We’re all familiar with the Zagat’s Restaurant guide but it seems that the service has expanded to include ratings and reviews on medical care… an expansion that has a number of doctors fighting back.
Docs seek gag orders to stop patients’ reviews was the headline in The State, the story detailed how patient reviews were becoming a common consumer rating in Zagat’s and Angie’s List. This expansion has sparked a NC-based neurosurgeon to form a company to fight against the negative posts – since the creation of the company; nearly 2,000 doctors have signed up in hopes of having these negative posts removed (reviews are managed through signed waivers by doctors and patients.)
I had a negative experience with a dermatologist about a year ago; I felt as if my questions were being dismissed and that I was being hurried along. Like most unsatisfied customers, I told my friends and colleagues about my disappointment… its simple word of mouth, but now similar experiences are amplified through a Web 2.0 application.
Marketers, retailers, health care and service companies all know that there are people unhappy with the experience provided… the question becomes how to handle these posts/ negative critiques in a Web 2.0 world. In most instances, if you have the opportunity to present a response (same forum) you gain additional credibility. Maybe the warranty expired on the product that the consumer is complaining about… maybe its user error, in these circumstances you could shed additional light on the one-sided review. Unfortunately, a doctor critique isn’t quite the same – as a marketer, how would you remedy the situation?
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