The Real Cost of Missed Calls
Most practice owners focus on the marketing side of patient acquisition: the Google Ads spend, the SEO rankings, the Google Business Profile position. Those investments are designed to get the phone ringing. The breakdown often happens after that.
Voicemail is where new patient enquiries go to die. Industry data shows that a substantial proportion of callers who reach voicemail do not leave a message. Of those who do, many have already called a competitor before the practice calls back.
Reception staff are not the problem. They are managing a waiting room, assisting a practitioner, or processing a payment. The call goes to voicemail. The patient hangs up. The practice never knows.
After-hours is a separate issue. A patient searching for a physio on a Sunday evening, calling from a Google Ads result you are paying for, reaches silence. That patient does not wait until Monday.
The maths: every unanswered call is a partial refund to your competitors.
How the AI Call Bot Works for Allied Health
LHM's AI call bot for health practices is trained specifically for allied health, not a generic virtual assistant adapted for healthcare use. The distinction matters in the terminology it understands and how it represents your practice to patients.
The bot handles the enquiries that make up the majority of inbound calls: location and hours, services, practitioner availability, and new patient processes. For practices using Cliniko or Nookal, the bot books appointments directly into the system. No manual transfer required.
Complex calls have a clear escalation path. When a caller needs to speak with a person, the call is routed appropriately and a transcript is generated so nothing is lost.
The bot is available when reception cannot be: before the clinic opens, after it closes, through lunch, on weekends. A new patient who finds your practice at 7pm on a Tuesday and books in one call is significantly less likely to look elsewhere.
For practices investing in Google Ads to generate call volume, the call bot protects that spend by ensuring every call reaches something other than voicemail.
What's Included
- AI call answering with 24/7 availability
- Healthcare-specific call handling and practice training
- Appointment booking integration with Cliniko and Nookal
- FAQ handling for hours, location, services, and availability
- Intelligent call routing for complex or urgent enquiries
- After-hours and overflow call coverage
- Full call transcripts and reporting dashboard
- Ongoing optimisation based on call patterns and common enquiries
Modalities We Serve
The AI call bot is trained for the specific terminology, services, and patient enquiry types relevant to each allied health discipline.
What Unanswered Calls Actually Cost
A new patient relationship in allied health represents several hundred to several thousand dollars in revenue across an average course of treatment, depending on the modality. That is not the value of one booking. It is the value of a patient who stays.
Studies show that between 60% and 80% of callers who reach voicemail do not leave a message. Of those who do, many have already booked elsewhere before the practice returns the call.
For practices running Google Ads, every missed call has a measurable cost: you paid for the click. When the phone goes unanswered, that cost returns no value. The combination of the call bot and CRM ensures the enquiry is captured and the follow-up is automated.
How It Works
Free Call Bot Demo
We run you through real patient call scenarios for your modality. You hear exactly how the bot handles new patient enquiries, appointment requests, and common FAQ calls, before any commitment.
Setup
We train the bot on your services, practitioners, hours, and FAQs. Integration with Cliniko or Nookal is configured and tested. The bot learns your practice before it answers a single call.
Go Live
The AI answers every call your team cannot get to. Appointments are booked directly into your system. Call transcripts are available in the reporting dashboard. No enquiry is lost to voicemail.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the AI call bot sound robotic to patients?
Modern AI voice technology is a long way from the IVR systems most people remember. LHM's call bot uses natural language processing and responds to what callers actually say, not menu selections. It is configured with your practice name and handles calls in your practice's tone. If a patient asks whether they are speaking to a person, the bot answers honestly.
Can the bot actually book appointments into Cliniko or Nookal?
Yes. Integration with Cliniko and Nookal is included in the setup. The bot checks availability and books appointments directly into your scheduling system. The booking appears the same way a manually entered booking does. No separate step is required from your reception team.
What happens if a caller needs to speak to a real person?
The bot has a defined escalation path: urgent clinical concerns, complex billing questions, or situations outside its training. It offers to transfer the caller if reception is available, or takes a message and generates a transcript so your team can call back with full context. No call is dropped or abandoned.
Is the bot available after hours and on weekends?
Yes. The bot operates continuously: before the clinic opens, after it closes, through lunch breaks, on weekends, and on public holidays. A patient calling at 6pm on a Friday who books on the spot is far less likely to look for another practice.
How does the bot handle different allied health modalities?
Each deployment is trained on the services, terminology, and patient enquiry patterns relevant to your modality. A psychology practice's call bot handles very different enquiry types to a chiropractic or exercise physiology practice. Ongoing optimisation refines the bot's handling based on actual call data from your practice.
What information does the bot collect from new patient callers?
Name, contact number, reason for the appointment, and referral details where relevant. This data passes to your practice management software. The bot collects only what your practice requires. Data handling complies with Australian Privacy Principles.
Stop Losing New Patients to Voicemail
You are already spending to get the phone ringing. Make sure someone answers. LHM's AI call bot for health practices handles the calls your team cannot get to. Available 24/7, trained for your modality, booking directly into Cliniko or Nookal.
The demo takes 20 minutes. You hear exactly how the bot handles real patient scenarios for your type of practice.
Free Call Bot Demo: Hear exactly how the AI handles patient calls for your type of practice.