Should you use ZOCDOC For your private practice?
As a therapist or provider in private practice, I am sure you have heard of ZocDoc. If not, here is the brief version. ZocDoc is a a large online directory of doctors, therapists, and other providers. ZocDoc was fairly innovative when it first started because it made finding an in network provider easy. You simply went to ZocDoc, searched through the directory of in network providers, and scheduled right from the site. Since then ZocDoc has become a very popluar place to for patients to look for providers. However, the question for us today is… as a therapist, should you list your practice on ZocDoc? Is it worth it? I recently onboarded with ZocDoc and want to share with you my experience so that you can decide for yourself whether or not it would be helpful for your practice. Let’s get started.
Why Consider ZocDoc?
The first thing you have to understand is that ZocDoc is simply another tool to help you achieve your business goals. If you want to read more about my private practice framework, read this article here. What exactly can ZocDoc help you achieve?
First, ZocDoc’s main draw is that your practice has the potential to be seen by a lot of people seeking therapy, increasing your potential to book new clients. If you are looking to grow your practice, a rule of thumb to follow is to place your practice in front of as many therapy seekers as possible. Since therapy seekers are on ZocDoc, listing your practice here increases your booking potential
Second, ZocDoc also provides other tools such as online booking and an ability to send an intake packet to clients for electronic signature. Although these features may be helpful, they are usually provided by an EHR, like SimplePractice.
Finally, you are able to use ZocDoc as a group practice.
What does it cost?
ZocDoc’s tools are free, but you pay per booking regardless of cancellation. The fee per booking varies depending on the state, but it may be close to $70. To get your states booking fee, just Google it. The information is not hidden.
This means that if a client finds your practice on ZocDoc and books with you, you are charged the fee whether or not the client arrives or doesn’t.
This sounds like a steep cost, especially if the clients don’t show up, however, you will need time to see if ZocDoc yields consistent clients . If it does, the fee may be worth it. The only way to know though is to give it a try.
What about the reviews?
ZocDoc is also known for it’s reviews. Many providers are scared of reviews, but this is the game that has to be played now. Think about how you decide on where to eat. You typically look at the reviews, right? What if a place has no reviews? What do you usually do? Perhaps keep scrolling until you find a place with good reviews.
Providers, often think about the worst case scenario… a 1 start review. We think this will be the end of our practice. Yet it is often not this black and white. There are ways to mitigate the risk of bad reviews, there are positive ways of responding to bad reviews, heck, why are we only talking about bad reviews? What about all the good reviews you could get?
The take away here is that, yes, ZocDoc relies on reviews for success (the more reviewed you are the more likely clients are to book with you), but this is the way the marketing game works now. You don’t have to play the game, but you have a greater chance of “winning” if you play.
It’s not a jackpot!
It’s also important to know that ZocDoc is not a one and done solution to filling your practice. Like anything else, it is a helpful tool that has the potential to yield great results, but it is not a guarantee. Success on ZocDoc will vary depending on your reviews, your practice location, your availability, cost per session, and many other factors. However, at the very least, it puts your practice in front of therapy seekers.
The onboarding process
Getting started with ZocDoc is pretty easy. You sumbit an interest form on their website, and then an onboarding employee will connect with you. It looks something like this…
Submit interest request on ZocDoc website
Connect with onboarding specialist for an initial call
Build out your ZocDoc profile
Connect with a calendar integration specialist if using their online booking tool
Have a follow up call with onboarding specialist
Go live
If you…
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