Here, we discuss what Google calls ‘review gating’– or ‘cherry picking’ in non-proprietary lingo – and why dental practices shouldn’t do it

‘Review gating’. It’s not a term everyone has heard but, generically speaking, it’s simply choosing to publish only ‘good’ reviews – becoming a gatekeeper and controlling what’s visible to those outside the practice.

It means only asking for reviews from patients once you know that they are happy and have no axe to grind. It’s something many practices are inadvertently doing or tempted to do, because that means only publishing reviews that say something positive. However, that results in patients who aren’t likely to rate you five stars being denied a chance to voice their opinions.

What’s wrong with that, you may ask? Well, it also leads to a skewed picture of your practice to the outside world, and, in doing so, you could be setting yourself up for a fall.

All reviews deserve consideration

Indeed, such practices are against Google Business Profile Guidelines, which state you ‘must ask everyone for a review, rather than cherry-picking the customers you think might give you the most positive feedback.’¹

More importantly, should Google discover that you’re being selective, they can shut down your Google Business profile. This would be awful for your practice, as it removes you from the Google search engine and you then have to go back to the beginning and rebuild the trust, which is a long and arduous task.

The truth is that most practices are not doing this to be dishonest. They are doing it unintentionally out of fear of negative reviews and the perceived damage they can do to their business, and given the culture online for altered reality, it’s no surprise.

But it is detrimental to the business and here’s why…

Online selective realism

We live in a world where online selective realism has become the norm. Social media feeds show people’s holidays, meals out with friends, smiling happy children, and adorable pets – their filtered and edited selves – but very rarely the other side of their reality, which exists for us all.

Cherry picking reviews is like filtering all your photos on Instagram and only sharing the highlights. No one has a perfect life, and they don’t have a perfect dental practice, either. That’s actually a positive factor, as every evaluation is an important part of the decision-making process for potential patients.

The true value of feedback

The Local Consumer Review Survey 2022^1,2 showed that more consumers are reading online reviews than ever before. In 2021, 77% ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read them when browsing for local businesses (up from 60% in 2020).

These reviews have a huge influence on buying decisions, with 91% of 18-34-year-olds trusting online reviews as much as personal recommendations and 93% of consumers saying that online reviews influenced their purchase decisions.³

It’s therefore easy to see why businesses are keen to get positive reviews and why they may be tempted to use tactics that help them capitalise on the good ones and bury the bad ones. But that’s where they go wrong.

You may think that having all five-star reviews with no constructive or negative comments at all will encourage more people through your doors, but the reality is people don’t actually believe it if there’s no constructive feedback.

Balanced reviews are of far more value to your business, and not just because it paints a more realistic picture. It’s because having a spectrum of reviews gives you the chance to show how you respond to them.

Responding to reviews

One of the key things Working Feedback helps dental practices do is respond to reviews – both good and bad – and learn to use any criticism or negative comments as constructive feedback to inform change within the practice.

We also help manage fake reviews that can damage a business’s reputation and can be a deterrent for practices encouraging any reviews at all. A single review doesn’t define you and is an opportunity to show that your practice cares about patients and listens to them. This is why responding to reviews is key.

The Local Consumer Review Survey² showed 89% of consumers are ‘highly’ or ‘fairly’ likely to use a business that responds to all its online reviews, while 57% say they would be ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ likely to use a business that doesn’t respond to reviews of any kind.

Publicly replying in a professional manner to negative or constructive feedback shows how much you value patient feedback and makes your practice look transparent and receptive.

Be careful what you wish for

Cherry picking feedback is a practice that many businesses inadvertently fall foul of by letting fear of negative reviews get in the way.

The good news is that negative reviews are actually not that common and, by being selective, you could be robbing yourself of the chance to grow by using so-called negative reviews as a form of constructive feedback at the same time as depriving yourself of more positive responses, too.

In fact, at Working Feedback, we have found that the easier you make it to leave feedback, the more people will leave a review, and that results in 95% more positive evaluations.

All feedback offers valuable insights into the service your practice is providing and how your patients view you, while also giving you an opportunity to demonstrate to those reading them that you value patient feedback and respond to it professionally.

That is review gold dust and has far more value than spending your time playing a game of whack-a-mole with every bad review that pops up.

By encouraging all your patients to leave a review, you are not only keeping in line with the guidelines, but you are also opening the door to a rich tapestry of patient feedback that can enhance and add value to your practice.

As a top-tier partner that integrates directly with Software of Excellence and Dentally, Working Feedback can help you do exactly that. So, if you would like to learn about how our service can benefit your practice, in the first instance simply visit www.workingfeedback.co.uk, email [email protected] or call 0800 043 2100.

References

1. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/#what-really-matters-to-consumers-about-reviews
2. https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/review-management/dos-and-donts/review-gating/
3. https://www.qualtrics.com/blog/online-review-stats/