How do you get better online reviews if you own an urgent care, doctors office, dental office, or another type of medical office? Communication, environment, and a genuine vested interest in visitor experience are big factors. This article will explore some of the ways you can improve your chances of your urgent care, dentist office, or medical office getting good online reviews. But if you want an easy way to improve your reviews right off the bat, using the right waiting room TV software helps.

Understanding Bad Online Reviews

Online reviews can generate a lot of business if they’re good, but can scare away new visitors if they’re bad. Urgent cares, dentists, and doctors offices in general are especially at risk for bad, or negative reviews. But why?

There are a few reasons. Most likely, it’s because the patient isn’t thrilled to be there in the first place. How many people look forward to cramming in a dentist appointment early in the morning before work, or want to cancel plans with friends to schedule a doctor’s appointment in the late afternoon? Probably not many. And in many cases people visit the doctor because there is something wrong or that they are worried about. So it goes without saying that some of your patients might already be in a bad mood when they arrive at your office. This isn’t your fault. But your medical office could still pay the price.

While their mood coming in is something you can’t prevent, there are ways you can make them feel better (and at least not worse). Whether it’s a mishap, a payment glitch, or a staff comment taken the wrong way; that patient could become so frustrated that writing a negative review is the only thing that will make them feel better. People write these revenge reviews all the time. And it’s human nature to complain about bad service more than we celebrate the good. The kicker? These online reviews usually have nothing to do with the quality of the treatment itself!

People who are bored or anxious often try and find something to do to keep their minds off things. Without a something like a radio, magazine, or waiting room television to keep them occupied, they might start to dwell on how long they’ve been waiting. They start noticing things like a stain on the carpet or ceiling, a tiny tear in the leather cushion of a chair, a chip in the drywall, or even dust on the plastic plant – small things that add up.

Waiting rooms aren’t an exact science. However, the recipe for better patient experience boils down to a few simple ingredients.

The Ingredients to Better Patient Experience and Positive Online Reviews:

1. Read Your Reviews: Know what patients are saying about your medical office. Try Googling your office and reading the comments. Check out Yelp, Healthgrades, or any of those online review websites. See what’s being said, and identify what might need improvement.

2. Comment & Communicate: Reading what people are saying about your office isn’t enough – it’s important to reply to comments about your medical office. Comments aren’t always accurate, or true, so these are definitely ones you want to address. In the case where it is true, your best bet is to express your sincere apologies that they had a bad experience, and show that you’re keen on addressing the issue so that it doesn’t happen again. Dedicating a little time each week to address these sorts of reviews can go a long way. If readers can see that a bad review was acknowledged, it demonstrates that your office is actually interested in what they have to say – which might make them feel better about that review and give you a chance.

3. 96% of Reviews Aren’t Related to Treatment:  This was briefly touched on earlier in the article – and it’s true; the majority of negative reviews have nothing to do with the treatment a patient receives. The most common complaints tend to be environment related. Look up any medical office on Yelp and you’ll most often see complaints about having to sit next to a “blaring TV,” listen to news that was depressing, watch boring waiting room videos, or be stuck on channels they weren’t allowed to change. Nevermind how kind and dedicated your staff is, or how skilled your specialists are; “I didn’t like the waiting room.” Fortunately, as far as problems go these ones that center around what’s playing on the television are fairly easy to address. And they do need to be addressed.

4. Enhance Your Waiting Room: Making sure your waiting room is neat, tidy, and pleasing to all 5 senses is key if you want to avoid being part of that 96%. If you’re stumped on how to go about doing that, the article “Top 5 Ways to Enhance Your Business Environment” is a good place to start. Whether you’re an urgent care, dentist office, specialist, or a hospital; your goal is a waiting room that is comfortable for visitors. The most effective way to spruce up a waiting room and make it comfortable for patients is through the TV. Waiting room television is a great way to reduce stress and anxiety in patients – as long as it’s not cable. Luckily, there’s plenty of waiting room TV software out there for medical offices to choose from. Successful medical office waiting rooms find a solution that entertains and educates their patients at the same time.

5. Encourage Feedback in a Private Setting: Ask your patients to share their feelings about their visit, or give them a way to leave feedback with you directly instead of online. Some medical offices hang posters with a number you can call if there was a problem; others advertise an email address dedicated to patient experience. These can be effective, but the trick is getting patients to notice there’s a number or email to begin with. People don’t always notice a poster. Putting this messaging on a TV in a creative way can be much more effective.

Using TV Software to Improve Your Medical Office’s Online Reviews:

Having a well thought out custom TV network is one of the best ways to improve patient experience. When you improve patient experience, you’re decreasing the chance someone is going to leave a bad review, and increasing the chance of them saying something nice about their visit. But what’s the right TV software for a medical office waiting room?

TV packages for waiting rooms often run the risk of being just a playlist, or only feature medical content. Neither of these are effective.

Your patients don’t want to watch the same thing on repeat, and really don’t want to see just medical/dental content.

Urgent care TV, dental TV, and hospital TV don’t have to be medical-related just because they’re in the medical industry; the TV is for the patients. Videos of clogged arteries and rotten teeth will not reduce patient stress. Medical office signage is most effective when there’s a mix of entertaining and medical-related content blended together.

That’s what It’s Relevant TV does best.

An easy to control waiting room TV platform that lets you take control of your TV; taking the best aspects of TV and digital signage, and mixing them together. Medical videos you want patients to see are played in between content they’ll enjoy. It’s Relevant provides content that will patients looking at the TV, as well as your messaging. The TV is one of the most focal elements of your patients’ experiences. What patients are watching inevitably affects the way they feel in your office.

Thoughtful waiting room TV can go a long way in the battle against bad online reviews. Doctors offices and dental offices that utilize It’s Relevant TV are able to provide easy feedback channels for patients to share their feelings privately. If you’re looking for a better way to improve patient experience and get patient feedback, take a look at: It’s Relevant TV.