How dentists can use complaints to bolster their brand

Social media has changed how many dentists interact with their patients. Traditionally, word-of-mouth was a powerful referral tool for dental practices – a customer would recommend a dentist based on their own experience. Now, consumers are still using word-of-mouth, however, the vehicle has changed. Social media helps word-of-mouth travel faster across the web and reach a broader audience.

Dentists are no longer bystanders of these word-of-mouth rumblings. Rather, practices can monitor social channels, whether they are Facebook, Twitter or Yelp, listen to recommendations and address any issues stemming from negative experiences. In fact, consumers have come to expect brands to respond to their feedback, according to a new study by Maritz Research.

According to the report, only one-third of customer complaints actually received a response from the company in question. However, of those who the dentist did respond to, 83 percent said they loved hearing from the company in question. Only 15 percent of respondents said they were not satisfied with the practice's response.

Among the two-thirds of survey respondents who didn't receive any feedback for their complaint, 86 percent said they would have loved to hear from the company in question. This shows that when customers are having issues with a dentist or company, they would like a response – regardless of whether there is anything the practice can do improve the situation.

"In today’s business environment, social media is having a profound impact on the level of service customers expect," says Anthony Sardella, senior vice president and managing director at evolve24, Maritz Research's social intelligence arm. "Businesses cannot effectively compete without being tuned in to social media to improve the customer experience. But they must get the messaging right."

Multichannel response

While the Maritz Research study was focused primarily on Twitter complaints and responses, the company notes that similar strategies should be adopted, regardless of the communication medium used.

For example, if a customer leaves negative feedback on a dentist's YouTube video, practices should be quick to address that complaint on the clip. Similarly, if dentists have Yelp pages or profiles on other social sites, they need to address feedback as it comes – it doesn't matter which channel it's raised through.

This does, however, mean that dentists will need to pay attention to all sources of word-of-mouth referrals. Not having a presence on a particular site hinders their ability to both monitor chatter and respond to relevant comments.

"It's not a one-size-fits-all approach," says Sardella. "Consumers expect companies to understand their individual wants and needs. If that’s responding to a complaint via Twitter, YouTube or the old-fashioned phone call, businesses need to have the right tools ready to listen, understand and respond."

The impact of reviews

As recent research from marketing company Cone found, customer feedback on social media platforms can have a tremendous impact on consumers' decisions to buy a product or service. Eighty-nine percent of consumers said they look online for reviews of products and services, with nearly 80 percent of respondents changing their minds after reading negative reviews.

"Today's consumers want reassurance before loosening their purse strings, and personal recommendations alone are just not enough to guarantee a purchase," explained Mike Hollywood, director of New Media at Cone. "The explosion of online word-of-mouth channels and the adoption of online verification have forever changed the marketing landscape."

Does your practice currently engage customers through social media? Have you ever managed to solve a patients issues through social networks? 

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