Warm Call Transfer allows your AI Receptionist to connect patients with a member of your team when a conversation needs a human touch.
Instead of simply transferring the call, AI Receptionist first contacts your team, provides a private summary of why the patient is calling, and asks whether the staff member is available to take the call. The patient is connected only after the staff member accepts.
If no one is available, the patient stays with the AI Receptionist, which can take a message and notify your team so they can follow up.
Note: Warm Call Transfer is available for voice calls only. It is not available for SMS or web chat.
How Warm Call Transfer Works
When a patient needs to speak with someone at your practice, AI Receptionist can initiate a warm transfer.
Here's what the patient experiences:
AI Receptionist lets the patient know that it is contacting your team.
The patient stays on the line and hears hold music while AI Receptionist calls your configured transfer number.
When a staff member answers, AI Receptionist privately provides a brief call summary.
AI Receptionist asks the staff member if they are available to take the call.
If the staff member says yes, AI Receptionist connects them with the patient.
The patient does not hear the private summary, the destination phone ringing, or the staff member's response.
What Your Team Hears
When a staff member answers a transfer call, AI Receptionist provides a brief summary that can include:
The caller's name and phone number
Whether they are a new or returning patient
Why they are calling
Information AI Receptionist has already collected or actions it has attempted
For example, if AI Receptionist was helping the patient schedule an appointment but the appointment was not completed, the summary can include the appointment time being discussed and clarify that it was not confirmed.
After the summary, AI Receptionist asks whether the staff member can take the call.
Accepting or Declining a Transfer
There is no keypad prompt or "Press 1" step.
Simply respond to AI Receptionist out loud:
If you accept: AI Receptionist connects you with the patient.
If you decline: AI Receptionist returns to the patient and offers to take a message.
If AI Receptionist doesn't receive a clear response: It asks one more time before returning to the patient and continuing with the message flow.
How to Set Up Warm Call Transfer
Navigate to: AI Receptionist → Settings → Warm Call Transfer
Then configure the following settings:
Enable Warm Transfer
Turn this setting on to allow AI Receptionist to transfer eligible calls to your team.
Transfer Phone Number
Enter the phone number AI Receptionist should call when a patient needs to speak with someone.
The transfer number must be different from your practice's AI Receptionist number. This prevents transferred calls from being routed back to AI Receptionist.
Choose Your Availability
Choose when AI Receptionist is allowed to transfer calls:
Always: AI Receptionist can attempt transfers at any time, including outside your normal business hours.
Business Hours Only: AI Receptionist follows the office hours configured under Practice → Office & Provider Hours, including your configured lunch break.
Custom Hours: Create a separate schedule specifically for warm transfers. Custom transfer hours do not change your practice's regular office or provider hours.
Set the Ring Timeout
Choose how long AI Receptionist should wait for someone to answer before returning to the patient.
You can select a ring timeout between 10 and 45 seconds, in 5-second increments. The default is 20 seconds.
When you're finished, select Save Changes.
When Will AI Receptionist Transfer a Call?
AI Receptionist is designed to handle requests it can complete on its own before involving your team.
A warm transfer may be appropriate when:
A patient asks to speak with someone after AI Receptionist has offered to help
A patient has an urgent clinical concern
There is a billing dispute
A patient has a complaint
An insurance question cannot be answered using the practice's available information
The conversation is no longer making progress
AI Receptionist generally will not transfer a call for something it can complete itself, such as booking, rescheduling, or cancelling an appointment.
What Happens If No One Can Take the Call?
Patients are never simply dropped if a transfer is unsuccessful.
If AI Receptionist cannot connect the patient with your team, it returns to the patient, lets them know that no one could be reached, and offers to take a message or send them to voicemail.
This can happen if:
No one answers
A staff member declines the call
The destination line is busy
The transfer reaches voicemail
The transfer reaches a phone menu or another automated assistant
The patient hangs up while waiting
The request occurs outside your configured transfer hours
A technical issue prevents the call from being placed
AI Receptionist does not tell the patient the specific reason the transfer failed. Your team can still see the actual failure reason in the corresponding notification.
Protection Against Voicemail and Automated Systems
AI Receptionist is designed to recognize when something other than a person answers the transfer call.
If the transfer reaches voicemail, a phone menu, or another automated assistant, AI Receptionist hangs up without sharing the patient's name, phone number, or reason for calling.
The patient is also never connected directly to the automated system.
Set Up Transfer Notifications
You can choose how your team is notified about successful and unsuccessful transfers.
Navigate to: AI Receptionist → Notifications → Notification Preferences
You'll find two warm-transfer notifications:
Call Transfer Completed
Sent when AI Receptionist successfully connects a patient with a staff member.
The notification can include the caller's name and phone number, the time of the call, and the destination number.
Call Transfer Failed
Sent when AI Receptionist is unable to connect the patient with your team.
The notification can include:
Caller name and phone number
Time of the call
Reason the transfer failed
Message AI Receptionist captured from the patient
Because an unsuccessful transfer may require your team to follow up with the patient, Call Transfer Failed notifications are enabled by default across Email, SMS, Pending Action, and Team Message.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the patient hear the summary AI Receptionist gives my team?
No. The summary is played privately to the staff member before the patient is connected.
Does my team need to press a button to accept a transfer?
No. Staff simply respond to AI Receptionist out loud. AI Receptionist connects the patient after the staff member verbally accepts the call.
What does the patient hear if a staff member declines the call?
AI Receptionist lets the patient know that it couldn't get anyone on the line and offers to take a message or send them to voicemail. The patient is not told that a staff member declined the call.
What happens if the transfer number goes to voicemail?
AI Receptionist detects the voicemail and disconnects from it instead of connecting the patient. No patient information is spoken into the voicemail box. AI Receptionist then returns to the patient and can take a message.
What happens if the transfer number reaches a phone menu or another AI assistant?
AI Receptionist recognizes that a person did not answer and disconnects without sharing patient information. The patient is not transferred into the menu or to another automated assistant.
Can AI Receptionist attempt multiple transfers during the same call?
Each call gets one transfer attempt. If the transfer is unsuccessful, AI Receptionist continues helping the patient and can take a message for your team.
What happens to my notification preferences if I turn Warm Call Transfer off?
Your preferences are saved. The notification options become unavailable while Warm Call Transfer is turned off and return with your previous selections when you enable it again.
Give Patients a Smoother Handoff to Your Team
Warm Call Transfer gives patients a more seamless way to reach your team when AI Receptionist cannot fully resolve their request. Your staff receives context before accepting the call, while patients remain with AI Receptionist if someone isn't available—helping your practice avoid dropped calls and giving your team the information needed to follow up.