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Dentists deal with a lot of phone calls. New patients wanting to book a consultation, current patients wanting to re-book and questions about insurance and pain. However, when the front of house is busy seeing patients in the chair, not all phone calls will get picked up. Using an AI Voice Assistant can help answer more calls. However, having clearly defined tasks to start with will give you the best results. We’re going to look at the best tasks to start with.
What is an AI Voice Agent?
An AI Voice Agent will answer your phone using a natural, automated voice. They will listen to the caller and respond to their needs. They can also gather information, look at your calendar and book and re-book appointments. They will always be clear that they are an automated system and offer to pass on the call or leave a message if they can’t help.
Task Overview
Task
What they can do
Ideal to start with?
Book New Patients
Gather information and can book a first appointment.
Yes
Re-book / Cancel
Offer new time slots and update calendar.
Yes
Hours, Location & Insurance
Answer using your approved information.
Yes
Reminders
Contact patients who need to come in.
Yes (Once basics are in place)
Billing Questions
Gather information and pass to staff.
Pass on only.
Dental Emergencies
Use your emergency guidelines and inform staff.
Carefully set up.
How to Get Started
Pick one or two tasks to start with. Usually the easiest ones to start with are booking new patients and re-booking.
Gather all your information. This will include your hours, treatments, insurance info and booking guidelines.
Create some escalation guidelines. Decide what situations the AI will have to pass on. For example if they have severe pain, swelling, injury or an angry caller.
Do a small test. Start by using it for overflow or out of hours calls. Read through the transcripts.
Review and add more tasks. Only after the initial tasks are working well.
Example of Book New Patients
Caller: I’d like to be a new patient. AI: Hello, thank you for calling. I’m an automated assistant. Can I just get your name and number? Do you have any insurance? What would you like to book? Check calendar. There are 2 time slots available. Would you like to book? Send text confirming with your address, parking details and new patient forms. If they mention swelling or severe pain, offer the earliest urgent time slot or pass on.
Keep Patients Safe
Be clear that they are speaking to an AI, make it easy for them to speak to someone and don’t ask for unnecessary information. Ask your providers how they store the recordings and who can access them. Ask your compliance adviser to review how you’ve set it up.
Key Metrics
% of calls answered.
New patients booked.
Calls passed on to staff.
Comments from patients.
Choosing a Provider
Ask how it will integrate with your booking system. Can it follow your booking guidelines. For example longer time slots for new patients and different hygiene time slots. Ask for examples of calls. Does it support the correct languages? What happens if it doesn’t understand? A trial period is a great way to see how it works with real calls.
Involve your Team
Involve your front of house early on. Let them know that the AI is there to take care of the basic calls so they can concentrate on seeing patients in the practice. Ask them to highlight any difficult calls and have a weekly review. Celebrate any little successes.
Conclusion
Using an AI Voice Agent can help your dental practice to answer more calls and book more new patients. By keeping the initial tasks simple and having clear safety guidelines in place. Start small, keep patients safe and regularly review real calls. Ensure your number and hours are consistent on your Google Business Profile. If you’d like to discuss implementing this, contact us at Nova Reach Digital. Or have a look at our services. You can also find directions to our New York office.
Original Blog: AI Voice Agents for Dental Practices
