Can an AI receptionist answer clinic calls after hours?
Yes. Outpero's inbound mode answers a clinic's number 24 hours a day, takes the patient's name and reason for the visit, books a slot in your calendar and logs the call. It does not give medical advice or diagnose. For anything urgent it tells the caller to contact emergency services or the doctor directly.
Where clinics lose patients
Most clinic enquiries come in the evening or on Sundays, when the front desk is closed or busy with a patient. A caller who finds the line unanswered tries the next clinic on Practo or Google Maps. For a small dental or skin clinic, one missed new-patient call can be worth thousands of rupees.
What the agent handles
- —Answering in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Kannada, Malayalam or English, switching to English if the caller does.
- —Booking, rescheduling and cancelling appointments against your calendar.
- —Sharing clinic hours, address, parking, fees and which doctor sees which condition, from details you provide.
- —Collecting the patient's name, age band and reason for visit in the way you set it up.
- —Sending the address and appointment time on WhatsApp.
- —Logging every call with a recording, transcript and summary.
The line it does not cross
The agent books, reminds and qualifies. It does not diagnose, recommend medicines, interpret symptoms or reassure a patient about a result. The NMC and ordinary clinic practice leave medical judgement with the doctor, and the script should say so plainly.
Write a clear instruction for emergencies, such as chest pain, breathing trouble or heavy bleeding: advise the caller to contact emergency services or go to the nearest hospital, and flag the call for the doctor. Do not let the agent triage.
Returning patients
Outpero recognises a returning caller and picks up from the last conversation, so a patient calling to reschedule a follow-up does not need to explain again. Calls can also be transferred to your team during working hours when a person should take them.
Cost
A dedicated number is ₹649/month with 1 channel, and calls cost ₹5 per connected minute on Standard voices. A clinic with 40 after-hours calls a month at about 1.5 minutes each spends roughly ₹300 on talk time, before 18% GST. Compare that with a night receptionist.
Start by forwarding only after-hours calls to the AI number, read the transcripts for a week and add any questions callers keep asking to the brief.
Want to hear an AI voice agent handle this on a real call?
Follow-up questions
Will the AI tell patients what medicine to take?
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No. The agent should be briefed to never give medical advice, diagnose or comment on symptoms. It books appointments, answers practical questions such as timing and fees, and refers medical questions to the doctor or a call-back from your team.