey, greetings friends and colleagues. It’s the summertime. It’s time to understand what’s going on, what’s changing. ChiroSecure, of course, HJ Ross, we’re all here to be helpful, make sure your practice continues to thrive. But one of the big questions I’ve been getting from network members especially, so network members pay attention, what do I need to do if I get a bad review online?

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So let’s talk about this. Let’s go to the slides. Let’s talk about what happens if you get a bad Google review. What should I do? The first thing is be calm. Don’t get overly angry. I think obviously there’s a lot of frustration. I think also it’s maybe you feel your integrity. So when someone makes a less than flattering statement, complaint, or review on an online platform, have a moment of zen.

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Take a moment to breathe and understand where it’s coming from. Because when you respond with any anger or frothiness, it’s definitely gonna make you appear to be bad. And you have to be careful because often you have to understand, what is that person attempting to accomplish? What is their deal? Let’s get into a couple of things.

When it comes to this, you’ve got to be really careful. We are not a restaurant or a car wash. You have to be careful how you respond. Why? HIPAA. It’s privacy issues. So even if the patient publicly identifies themselves and discusses treatment, never ever acknowledge that they’re a patient. I know you’re gonna go, “What?”

No, you’re just gonna be very careful. I don’t care what they’ve done, you’re not gonna further it because it’s our responsibility. Don’t discuss anything about the diagnosis, the treatment, appointments, billings, outcomes, nothing. So in other words, you’re thinking Sam, I can’t respond at all.” You can, but be careful because you want to make sure that if there’s something there that is factually incorrect even, you have to be careful.

Will that help to reveal protected health information? So always think first, protected health information, because you may have a bigger violation of that than just a bad review. But I understand how we’re feeling. Here’s what not to do. Don’t engage in an argument They’re going to be wanting a response or a fight.

Often they’re just blowing off steam. So you might wanna sit and take a breath and not do anything, but trust me, once you start in, it’s just gonna further them. So a response in that way is gonna make them even want to respond further. For me, it’s always been about a good best practice, bury it with good reviews.

Encourage patients to make reviews, and aid the patients in making it easy. QR codes and easy links to do it right there. “Here, go on, just give us a quick 5-star.” ‘Cause if I’ve got 30 reviews and 1 is bad and it’s buried in there, whoop-dee-doo. No one has it perfect. I’ve been in Uber rides and other things, the car is fantastic, and it’s still got a 4.9.

I’m thinking, “What was that person’s complaint?” So be careful of thinking you have to respond in a way to every single thing in a big manner, because often all you’re gonna do is fester it, and it brings it up more. Bury it with other responses. Think of how many patients love you, adore you, have gotten good outcomes.

Encourage them to make a review. Not all the time, of course, but periodically, and particularly if you get a bad review, let’s bury it. Maybe encourage staff to do the same thing. But if you’re gonna respond, make it a response of burying it. But think of if the review is just negative but not defamatory, sometimes maybe not responding at all, just let it go, may be the best response.

Don’t fester it. The reviewer comes off angry, and if they are, it’s only gonna fester. They’re gonna have to answer it. They’re gonna always want to rebut. Remember, people love to rebut and argue, particularly online, because everyone now is a keyboard warrior. A response may draw more attention because now that criticism continues to fester.

The issue could also be addressed privately. So maybe one of the things to do is to say, “We are taking time to understand that you had something that was less than what was satisfactory to you. We will contact you to make sure we can resolve this.” Something of that nature. It’s showing that you’ve made a response.

Realize prop- prospective patients are more influenced by the pattern of reviews than a single negative review. I don’t go to a restaurant based on one good review, but certainly never on one bad review. You always have to understand what a person is doing. I went once to a restaurant. The online reviews, a few of them are like, “It was crowded.

I had to wait a long time.” That’s because the food is good. So be careful, okay? More so get the good reviews in, frankly, and never argue or be defensive. Always think of, “How do I deescalate this?” Because often that’s what someone is looking to do. Can you show them that you’re responding to it? So if you choose to respond, first things first, take a breath.

I get it. We’ve all been there, where someone reviews something for me, then you think, “Oh…” Be careful. Take a breath Keep the response brief, professional, and frankly, generic. Don’t get into anything specific about that patient. It could be disclosing information. Being calm and generic will reflect well on you, as potential patients can see that the office remains professional, even when you’re criticized.

Think, have you ever seen someone when they’re being bullied, if you will, but then they can remain calm? They actually come off better. So I think often that’s how you wanna think of how do people perceive you when you do get a response often is, “Wow, that person responded so well.” Do keep in mind, obviously, if there’s false statements, if the review is demonstrably false, I’m gonna tell you, preserve a screenshot of it.

‘Cause it, ’cause obviously they could go back later and delete it. Okay? What are the platform policies? Realize most policies, they’re not gonna remove anything. They really aren’t, and it’s probably not worth all the acrimony of doing that, ’cause if you do, then that’s gonna create something even more on the other side.

Again, more I’d say bury it. Consult legal counsel. If you’re thinking, “That’s false, I’m gonna sue,” please be careful

An attorney, and let me preface this, both my son and daughter are attorneys. They never ask a question they don’t already know the answer to whenever they’re in court. So before you threaten legal action, make sure you have legal action you can threaten. So if you’re going to make a statement that you’re gonna bring legal action, you better check to make sure that you can.

So my suggestion is, without legal counsel on any of that statement, do not state that. Do make sure that your staff is trained. Should staff be helpful in this? Sure. They can encourage patients to make reviews. They have, often have a nice rapport with them. But remember, have a written policy. Who can respond to online reviews?

Okay. It doesn’t necessarily have to be the doctor, but if you’re designating someone, make sure it’s trustworthy. Make sure that no employee discloses patient information online in any way. As nice as they may be thinking this is to respond, it may not be the smartest thing. Make sure the responses are approved.

Anything, you wanna look at it first before you hit the send button, because remember, once it’s sent, there’s no coming back. They don’t allow you to necessarily remove it. And then always have a rule that when should we, have legal counsel? Maybe you’re gonna have something maybe even with your malpractice carrier.

Should you reach out to them to see, “Is there something I should be doing?” What I’m gonna suggest is be careful of often taking it overly personally. Always think of, what is the agenda this person has? What are they trying to accomplish? What are they also angry about? ‘Cause I don’t certainly think it’s something of that nature that you couldn’t deescalate.

Responding to a b- a bad review requires a calm, but prompt and professional approach. Statistically, I’ve seen reviews that shows that most people that see that you respond within 24 to 48 hours is generally when they think well of your office. Remember, your primary goal is not to argue, but to show potential customers that you’re intentive, empathetic, and committed.

Focus on commitment to service and next steps. So if you have something, tell them, “Oh, we are sorry that you had a bad experience. Please contact us, and we see what we can resolve to make sure that you have a better experience.” Sometimes that may not be possible. The person could just be completely off the hinge.

Better again to deescalate. As always, with H.J. Ross, platinum members, please reach out to me. Let’s discuss this. We have some compliance protocols there. If you’re not a member, think about joining. We’re gonna be helpful to you. But again, I want everyone, be successful. Understand that a review is not the end of the world