Orthotown November 2020 - 55

STEPS FOR
RESPONDING
TO THE REVIEW
After determining who will respond,
when to reply and whether the review violates
platform guidelines, it's time to create the
response by following a few best practices.

Don't make it personal.
A common trait among great review
responses is that they don't take a personal
tone. The entire reply should contain human
elements but should not in any way contain
emotional language that attacks the reviewer
personally.
Keeping a diplomatic and professional,
yet human, tone throughout the reply is an
essential component for writing something
that resonates well with future readers.

Begin the response by saying
"thank you" or "I'm sorry."
The reply should begin with "Thank
you" or "I'm sorry," depending on the
context. Specifically, the opening line in a
"thank you" scenario could be something
like, "Thank you for raising your concerns
regarding (insert theme here)." The "I'm
sorry" version may begin with, "I'm sorry to
hear about the trouble you had with (insert
the theme, product, etc., here)."
Right about now, some of you are
thinking: Isn't apologizing or thanking a
person for a negative review the equivalent
of admitting guilt? It's not!
Current and prospective patients want
their orthodontic provider to act like a
human being. By beginning the reply to a
negative review with an empathetic tone,
the responder is acknowledging awareness
of the reviewer's concerns. That's a more
productive and positive way to begin than
immediately dismissing them.

Reading a humanized first line can
help reduce lingering emotions like anger
or frustration from a reviewer, or from
patients and prospective patients after first
reading the review. By quickly diffusing the
tension brought by the negative review, the
responder opens the audience up to fairly
listening to the other side of the story, which
is precisely the desired mindset.

short enough that every person who comes
across it can quickly digest its contents. Being
concise will ensure maximum awareness and
readership. If a response can be limited to
a few sentences, its impact will be greater
than a long, drawn-out reply.

End with an offline call to action.

Use facts or documented
info as applicable.

With a negative review, the last thing an
orthodontic practice wants to do is engage
in a long back-and-forth communication
thread within the public eye.
Whether the practice is familiar with the
reviewer's concerns or they're not apparent
at all, the best course of action is to try to
extend the conversation offline. It's OK to
not offer up a resolution within the review's
response. Often, issues that arise are complex
in nature and cannot be addressed within
a few short sentences.
Ending with "I will be reaching out to
you personally in the near future" or "Please
reach out to me at your earliest convenience"
gives both the practice and the reviewer a
window to elaborate on the situation and
work toward an amicable resolution.

People are more inclined to believe
statistics or documented information than
someone's word. That's why using documented information like emails, phone
calls, dates and times can be very helpful in
explaining why or how a situation occurred
from the orthodontic practice's perspective.
Taking a facts-based approach leaves
a much more powerful impression than
sprinkling in statements of opinion.

By following these recommended steps
closely, the responder can set up an effective
response and carefully optimize the reply
effort so that it's perceived in the best possible
light by future readers.
Most importantly, never let emotions
and opinions drive the reply. Be humble
and empathetic, and stick to documented
information as much as possible. ■

Respond to the individual
points of the comment. 
After the empathetic beginning, the
body of the response must respond to the
individual points noted in the review. Canned
or generic answers won't resonate with the
target audience.
That's why carefully reading the points
made and crafting in a response to each
one is important. Careful attention to
detail shows that the responder is paying
attention and taking all of the reviewer's
concerns seriously.

The response should be short.
On the internet, people scan rather than
read. A response to a negative review must be

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Orthotown November 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown November 2020
