The search is often long before the call
Many people who call a pain management clinic have already tried several things. By the time they find your number, they are tired and want a straight answer to a practical question: how does a first appointment work, do I need a referral, do you take my plan.
Your front desk is also working with insurers, referring offices and existing patients. A new-patient call competes with prior authorizations and schedule changes. If it rings out, the caller may not try again.
An AI chatbot on your website and an AI receptionist on your phone line do not replace your staff. They answer the general process questions and record the messages.
What the chatbot does on your website
Anchor Co AI trains a chatbot on your own website. It answers from what you have already published, so it only says what your clinic has said. That usually means:
- How a first visit works, as described on your pages.
- Referral requirements, if you publish them.
- Insurance plans you list.
- Your location, hours and how to reach the office.
When a visitor asks something your site does not answer, the chatbot says it is unsure and offers to take a name and number.
What the AI receptionist does on the phone
With the Front Office plan, an AI phone receptionist answers calls your desk cannot take. It says it is an AI, takes the caller's name, number and a general reason for calling, and emails you a summary. It is not meant to collect health details.
It does not schedule appointments, access records, discuss medications or send text messages.
Use cases a clinic will recognize
The late-night search. Someone browsing at 11pm asks whether they need a referral. The chat repeats your referral page, or says it is unsure and offers a callback.
The busy-morning call. While your desk is handling authorizations, a new-patient call is answered and recorded.
The "what do I bring?" question. The chat repeats your first-visit checklist.
The weekend message. A caller leaves a name and number, and you see it Monday morning.
What it will not do
No patient health information. The chat and receptionist must not be used to collect it. Front Office is not HIPAA-compliant and we do not sign Business Associate Agreements.
No medical advice. It does not discuss symptoms, medications, doses or treatment. It sends those questions to your staff.
No emergencies. Anyone with an emergency should call 911. Anyone in crisis can call or text 988.
No scheduling or records access.
Objections you should expect
"Our patients ask about medication constantly." Then the chat should say plainly that it cannot answer those questions and send the person to your office. That is what it is set up to do.
"We have a strict intake process." The AI does not replace it. It answers general questions and takes a message so your team can start the process.
What a good first reply looks like
A person calling about pain care often wants to be treated as someone, not a case number. A good first reply from the AI is short and honest. It says it is an AI, answers the process question from your website if it can, and says plainly that a member of staff will follow up. It does not ask about symptoms or medications, and it tells the caller if the question is one it cannot answer.
On your side, the summary email is brief: a name, a number and a general reason such as "asking about a first appointment" or "asking about insurance." Your staff can call back during office hours knowing what the person wanted, and nothing clinical has passed through a system that was never built for it.
The practical way to improve the answers is to improve the pages behind them. A clear first-visit page, a plain statement on referrals and a list of the plans you accept do more for a chatbot, and for your callers, than any setting.
What it costs
The Free plan is $0 with 1 bot and 20 messages a month. Starter is $29 a month for 2 bots and 1,000 messages a month. Growth is $49 a month for 5 bots and 5,000 messages a month.
Front Office adds a website and the AI phone receptionist. It is $297 one-time setup, then $249 a month with the receptionist, including 300 answered phone minutes a month and no overage fees. It is month to month with no contract and no partial-month refunds.
Setup
- Point the chatbot at your website. It trains on your own pages, so clear first-visit, referral and insurance pages make for better answers.
- Ask it the questions new patients ask and tighten your pages where it comes back unsure.
- Add the chat to your site. For phone coverage, forward your overflow calls to the AI receptionist and give it the email address where summaries should go.