5 steps to building and maintaining your medical billing company’s online reputation

With so many changes in the back office for the medical billing company industry, it’s no surprise that many billers are focused on operational shifts. But the front-facing things matter, too. 

In 2023, medical billing companies are dealing with a unique set of risks directly related to customer acquisition. In Tebra’s “​​State of the US Medical Billing Industry” survey, 43% of billing companies said that customer consolidation under larger firms posed a significant risk. Of medical billers, 1 in 4 believe that increased competition is a challenge.

There are a few ways that a medical billing company can differentiate itself in the market and offset these risks. Providing additional, complimentary services or marketing to a single type of medical practice can attract customers. So can building and maintaining a stellar online reputation.

When medical billing companies manage their online presence, they do more than just marketing or advertising. A carefully curated online reputation can tell a story and offer social proof — both of which drive referrals.

Whether you know it or not, your company has an online presence. And if you aren’t maintaining it, you have no control over how potential clients see your business. As a billing company, it’s important to understand how to take care of your online presence, engage with clients, and manage your reputation.

Consider review sites like Yelp. Customers and leads can review your business for clients and prospects to read. So, if your billing company has little to no presence online, or a negative presence, you run the risk of looking risky — at least compared to competitors who have positive reviews and customer comments.

Let’s dig into the numbers to see how much online reputation affects your business. 

One study found that 97% of consumers use online media to shop locally, and 4 out of 5 consumers will change their minds about a business after reading negative reviews. Ouch. 

But it’s not all bad news. Proactive reputation management, combined with your stellar service, can lead to positive reviews. And good reviews may translate into revenue. Consumers are willing to spend up to 31% more when a business has positive feedback.

For your billing company to stay competitive, you need to be online, listen to what people are saying about you, and engage in meaningful conversation. Follow the 5 steps in this guide to successfully build, enhance, and manage your online presence and reputation:

Potential clients increasingly look online for services to benefit their practice. People are more inclined to spread the word on social media about the businesses that are helpful to them. You don’t want to be left in the cold while other billing companies are active on social media, where they provide accurate information and connect with potential clients as well as strengthen their relationships with current ones.

Your website is often the first place potential clients visit to verify your credentials. A strong and intuitive website is an excellent way to establish your online brand and build trust in your billing company.

If it’s been awhile since you refreshed your website or if you’re building one for the first time, keep the following tips in mind:

For the past 15 years, social media has continued to build in popularity and shows no signs of dying down among Americans. While Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) struggle to find footing among the newer generation, Instagram and TikTok continue to thrive. And for B2B deals, LinkedIn remains the main networking hub.

Demographics and user interests have changed over the years. Here is what we know about current social media trends in the post-pandemic world:

As you can see, keeping an active account on social media, especially LinkedIn, could help your company gain visibility.

You need to find and own every listing you can. Gather all the publicly available information about your billing company and make sure it is as accurate and up-to-date as possible. And link to your website and social pages if you can.

How: The best way for you to find all the profiles that list your business is to conduct Google searches for your company several times over the course of 2 to 4 weeks. You should create a spreadsheet to track the sites, links, available information, and current reviews or rankings. 

Repeat the process to find them all. Once you’ve collected them, go to each one and follow the instructions to confirm the listing information or make any changes. Don’t forget about billing-related directories and online communities. There might be listings that should be updated or created.

Why: Accurate listings, particularly prominent ones like those in Google Business Profiles, help improve your ranking on search engines, which, in turn, raises your placement in online searches. In this way, taking ownership of your listings is about more than accuracy — it’s about visibility and credibility.

Nearly 82% of smartphone users run an internet search on their phones before making an online purchase.

In other consumer research, HubSpot found that consumers are 71% more likely to make a purchase from a social media referral. The opinions of friends and strangers on social media were the top purchasing influence, followed by the business’s website and price comparison.

Whether it’s a comment on your social media page or a third-party site, there are 3 things you need to do to manage your online reputation effectively:

Once you own your listings, you need to check back for new reviews or ratings regularly. It’s important to know what people think of your billing company.

Track what people are saying on a spreadsheet and share the reviews at regular staff meetings so everyone else is aware, too. You can use these meetings to discuss any pending issues or challenges as well as celebrate successes and good work.

It’s important for you to respond to what people have to say. A simple thank you for a positive review is enough. But if the review is negative, here are some options:

1. It’s a general complaint or constructive criticism about a process or procedure in your company:

2. Someone is angry because of a legitimately bad experience. Respond quickly, take accountability for what went wrong, apologize, keep the lines of communication open, and offer to talk more about how to fix it and avoid having it happen again.

3. If a review is inaccurate or inflammatory, many sites will allow you to appeal it. If it is found to be inappropriate or unsubstantiated, you can get it removed.

Encourage your clients to post reviews on sites which list only verified reviews — making them more representative and trustworthy than other review sites. More often than not, your clients have good things to say about your billing company and just need a reminder to do so.

Feedback can improve overall ratings. For example, a billing company with 1 negative and 3 positive reviews listed on a business review site will receive a 66% recommendation score, while a billing company with 1 negative and 9 positive reviews will get a 90% recommendation score. That’s a big difference, and it’s just because there are 6 more reviews posted for the second billing company.

Finally, it often helps to go the extra mile and provide an end-to-end digital experience. Leveraging automation and machine learning technology, you can further differentiate your billing company through online patient payment options, automated reminders, and other features that reduce costs while providing value.

Why does this matter for online reputation? Because often these features directly impact the end user, the patient. And when patients have a better billing experience, this reflects positively on your clients, which in turn, comes back to you. 

Using social media for your marketing efforts can benefit your billing company. Social media participation can increase client engagement, drive new clients to your business, and give you exposure as a billing expert to build positive relationships with your clients. Here are some final tips to help you with your online marketing efforts:

Digital assets, like your company website and social channels, work for both legacy and startup billing companies. But it isn’t the only way to grow your organization.

In fact, despite the challenges posed by competition and a shrinking customer base, most billers are positive about the industry. There are numerous opportunities for growth over the next 2 to 3 years. 

In Tebra’s recent survey, we asked billing companies about their upcoming operations, goals, and challenges. You can get the full story in our industry report.