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ABSTRACT
Online health reviews are powerful since people use them to glean information about medical professionals. Nonetheless, less is known about what strategies can cultivate positive relationships with consumers when the latter are exposed to patient reviews. A 2 (review valence: negative vs. positive) x 3 (message interactivity: low vs medium vs high) x 2 (review responding source: customer service representative vs. dentist) between-subjects (N = 410) online experiment was conducted. The results showed that positive reviews (vs. negative reviews) and increased organizational responsiveness led to more favorable prospective patient reactions toward the reviewed dental practice.
Most importantly, this study detected a significant two-way interaction between review valence and message interactivity. As found, even in the presence of negative reviews higher levels of message interactivity on online review sites can significantly improve the health organization-public relationship (e.g., trust, commitment, satisfaction, control mutuality) as well as enhance organizational reputation and patient behavioral intentions.
Mediation tests revealed that source credibility mediated the effects of the review responding source on the relational outcomes, organizational reputation, and consumer behavioral intentions. More specifically, when a dentist replied to the reviews prospective patients perceived favorably the dental clinic and were more likely to visit it in the future than when a customer service representative responded. Theoretical and practical implications for effective online relationship management in the healthcare industry are discussed.