Sending review requests is a great way to start collecting authentic patient feedback and getting discovered in search results. In this guide, we’ll break down what dental offices need to know about how to send review requests. Here’s what you’ll find in this article.

Why Reviews Matter

Reviews are important because they provide your practice with three things- visibility, credibility, and social proof. Let’s talk about each one.  

  • Visibility 

One of the biggest factors in determining your search ranking is your customer reviews. So it’s simple: the better your practice’s reviews, the more visibility you’ll have on Google. 

  • Credibility 

The more reviews your practice has, the more credibility you have. After all, every patient is looking for someone they can trust with a vital part of their health. If you don’t have any reviews, chances are that the patient is going to have a lot of trouble trusting you. 

  • Social Proof 

Remember, potential patients are looking for social proof. Every practice can claim that they’re the best in the area. But if you have hundreds of patients telling the world that you’re a great dentist, you don’t have to say a thing. 

More reviews
More revenue

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Why Google Reviews are Crucial

Reviews from all over the Internet matter. Still, Google reviews are the most important. We found that in 2018, more reviews were posted on Google than were posted on any other platform. 

So why do people care so much about Google reviews? It’s simple: Google reviews have more visibility than reviews posted on any other site. When a potential patient does a search for your practice, Google reviews is one of the first things that they’ll see. 

That’s why it’s important to claim your Google My Business profile if you haven’t done so already. Once you claim your profile, it’ll be easier for patients to discover your practice on Google and leave a review. Here’s a quick how-to. 

How to Claim Your Google My Business Profile 

Step 1: Find Your Google My Business Profile

Chances are that if you have an existing practice, all you have to do is Google the name of your practice and the city you’re located in. You’ll see your business’s Google My Business profile on the right side of your screen. To get the claim process started, click the button that says “Own this Business?” 

Find Your Google My Business Profile

Step 2: Verify Your Information

Google will ask you to verify your information to make sure that you’re actually the practice owner. Most of the time, Google will mail a postcard with your PIN code to the listed address. 

Once you’ve received your PIN code, you’ll be able to verify your information. It typically takes around 2-3 weeks for the postcard to ship. After you’ve verified your code, you’ll be able to edit and make changes to your Google My Business profile. 

How to Get Patients to Leave Reviews

First Things First: Don’t Buy Reviews 

Before we talk about what you should do, here’s what you shouldn’t do under any circumstances: buy reviews. Remember, reviews are a great way to build credibility for your business. When you buy reviews, you lose patient credibility. After all, it isn’t hard to tell when your reviews are purchased. When patients suspect that you’ve purchased your reviews or resorted to some other backhanded tactic, they won’t trust you. 

Of course, patient opinion isn’t the only thing that you’re risking.  If Google finds out that you’ve been buying reviews, your business will take a big hit in search ranking. So if you do get caught buying reviews you’re risking both your credibility and visibility. 

Keep in mind, the best strategy to be the best practice in your area is collecting authentic patient reviews. Let’s talk about how you can do that. 

How to Send Review Requests to Patients 

So how can you start sending high-converting review requests to your patients? Here are a few tips to get you started. 

  1. Send Review Requests via text and email. The best way to send review requests is via text and email. It’s simple psychology: the easier the process is for your patient, the more likely it is that they’ll actually do it. When you send a direct link, all they have to do is click. There’s no need to go and search for your practice’s profile. The process is simple and easy. 
  2. Claim Your Google My Business Shortlink Again: Google is the biggest review sites on the Internet, so you’re going to want to send your patients to your Google profile. Luckily, Google recently introduced a way to share links to your Google My Business profile easier than ever. Now, businesses can create short links- customizable links to your business that take this form. 

    Here’s a guide to claiming your Google My Business short link.  
  3. Send Review Requests to All Your Patients Make sure you ask all your patients for reviews – every one of them. More reviews are always better. If you’re sending out review requests selectively, chances are that you’re missing some of your satisfied patients.
    Some dentists are afraid of getting bad reviews. While it does feel disappointing, don’t stress out if this happens. While it can feel like a gut punch to get a bad review when you work to provide the best services, they can actually help you with credibility. A few bad reviews show your patients that all of your reviews are authentic. 

Review Request Templates for Dental 

Remember, the secret to sending a strong review request is keeping the message short and simple. Your patients don’t like reading long texts and emails any more than you do. Here are a couple of review request templates that you can use to send to patients. 

“[Patient Name], thank you for choosing (Practice Name). Please provide your feedback by clicking the link below.”

“Thanks for coming in to (Practice Name) today. We hope you enjoyed your experience. Click the link below to give feedback.” 

Consider a Review Software 

If you want to collect more authentic patient reviews, consider a online review management software, because manually sending review requests at the end of each working day is time-consuming. With an all-in-one platform like Birdeye, you can get new reviews without having to lift a finger. 

With Birdeye, you can send reviews to your patients automatically. Birdeye offers seamless integrations with practice management systems like Eaglesoft, Dentrix, Open Dental, NextGen, and Nextech so you can manage your review management in one place. These integrations have many benefits, here are just a few.

  • Send out customer survey requests to get in-depth patient feedback via email and SMS automatically
  • Acquire fresh reviews on dentist review sites such as Healthgrades, Facebook, and Google
  • Get alerted about each incoming review via email and SMS
  • Respond to reviews using auto-response templates and rules and manage patient loyalty

Don’t spend time typing your review requests to all of your patients. Use Birdeye to get more authentic reviews and collect visibility, credibility, and social proof. 

Try Birdeye, the #1 Review Software 

Get started today by collecting and leveraging patient reviews with Birdeye. Birdeye has been named the #1 online reputation management software by G2 Crowd, based on the data from hundreds of customer reviews.