Most practices don’t lack happy patients; they lack a habit. Someone asks for reviews for a few weeks, gets busy, and the stream dries up. The fix is a simple system with an owner, a script and a way to see whether it’s happening.
Give it an owner
Name one person, usually the office manager or a lead front-desk team member, who is responsible for the review program. They don’t do all the asking; they make sure it happens, check new reviews every week, and report the numbers at your team meeting. Without an owner, review requests are everyone’s job and nobody’s.
Who asks, and when
- The best moment is checkout, or right after a good moment in the chair: a nervous patient who relaxed, a child who did well, a crown that fits.
- The hygienist or dentist can plant the seed (“We’d love it if you’d tell people about your visit”), and the front desk follows through with the link.
- Ask every patient the same way. Choosing whom to ask based on whether you expect a good review is review gating, which the rules chapter covers.
The wording
Keep it short, personal and pressure-free. For example: “Thanks for coming in today. Reviews really help other people find a dentist they can trust. If you have a minute, we’d appreciate an honest review. I’ll text you the link.” Ask for an honest review, not a five-star one.
Text and email follow-up
Send the link the same day, while the visit is fresh. One message, and at most one reminder a few days later. Keep the message free of anything about the patient’s treatment: “Thanks for visiting Smith Family Dental. If you’d like to leave a review, here’s the link,” not “How was your root canal?”
Consent for texting matters. Federal telemarketing law (the TCPA) and carrier rules restrict automated texts, and review requests can be treated as marketing rather than appointment reminders. The conservative approach is to collect written consent to text on your intake or update forms, say what kinds of messages patients will get, and honor “STOP” immediately. Ask your texting vendor and a healthcare attorney how this applies to your messages.
Short link and QR code
Get the review link from your Google Business Profile, turn it into a short link, and print a QR code for the checkout counter and the back of appointment cards. A patient who can leave a review in two taps is far more likely to do it.
Track who was asked
Log each request in your practice management software or a simple spreadsheet: the date and who asked. That tells the owner whether requests are actually going out, keeps you from texting the same patient twice, and shows which team members are asking. Compare requests sent with new reviews each month; if reviews drop, check whether the asking stopped first.