Speak Out August 2016

Ethics

How to manage negative online reviews: Four evidence-based strategies and a response template As the prevalence of health review sites continues to grow the need to manage poor reviews will become a necessary process for Speech pathologists. by David Kinnane

by strong emotions (e.g. frustration, anger), a wish to educate other consumers, or even economic gain (e.g. from unethical competitors). Some reviews may be heat-of-the-moment rants, others logical and thought through. Some may be trivial, others serious. Some may be accurate, others fake. Some may be shared with just a couple of followers or a small group, others may go viral. Some may be posted by clients you know, others anonymously.

Online review sites are fairly new in speech pathology. Examples of such sites include Whitecoat and Care Navigator. These exist to promote consumer rights and choice. Negative comments on review sites, or on social media platforms like Facebook, hurt. They may make us angry, embarrassed, sleepless or even sick. They can also sap team morale, tarnish reputations and lose us business. When we consider how to act in response to a negative review, we’re bound by legal and ethical rules, e.g. about advertising and privacy. Even if reviews are wrong or fabricated, we can’t always respond. With more competition, and more review sites starting up, managing reviews will probably become more important. Some businesses - e.g. restaurants and hotels - have been dealing with online reviews for years. We can learn from their experiences. For example, hospitality-sector research shows that online reviews: 1. Can attract a wide audience, are perceived by consumers as credible and trustworthy and play an important part in shaping client opinions and purchasing decisions;

4. May name and shame you or individual staff members, or be discriminatory or defamatory.

So how should we manage online reviews? To follow are four, evidence-based strategies: Prevent • Ensure you communicate effectively about your services so that client expectations match what you offer. • Improve service delivery to reduce problems. • “Check in” with clients more often: fix small problems before they become big.

2. Give us a chance to fix problems and improve services;

3. Are usually triggered by a negative experience, and motivated

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August 2016 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

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