How NKC Health Smashed Their Reputation Goals 6 Months Early

We sat down with Jodi Rawson, Digital Marketing Manager at NKC Health, to discuss their team’s transition from a decentralized, manual approach to reputation management to an automated, high-volume feedback strategy. That shift fundamentally changed their online presence, moving them from a 3.3-star rating to a 4.8 in less than a year.

By December 2022, NKC Health had already surpassed a year-end Rep Score goal originally set for June 2023. Here is how they did it.

The Highlights

• Star Power: Jumped from a 3.3-star rating to a 4.8-star rating in less than a year.
• Review Growth: Increased volume from 464 reviews to 5,103 reviews.
• The Rep Score: Climbed from a baseline of 256 to 678.
• Goal Achievement: Reached a score of 681 – beating their deadline by six months.

Q&A with Jodi Rawson

Q: What specific problems was NKC Health trying to solve when looking for a feedback program?

Jodi: Initially, it was about our listings; they were not all claimed and certainly not accurate or complete. We also knew that more consumers were using word-of-mouth and reviews to choose a provider. It was important for us to improve patient trust and satisfaction by responding effectively to feedback and reducing the impact of negative reviews. Streamlining the monitoring and management of our online profiles was a priority to enhance operational efficiency and maintain a positive brand image in a competitive landscape.

Q: How would you describe NKC Health’s maturity journey in reputation management?

Jodi: It feels like a well-oiled machine now. Our Practice Managers are now coordinating reporting, which helps them feel more invested in the success. From a continuous improvement process, there are always new goals to set and metrics to achieve to ensure we’re getting the most out of the platform, as well as helping new providers build their practices by getting found in search.

Q: As a marketing leader, what are your top strategic priorities right now, and what role does online reputation play in achieving them?

Jodi: Our priorities are enhancing patient engagement and trust, and driving growth through increased patient acquisition. A robust online reputation is central to both. By actively managing and responding to feedback, we build credibility. Maintaining positive reviews ensures prospective patients see us as a high-quality provider, helping us stand out in a competitive healthcare market.

Q: The Rep Score is crucial for your management teams. How are you using it and what results have you seen?

Jodi: We include it in our monthly marketing analytics dashboard and watch for trends that could impact ratings. Our Practice Managers pull reports for quarterly meetings to review with providers. Because our providers have incentives tied to their star rating and Rep Score, they take an active interest in the metrics.

Q: What does a successful reputation program look like in a healthcare setting?

Jodi: It is proactive, data-driven, and integrated across the organization. It consistently gathers and analyzes feedback so Marketing can respond quickly and thoughtfully to reviews. Success means having clear performance metrics, like Rep Scores.

Q: Tell me about how your operational teams leverage the Reputation platform?

Jodi: I respond to all 1, 2, and 3-star ratings and escalate those to our Patient Experience team, Directors, and Practice Managers for follow-up who are fully bought-in and very responsive.

Q: What is the single biggest time-saver you’ve experienced compared to your previous process?

Jodi: We didn’t have a process before. The biggest gain is the ability to automate the monitoring, updating, and responding to reviews and business listings across multiple platforms. Updates and responses can be managed centrally, saving significant administrative time and ensuring consistency in our online presence. Additionally, having experts keep up with the evolution of search engines saves our team’s time and resources.

Q: If you had to distill it, what is the primary strategic value the platform provides?

Jodi: It enhances operational efficiency and elevates the patient experience. Closing the feedback loop—listening, responding, and resolving—is essential. This approach fosters trust and loyalty while demonstrating to the next consumer that we are watching and that their experience matters to us.

Q: What key feature or piece of data would you not be able to operate without today?

Jodi: If I can only choose one, Business Listings Management. However, Review Requests are vital for volume, and we couldn’t live without Managed Review Responses (MRR) because of the abundance of feedback we receive.

Q: Can you tell me specifically how Business Listings (BL) has helped NKC?

Jodi: With 230 listings, BL makes my life much easier. They keep the profiles accurate and optimized so the most up-to-date information appears in search results.

Q: How would you describe the platform as an essential investment to another marketing leader?

Jodi: It’s invaluable for a small team. We have 3rd party survey data, but being able to access 1st party data in a meaningful way allows us to impact patient satisfaction and loyalty at a much more strategic level. It’s an essential operational tool for achieving high-level organizational goals.

Q: Looking ahead 12 months, what is the next milestone you want to hit?

Jodi: I want to get new providers into the platform and have their Google Business Profiles claimed within two weeks of starting to ensure their scores start increasing immediately. We’re also aiming for 80% of our listings to hit our internal "800/900" awards. Finally, I want to find a definitive way to capture and measure ROI in healthcare—I would love to be an example of how to do that.