How to Manage and Transform Critical Feedback in Your Physio Practice

For any physiotherapy clinic aiming to grow and thrive in today’s digital landscape, online reputation is everything. More than ever, new patients are turning to Google, Facebook, and other platforms to decide where to book—and your reviews play a pivotal role in that decision.

But what happens when a less-than-stellar review pops up?

This guide walks you through how to effectively handle negative reviews—whether real or fake—and how to use them as tools to strengthen your practice’s reputation, not weaken it.

What Counts as a Negative Review?

Let’s start with definitions:

• Positive Review: 4 or 5 stars
  
• Negative Review: 1, 2, or 3 stars
  

Negative reviews aren’t the end of the world. In fact, how you deal with them can actually build more trust than glowing praise alone.

Real vs. Fake Reviews: Spot the Difference

Before taking action, it’s essential to determine whether the review is genuine.

Real reviews usually:

• Contain specific details about the patient’s visit
  
• Reference real names, dates, or experiences
  
• Come from known patients in your database
  

Fake reviews tend to:

• Be vague or overly general
  
• Offer little to no descriptive feedback
  
• Be from unrecognised names or anonymous users
  

How to Remove Fake Reviews

If you’ve identified a review that’s fraudulent or malicious, there are companies that specialise in having these removed:

• Remove a Fire
  
• Rep Defender
  
• Internet Removals
  

Search for them online and submit your case. These services are not free, but they can save you time and protect your reputation.

Respond First—Always

Whether the review is real or fake, your first move should always be to respond promptly and professionally. Remember, you’re not writing the response for the reviewer—you’re writing it for everyone else reading it.

Best practices for responding:

• Stay calm and avoid defensiveness
  
• Acknowledge their concern
  
• Offer a path forward (e.g., “We’d love to speak with you to resolve this”)
  
• If the reviewer isn’t in your patient records, say so factually and politely
  

Avoid: “Please call us to resolve this.” Instead, show you’re taking the initiative—for example, “We’ll be calling you today to better understand what happened.”

This builds public trust and shows that your clinic takes feedback seriously.

Turning a Real Negative Review Into a Positive

If the review is genuine and detailed, take it as a gift. Yes—a gift. It’s rare for patients to go out of their way to leave feedback. Negative reviews can highlight blind spots in your service, systems, or communication.

Here’s your process:

1. Call the patient personally
   Address their issue sincerely and offer to make things right.
   
2. Resolve the issue
   Whether it’s a miscommunication, service concern, or clinical result—do what you can to improve the outcome.
   
3. Ask them to consider updating or removing the review
   If you’ve genuinely solved their issue, most people are happy to revise or delete it.
   
4. Follow up with a new comment on the review thread
   Share how the situation was resolved—this shows transparency and care.
   

Don’t Just Remove—Learn and Improve

Instead of immediately trying to delete every negative review, consider keeping them if you’ve handled them well. A mix of glowing and critical reviews (with professional responses) actually makes your profile look more authentic.

Use these reviews as a leadership and learning opportunity:

• Share them in team meetings (constructively)
  
• Use them to improve systems or communication
  
• Treat them as a practice-wide experience, not an individual’s fault
  

The Power of Positive Review Volume

The most effective way to reduce the impact of a negative review? Bury it in positivity.

The benchmark:

Aim for 10 new 4- or 5-star reviews per month per practice location.

This consistent flow helps:

• Push older negative reviews out of visibility
  
• Improve your average star rating
  
• Boost your local SEO rankings
  

How to Collect More Reviews (Without Nagging)

Use a combination of in-clinic and digital methods.

In-clinic:

• Create a QR code to your Google review page using free tools like Canva
  
• Place it where patients are stationary (e.g., treatment rooms, waiting areas, front desk)
  
• Prompt patients to scan and review after a positive visit
  

Digitally:

• Set up software like BirdEye to automate review requests
  
• Text or email patients after their second session or second week of care
  

Timing matters—ask after they’ve experienced real value, but before the moment passes.

What If It Gets Serious?

If you’ve exhausted all reasonable efforts and a malicious or defamatory review remains, legal options are available. In rare cases, you may choose to consult a solicitor with experience in online defamation.

This should be a last resort—but it’s good to know it exists.

Final Thoughts: Reviews Are Conversations

Negative reviews don’t have to be a disaster. Handled well, they can:

• Strengthen your team’s unity and learning
  
• Demonstrate your integrity to the public
  
• Build long-term trust with potential new patients
  

The key is consistency, care, and a proactive approach.

Ready to Strengthen Your Online Reputation?

If you’d like to explore how to attract more new patients, grow your revenue, and become the most trusted physio clinic in your area, we’d love to have a chat.

Call us if you’d like to speak to someone who understands physiotherapy marketing and can help take your practice to the next level.