The AI Receptionist helps your practice automatically book and manage patient appointments—24/7 and across multiple communication channels.
This guide explains how the AI Receptionist works for appointment booking and how to ensure it’s set up for success.
How the AI Receptionist Books Appointments
When a patient reaches out (via SMS, phone, or messaging platforms), the AI Receptionist will:
Understand the patient’s request
Example: “I need a cleaning” or “I have tooth pain”
Match the request to the correct appointment type
Based on your configured visit types and descriptions
Offer available time slots
Based on your practice schedule and availability
Confirm and book the appointment
Directly into your system
What the AI Receptionist Can Do
The AI Receptionist can:
Book new appointments
Suggest times based on patient preferences
Guide patients through the booking process conversationally
How to Ensure Accurate Appointment Booking
To help the AI Receptionist book appointments correctly, you’ll need to configure your visit types properly.
Enable Appointment Types for the AI Receptionist
Only visit types marked as “Accessible by Chatbot” can be booked.
Why this matters: If a visit type is not enabled, the AI Receptionist cannot book that appointment.
Use Clear, Patient-Friendly Descriptions
Each appointment type should include a “Description for Chatbot.” This helps the AI Receptionist understand how patients describe their needs.
Example:
Patient says: “My tooth hurts”
AI matches to: Emergency Appointment
Best Practice:
Use everyday language
Include symptoms and common reasons for booking
Set a Default Appointment Type (Recommended)
If the AI Receptionist cannot confidently match a request, it will use a default appointment type.
Why this matters:
Prevents missed booking opportunities
Ensures patients can still be scheduled
Real Example: How It Works
Patient Message: “I think I chipped my tooth, and it hurts.”
AI Receptionist:
Identifies this as an emergency
Matches your Emergency Appointment visit type
Offers available time slots
Books the appointment
When the AI Receptionist May Need Help (SMS Only)
In some SMS conversations, manual intervention may be needed if:
The patient’s request is unclear
No matching appointment type is available
The request falls outside normal workflows
What to Do
In these cases, your team can step in directly through SMS conversations:
Open the conversation in the Message Center
Use Manual Override to take over the conversation
Once Manual Override is enabled:
The AI Receptionist will stop responding to that patient via SMS (till the snooze is applicable)
Your team can continue the conversation and assist with booking the appointment manually
Tips for Success
To get the most out of appointment booking:
Enable only bookable, patient-facing appointment types
Keep descriptions simple and patient-friendly
Monitor bookings and adjust descriptions as needed
Set a default appointment type to avoid missed opportunities
Key Takeaways
The AI Receptionist acts as a 24/7 scheduling assistant
It automatically matches patient needs to appointment types
Proper setup ensures accurate and efficient booking
Your team can step in anytime if needed