Tips For Getting Positive Outpatient Rehab Center Feedback

Like any business, outpatient recovery centers need to have an outstanding reputation, especially since so many people do their research online. The issue with this is that it can be difficult to get patients to leave feedback about their experience for a variety of reasons. For many patients, this may not be something that they remember to do, or they lack the motivation to take the time to do it.

If you are having a hard time getting positive feedback from your patients, there are a few ways you can encourage them to do this after their treatment. These tips and tricks will also help you to get more positive feedback instead of risking negative feedback.

Keep reading to find out how you can naturally encourage more positive feedback so that your center stands out to potential patients.

Contact Patients After Treatment

One of the best ways to get patients to leave positive feedback is to contact them directly after they have completed their addiction treatment. This is a tried and true method that a variety of businesses use since their experience is still fresh in their mind. Many patients are happy to leave feedback; they just need a little nudge in the right direction.

You can encourage this by giving your patients a call upon the completion of their treatment. Keep this lighthearted by simply asking if they were satisfied and if they would be willing to leave feedback regarding their experience. You can also take advantage of this opportunity to bring up any other programs they may benefit from.

Automate Messages

Contacting patients directly is very important since this shows that they are valued even after completing their treatment. But it is also a good idea to set up an autoresponder so that there isn’t any risk of patients falling through the cracks. An autoresponder sends out messages automatically so that you stay in contact with patients and can encourage them to leave feedback. The best way to do this is through the newsletter you send out weekly or monthly.

Each newsletter should include an option to leave feedback so that it is easily accessible to the patient. You can also set up automated text messages to check up on patients after their treatment; just make sure you have their permission to do this.

Send Surveys

A method of communication that every outpatient rehab center should use is surveys. Surveys increase patient engagement and allow them to communicate with your staff in an easy way. A survey can help the patient leave feedback that is authentic by prompting them with specific questions such as:

• Was there anything about your treatment you would change?

• How likely are you to recommend our facility to a friend or family member?

• Would you be interested in pursuing other treatment programs in the future?

Not only does a survey provide you with feedback, but it also helps you figure out who is most likely to give you a positive review. Remember, a survey is not direct feedback that you can include online; it is more so for your center to view privately. If someone responded positively to your survey, you can then reach out to them directly to ask for a public review.

Have an Alumni Program

When a patient has completed their program, you want to make sure you keep in contact with them and maintain this connection. The best way to do this is to have an alumni program that includes them in different events and other community activities.

Alumni programs have a high success rate for encouraging positive feedback since it helps patients feel valued. They will have access to additional educational resources as well as a recovery community that they can fall back on. The alumni manager can ask patients directly to leave feedback without it feeling pushy or inauthentic.

Make Leaving a Review Accessible

The main reason why so many rehab patients fail to leave feedback is that it isn’t an extremely easy process. For most people, if it is not directly in front of them, they aren’t going to remember to do it or take the time to do it. That is why you have to make leaving a review as simple as possible so that they are more likely to go through with it.

As we discussed above, a great way to do this is by adding the option to leave a review in each of your newsletters. You can also add the reviewing option on your website and social media platforms to remind patients about this option. If patients have agreed to leave a review directly, you can send a link to them through text message or email.

What Do You Do If You Get Negative Feedback?

One question many outpatient rehab centers have is what to do after they have received negative feedback. Although this is not extremely common for rehab centers, there is always a chance that someone will be unhappy and want to voice their opinion. When this happens, it is important to take this in stride and focus on the positives rather than the negatives.

You could reach out to the patient directly to ask if there is any way you can make up for their experience. For some patients, making this effort is enough to change their minds so that they remove their negative reviews. You can also directly respond to the negative review, apologizing for whatever they were unhappy with and offering a solution. Even if this does not appease that patient, it will show other potential patients that you consider all types of feedback.

Conclusion

Feedback is critical to building a reputation online as an outpatient rehab center. That is why you need to focus on getting as many positive reviews as possible so that potential patients see the benefit of choosing your center. The best way to do this is by keeping in contact with patients, providing an alumni program, and making leaving a review as simple as possible.

Do you want to see an increase in your rehab center reviews? Try out our tools and get started now.