AI receptionist for dental clinics: your phone answered 24 hours a day

What the AI receptionist does on every call

It isn't an answering machine or a 'press 1' menu. It's a receptionist who talks to the patient the way someone who has worked at the clinic for years would, and who works on the same diary your team uses. Everything she does is recorded in Dentasys straight away.

• She recognises the patient by their phone number and knows which appointments they have. If several records share that number, such as a mother and her children, she asks who the appointment is for.
• She offers genuinely free times, with the visit type, dentist and duration you have set up, and books the appointment in the diary.
• She moves or cancels an appointment when the patient asks, without leaving duplicate bookings.
• She asks first-time callers for their first name, surname and reason for the visit, and adds it to the appointment notes.
• If the patient asks you to call them back, she takes the message and alerts the clinic in the notifications bell.
• For an emergency, she looks for a slot that same day with the 'Emergency' visit type; if there isn't one, she leaves a message flagged as urgent so you see it first.

How it connects to the clinic's phone

You don't change your number or your provider. When you switch the service on, Dentasys gives you a number for the receptionist. Your phone provider diverts to that number the calls you can't take: when the line is busy, when nobody answers after a few rings or when the clinic is closed.

That way the AI receptionist only steps in when the call was going to be lost. During normal opening hours, reception keeps answering the phone as always, and the AI covers lunchtime, the morning rush, evenings and bank holidays.

What the clinic sets up (and what can't be changed)

In Settings, the administrator chooses the voice from several options, each with a sample to listen to, the main language and a custom line for the greeting, for example 'We're also open on Saturday mornings'. They also decide whether a patient without a record can only be offered a first visit.

Prices are a sensitive point. The receptionist only quotes what the clinic has written in its pricing information, such as 'the first visit is free'. If nothing is written, she explains that someone from the clinic will call back. She never makes up a price.

One thing can't be switched off: when she answers, the receptionist says she is an artificial intelligence and what the call is used for. It's a legal requirement and part of the patient's trust.

Languages: Spanish, Catalan, English and German

The call starts in the clinic's main language. If the patient replies in another of the available languages, the receptionist switches automatically and carries on the conversation in theirs. For clinics in tourist areas or with patients from abroad, it's the difference between an appointment and a hung-up call.

Everything is logged: calls, appointments and messages

On the voice assistant screen you see the month's figures: calls, minutes and appointments booked or cancelled, and you can compare them with previous months to check the bill. Each call can be opened to read the whole conversation: what the patient said, what the receptionist replied and what she did.

Appointments appear in the diary with the note 'Appointment booked by the voice assistant' and the reason the patient gave. Conversations can also be seen in each patient's record. Messages go to 'Pending calls', where reception marks them as contacted and closes them.

For data protection, the conversation text is deleted automatically after the number of days the clinic chooses (90 by default). The date, duration and outcome of each call are kept.

How much the AI receptionist costs

It's an optional service, separate from the Dentasys subscription (€80/month + VAT): €9 a month for the phone line and €0.30 for each minute of call handled by the AI, plus VAT. No tie-in: switch it on whenever you like and, if you don't, you pay nothing. It doesn't use AI credits.

To work out whether it pays off, think about how many calls go unanswered in a week and what a first visit or a treatment that starts with that call is worth. With the month's figures in front of you, you can check it yourself.

Frequently asked questions

Does the patient know they're talking to an artificial intelligence?

Yes. When she answers, the receptionist says she is an artificial intelligence and that the call is used to manage the appointment. It's mandatory and can't be switched off.

Do I have to change my phone number?

No. You keep your number and your provider. You just ask your provider to divert to the receptionist's number the calls that are busy, go unanswered or come in while the clinic is closed.

Can she give prices to patients?

Only the ones the clinic writes in its pricing information. If nothing is written, she says someone from the clinic will call back. She never makes up prices.

What about emergencies?

She looks for a slot that same day with the emergency visit type. If there isn't one, she leaves a message flagged as urgent so the clinic can call the patient as soon as possible. For heavy bleeding or a hard knock, she recommends going to hospital A&E.

Is it included in the €80/month subscription?

No. It's optional and paid separately: €9/month for the line and €0.30 per minute handled, plus VAT, with no tie-in. The WhatsApp assistant, on the other hand, is included in the subscription.

Are call recordings kept?

The text of the conversation is kept so the clinic can review it, and it's deleted automatically after the number of days the clinic chooses (90 by default). The date, duration and outcome of the call are kept.

Keep reading

• WhatsApp
• Migration
• Dasy
• Dentasys pricing