AI receptionist for a dental clinic

Client context

A dental clinic with two branches takes most of its bookings by phone. Two receptionists handle calls, walk-ins, payments and patient questions at the same time.

Problem

Calls peak when the front desk is busiest. Some ring out, and after 6pm nobody answers at all. Patients who cannot get through often book elsewhere, and no-shows leave gaps that could have been filled.

Approach

1. Count the missed calls. Pull a month of call logs to see how many calls go unanswered and when.
2. Start with overflow and after-hours. The AI answers only when the team cannot, so staff stay in control during the day.
3. Keep it to bookings and common questions. Anything clinical is passed straight to staff.
4. Listen before launch. The clinic reviews recorded test calls and chooses the voice.

Solution

• Unanswered and after-hours calls are picked up by an AI receptionist that introduces itself as an AI assistant.
• It books, moves or cancels appointments directly in the clinic's booking system.
• Opening hours, directions and accepted insurance are answered on the call.
• Each booking is confirmed by SMS, with a reminder the day before.
• Clinical questions and upset callers are transferred, or a message is sent to the right branch.
• Every call is summarised and logged against the patient's record.

Measurable results

Every project starts by recording a baseline, and results are reported against it. For this kind of project we measure:

• Share of calls answered
• Bookings completed without front-desk involvement
• No-show rate before and after reminders
• Calls transferred to staff, and why

Tools used

Twilio, Vapi, Google Calendar, n8n and the clinic's booking system.