Why Online Reviews Are Important for Your Business

In Online Reviews They Trust

79% of consumers say they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends or family.¹ Reviews influence people’s perceptions of a health care professional’s technical and social skills and, consequently, their willingness to choose a professional over another.² It’s important to know how people use reviews to choose a business, that way you will be able to adapt your strategy and get more clients.

The Benefits of Online Reviews When Clients Are in The “Shopping Process”

Online reviews are pivotal when the service involves high competence (e.g. for health care services). Healthcare comes at the top of the industries for which reviews are most important, and they are the third most viewed category.³ It’s important for most to find a trustworthy professional and many will do research online before choosing one.

Reviews will have an influence on the pre-purchase and purchase stage for your clients. They influence sales, purchase intentions, product consideration and more.⁴

The Benefits of Online Reviews After Clients Had Their Appointment

Online reviews are also important at the post-purchase stage. 40% of people read online reviews for a product AFTER the purchase!⁵ That’s why you also want your clients to read good reviews about you after their appointment. The odds are also on your side, they’ll be more likely to leave a positive review as well.

How to Gain More Reviews

You might be uncomfortable to ask your customers for reviews, but it is the most sure way to receive positive reviews. Asking for your clients to leave a review is a great way to show them that you care about their opinion and if they had a great experience with you, they will likely want to help you get more business. 73% of consumers have been asked to write a review for a local business and usually 72% of them do!⁶

On GOrendezvous, following their appointment, clients automatically receive an email to rate their experience. Our statistics show that 40% of clients leave a review this way!

There are many ways to ask your customers for a review, you can send them a follow-up email to invite them back and ask for a review at the same time, you can ask them face to face before they leave or write a message on the receipts. Some people might be tempted to offer a discount, or a gift in exchange for a review, but this isn’t recommended as it can be seen as buying good reviews or influencing customers to write a review that is not totally honest, you don’t want people to see your business as untrustworthy.

On GOrendezvous clients are asked to rate their experience after their appointment. Our statistics show that 40% of clients leave a review this way!

Your overall rating will appear on your GOrendezvous homepage, the GOrendezvous search page, as well as on Google searches!

• Your GOrendezvous homepage

• GOrendezvous search page 

• Google searches

Time to get good reviews and drive more customers to your business!

^{1 https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/}

² Li, S., Lee-Won, R. J., & McKnight, J. (2019). Effects of online physician reviews and physician gender on perceptions of physician skills and Primary Care Physician (PCP) selection. Health communication, 34(11), 1250-1258.

³ https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/

⁴ Bawa, A., & Kansal, P. (2008). Cognitive dissonance and the marketing of services: Some Issues. Journal of Services Research, 8(2).

^{5 Liang, Y. J. (2016). Reading to make a decision or to reduce cognitive dissonance? The effect of selecting and reading online reviews from a post-decision context. Computers in Human Behavior, 64, 463-471.}

^{6 https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/}