NHS Choices, which can be found at NHS.uk, has for the past couple of years been offering a feedback service, via their website, where patients and users of primary care services such as GP's and dentists can leave a review of the service that they have received. During this time over 20,000 testimonials, good and bad, have been posted by the public, with NHS Choices focused primarily on offering the best choice of local services to the general public. As of September, this will also involve opticians.
As GP's and dentists already can, from mid-September, opticians will be able to use the NHS Choices website to promote their practice in a mini website or business profile environment where they can detail their services, opening hours, contact information and so on as part of a marketing initiative. Once listed, patients or users of this service can then write a review of their experiences, recommending or warning other local prospective people. Once added, opticians will also be able to interact with this social element and reply to comments left.
As it is always said, 'don't take the sellers word, ask for the buyers opinion.' In this case it is very true, as patients and consumers, young or old, still appreciate good service and are more likely to contact and work with someone that a personal friend has recommended. In being able to view local, like minded peoples opinions, this will certainly offer a comfort factor to many.
For optical practices, like the old saying goes, 'all news is good news.' Currently, the reviews on NHS Choices are in the majority positive regarding their experiences, and when it comes to people searching the internet for this information, it is certainly a big marketing plus point. On the flip side, the ability to answer and interact with less favorable reviews, also gives practices the opportunity to make good on bad and in the process show that they are willing to improve services as well as having a human face (or avatar) to go with what can sometimes be seen as faceless organisations, where care and service come second.