When considering a new establishment, whether it’s a new restaurant or a hairdresser, chances are you look up reviews and opinions about the business first. According to the 2018 Online Reviews Survey by ReviewTrackers, approximately 45 percent of consumers say they are likely to check reviews on Yelp before even visiting a business. For Google reviews, it’s closer to 64 percent.
As a veterinary practice, how do you encourage the kind of reviews that people want to see? We’ve compiled a few steps on how to encourage 5-star reviews from your clients.

Step 1: Provide Review-Worthy Service

This step is integrated into every aspect of your client's journey to your hospital, from the initial Google search, all the way to the appointment reminder a year later. The trick is to ensure that every experience your client has when they're in contact with your hospital is a review-worthy experience.
While this may seem like a no-brainer, ensuring your customer service stays consistent across all clients is essential to limiting as many negative reviews as possible. Time and attention are needed to ensure that your entire team practices great customer service on a consistent basis.
These are a few simple actions you can do to provide great customer service:

• Be attentive and friendly on the phone

• Greet everyone as they come in and ask how you can help

• At checkout, ask the client about their visit

• Greet clients and patients by name, if possible

• Have treats or toys ready for patients

• Be friendly and smile - the simple gesture of looking happy can help people feel more welcome

• Have nice, pleasant music playing in the waiting room
  According to a study done by Inc., only one in 10 customers who have a good experience will leave a good review. Clients EXPECT a good experience, so you’ll have to go above and beyond to create an exceptional experience, instead of just an average one. Reminding your customers to review is important, and can both maintain a loyal client-base as well as bring new clients into your hospital.
  People are more likely to review an establishment poorly when service is bad than review at all when a service is good. Customers who have had a bad experience with a business are two to three times more likely to write an angry review than a content customer.  
  [>> RELATED READING: 5 Fixes to Make Your Veterinary Clinic Client-Centric