Website chat for dental and medical clinics
A clinic's website chat should answer the practical questions (hours, location, which doctor, which insurance cards you accept, how to book) from a list reception has written and published, and pass anything about symptoms, treatment or a bill straight to a person. Set up that way, chat takes the repeat questions off the reception phone without anyone ever giving health advice by chat.
The twelve questions, and who answers them
Write each answer once in your knowledge base, publish it, and reception sends it from the shared inbox. Fill in the brackets.
| Patient asks | Answer pattern you fill in | Person takes over? |
|---|---|---|
| What time are you open today? | "We are open [days] from [time] to [time], [Friday hours]." | No |
| Where are you and is there parking? | "We are at [building, area]. Parking is [where]. Map: [link]." | No |
| Do you accept my insurance card? | "We accept [list of networks]. Please bring your card and Emirates ID." | Yes, if their card is not on the list |
| Can I book with Dr [name]? | "Dr [name] sees patients on [days]. Send your name and phone and we will confirm a time." | Yes, to confirm the slot |
| How much is a check-up / cleaning? | "A [service] starts from [price as published]. The doctor confirms the final amount after the examination." | Yes, for any quote beyond the published starting price |
| Do you have a female doctor? | "Yes, Dr [name] on [days]." | No |
| Do you see children? | "We see children from [age] with [doctor]." | No |
| I have pain / swelling, what should I do? | "Please call us on [number] now. If it is an emergency, call the emergency services." | Yes, at once |
| Can I get my results by chat? | "Results are shared through [your method]. Reception will contact you." | Yes |
| Can I change or cancel my appointment? | "Of course. Send your name and appointment time." | Yes |
| What languages do your doctors speak? | "Our team speaks [languages]." | No |
| I was charged wrongly / I want a refund | "I am sorry. A member of our team will look at this today." | Yes, always |
Never answered automatically in a clinic
- Anything about symptoms, medicines, dosage or whether a treatment is right for someone. The one safe written line is "please call us" or the emergency number.
- Final prices for treatment plans. Publish starting prices only, and only those you keep current.
- Results, diagnoses or anything from a patient's file. Chat is for logistics.
- Complaints, billing disputes and refund demands. A named person answers.
- Insurance approval for a specific procedure. Reception checks it and replies.
In StayReplied the answer mode is set per channel, not per topic: off, drafts only, or answer. For a clinic, keep the website chat channel on drafts only (or off) so every reply passes a person. Complaints and refund demands are handed to a person in every mode.
Three welcome lines for the widget
The widget has a welcome message in English and in Arabic, and up to six starter questions shown as buttons. More patterns are in welcome message examples.
- "Hello, this is [Clinic] reception. Ask about appointments, doctors, insurance or directions."
- "Welcome to [Clinic]. We reply to booking and insurance questions here. For medical concerns, please call [number]."
- "Hi, you are chatting with our front desk. Send your name and the day you prefer, and we will find you a slot."
Starter questions: "Book an appointment", "Insurance we accept", "Opening hours", "Find us".
The out-of-hours message
The widget sends nothing on its own today, so put your reply hours in the welcome line ("We reply from 8 am to 9 pm") and answer overnight chats first thing (more out-of-hours wording). A welcome line that works at any hour:
"Reception replies here from [time] to [time], [days]. Outside those hours, leave your name, phone and the day you prefer and we will reply when we open. If this is urgent, please call [emergency number]."
Switch on "Ask for name and email before chatting" so the morning shift can reach the person even if they closed the page.
A busy Saturday at reception
In the shared inbox:
- One receptionist owns the unassigned view from opening to noon; the second takes it after lunch.
- Insurance questions are assigned to the person who handles approvals, with an internal note such as "checking network, reply by 11".
- Presence shows who else has a chat open, and if the patient writes again while you type, you are asked to review before sending (how that works).
- The doctor never chats. Reception adds an internal note, the doctor answers it, reception replies.
The first week, day by day
| Day | Job |
|---|---|
| 1 | Create the workspace, invite reception, publish the twelve answers above with your details |
| 2 | Publish the widget, add your website to its allowed origins, paste the snippet (steps in the docs) |
| 3 | Write the welcome lines and the out-of-hours reply in English and Arabic |
| 4 | Send test chats from a phone; time how long a reply takes |
| 5 | Agree who owns the unassigned view in each shift |
| 6 | Read every chat so far; add the questions you had no answer for |
| 7 | Decide whether to add AI drafts, or keep people writing every reply |
When this is not for you
If most of your patients write on WhatsApp: web chat is the channel you connect today, and WhatsApp is coming soon (see channels). If you want a chat that books straight into your clinic calendar, StayReplied does not connect to booking systems; reception confirms the slot. Read who StayReplied is for.
What it costs
Starter is AED 70 a month for 2 seats, Team AED 210 for 5 and Business AED 420 for 10, plus 5% VAT, with a 14-day free trial. Every plan has every feature. See pricing.
Questions and answers
Can a clinic chat bot give medical advice?
It should not, and nothing in this set-up does. Health questions get "please call us" or the emergency number, and a person takes over.
Can patients chat in Arabic?
Yes. The widget, the inbox and your replies work in Arabic and English, right to left included.
Who sees the chats?
Only the people you invite to your workspace, each with a role that sets what they can do.
Do I need AI to use it?
No. Reception answers from your published answers. No plan includes AI today; if you want AI drafts, you connect your own Anthropic key.
Put a front-desk chat on your clinic site.
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