After 12 years of operating a joint dental practice, Dr. Chad Ellis, owner and dentist at The Smile Studio, set out to start his own business. Because his partner was retaining the old practice and patients, Ellis would need to build up the online reputation for the new practice from scratch.
Customer Story
How to put a new dental practice on the map with The Smile Studio.
Early in his career, Ellis relied almost totally on word of mouth and referrals to attract new business. But over time that began to change, to the point where Ellis estimates that now more than 70 percent of new patients come in as a result of an online search.
“Since we were starting a new practice, we wanted to prime the pump,” related Ellis. “After talking to experts in SEO, I realized the importance of being found through search engines and online reviews were a huge component of that.”
After a brief training call, Ellis and his staff were off and running quickly. Because the dental hygienists have the most contact with the patients, they are typically the ones who are sending out the invitation, but everyone in the office, from front office staff to Dr. Ellis, is invested in securing online reviews for the practice. As a result, practically no one leaves the office without being asked if they would be willing to leave a review.
In the short time since The Smile Studio has implemented Podium, the practice has secured 79 new reviews, which is nearly double the reviews as
Ellis’ previous practice received in 12 years, and has an average star rating of five stars across all platforms.
“We have found that if you preface the invitation by walking them through the process and asking them to leave a five-star review and a few comments, it increases your chances to secure a review,” said Ellis.
Many Benefits
One of the biggest benefits of implementing Podium has been the lift in SEO. Now, according to Ellis, depending on where you are searching from or what wording you use, The Smile Studio now shows up in the top three of the Google Map pack.
Additionally, Ellis and his team appreciate how quick and easy it is to use Podium to invite customers and manage reviews. “Using Podium is really quite easy,” concluded Ellis. “It’s on all of our computers, so whether we ask the patient in the treatment room or at the reception desk at the conclusion of the appointment, within about 20 seconds we can get a review invite out to them. It couldn’t be simpler.”