Handle appointment enquiries and busy phone periods without pulling your reception team away from people who need attention.
After speaking with dental, medical, physiotherapy and veterinary practices, we've identified several common challenges, including busy reception periods, missed appointments, interrupted treatments and out-of-hours enquiries.
Dental and private medical practices can receive a large share of daily calls in a short morning window, while staff are already helping patients.
Physiotherapists and veterinary teams need to focus on consultations. A ringing phone creates an interruption or an unanswered enquiry.
The dental reminder study focuses on patients who forget or miss scheduled appointments, creating unfilled diary time.
Veterinary and medical calls can carry urgent concerns or private information that a routine booking process should not attempt to resolve.
Configured around your business's processes and the systems you use.
Let our advanced AI answer calls professionally when you can't. Take messages, schedule appointments, and handle basic inquiries automatically.
A real-time view of every booking, job and appointment across your business. The AI books directly into the diary and your team sees it instantly.
The moment your AI books a job or appointment, the customer receives an instant SMS confirmation with all the details they need.
All your messages organized and accessible instantly. Get voice messages transcribed and delivered via email, SMS, or app notification.
See how dental, medical, physiotherapy and veterinary practices have used Smart Follow Ups to manage calls, appointments and customer enquiries.
A busy NHS and private dental surgery in Leeds was losing patients to hold times and missed callbacks. Smart Follow Ups's AI receptionist now handles every call, books appointments directly into the schedule, sends automated SMS reminders, and has transformed how the practice manages patient communication.
An empty chair from a no-show is revenue that cannot be recovered. Dental practices use Smart Follow Ups SMS to confirm appointments and remind patients before the day, because a text gets read when a letter or email gets ignored. And unlike most marketing claims, this one has published NHS evidence behind it.
Read the full case study Private Medical Practicethe private clinic in Manchester was losing patients to hold music and burning £4,600 per month on reception staff who spent most of their day answering phones instead of caring for patients. Smart Follow Ups's AI receptionist now triages every call, books appointments by consultant specialism, sends SMS confirmations, and has freed the reception team to focus entirely on the in-clinic patient experience.
A sports physiotherapy clinic in Manchester was losing new patients to competitors because calls went unanswered during treatment sessions. Smart Follow Ups's AI receptionist now answers every call 24/7, captures injury details, books same-week assessments into the correct therapist's diary, and sends SMS confirmations — so patients calling at 10pm after a Saturday match have an appointment by morning.
A three-vet mixed practice in Warwickshire was losing clients to unanswered calls and struggling with out-of-hours emergency triage. Smart Follow Ups's AI receptionist now handles every call 24/7, books appointments directly, triages emergencies by species and symptom, sends SMS reminders, and has transformed how the practice manages client communication.
Results vary depending on the business and how the system is configured.
Yes. Your AI voice agent can answer multiple incoming enquiries without patients having to wait for an available receptionist.
It can handle routine requests such as appointment enquiries, opening hours, directions and requests to rearrange visits. It can also collect messages for your reception or clinical team.
This is particularly useful during busy morning periods when staff are already helping patients at the desk. Rather than replacing personal patient care, your AI voice agent takes pressure off routine telephone administration so your team can concentrate on patients who need their attention.
Yes. Your AI voice agent can be configured around your practice's services, practitioners and appointment requirements.
For example, a dental practice might offer routine examinations, hygiene appointments and consultations requiring different appointment lengths. Your AI voice agent can identify what the patient is requesting, check the relevant diary and arrange an available appointment.
Similar booking rules can be created for consultants, physiotherapists and veterinary practitioners. Your AI voice agent can also collect rescheduling requests and send confirmations, helping your team maintain an organised appointment diary.
Yes. Your AI voice agent can arrange SMS booking confirmations and scheduled appointment reminders to help patients remember their visits.
Reminders can include the appointment date, time, location and any agreed practical instructions. They can also explain how to contact the practice if the patient needs to rearrange.
This gives patients an opportunity to notify the practice before an appointment is missed, allowing staff to manage cancellations and potentially offer the time to someone else. Reminder timing and message wording can be tailored to your practice.
Your AI voice agent can distinguish routine administrative requests from calls that need attention from a qualified professional.
For example, it can identify that someone is reporting an urgent concern and follow your practice's agreed procedure for directing the call or alerting the appropriate team.
Your AI voice agent is not intended to diagnose medical conditions, provide clinical advice or replace professional judgement. Sensitive calls are handled according to the instructions established with your practice, helping ensure important enquiries are directed to the people qualified to deal with them.