How do I get more Google reviews after appointments within the rules?
Reviews influence which clinic new patients call. Asking every patient, at the right moment, is easy to automate.
- How do we get more reviews?
- Can we only ask happy patients?
- How do we reply without breaching privacy?
Send every patient a short text with your direct Google review link a few hours after their appointment, with one reminder. Ask everyone: Google forbids selectively asking satisfied patients and offering incentives, and RCDSO in Ontario bars incentives in advertising. Reply to reviews without confirming the reviewer is a patient or mentioning any treatment.
Set it up
- Trigger the request after the appointment is completed.
- Use your direct Google review link.
- One reminder, then stop.
- Track reviews per month by location.
Replying safely
Privacy rules apply in public. Thank reviewers generally. For complaints, invite them to contact the clinic directly, without confirming they're a patient or discussing care.
How we look at it at ShoutEx
We automate requests and draft reply templates the clinic approves. Our dental reviews guide covers more.
- Asking only happy patients.
- Gift cards or draws for reviews.
- Replies that confirm treatment.
- Ignoring negative reviews.
- Every patient asked.
- Direct review link.
- Privacy-safe reply templates.
- Monthly review count tracked.
What dentists and regulators say
Here is what the rule makers say.
Businesses must not offer incentives for reviews, discourage negative reviews or selectively ask for positive ones.
Read the policy →Dentists are responsible for all ads involving the clinic, including those posted by staff or third parties.
Read the RCDSO article →Dentists discuss replying to negative reviews without breaching patient privacy.
Browse the threads →Community summaries describe recurring themes in public threads, not individual posts. Vendor pages describe vendor claims, so test them on your own calls.
Read next
Go deeper in the ShoutEx guides, or check the sources behind this answer.
We'll automate requests and set up safe replies.
Book a call →Follow-up questions
When should we ask?
A few hours after the visit, while it's fresh.
Can we use reviews on our website?
Check your college's rules and keep them accurate.
Do reviews help us appear in Maps?
Reviews are one of the signals for local results.