Key points
- AI drafts every reply in seconds, and a person approves it before it reaches the patient.
- Firms that tried to reach an online enquiry within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited longer.1
- WHO guidance says humans should remain in control of health care systems and medical decisions.2
- Approval is one tap when the draft is right, and the record shows who approved what, and when.
- wai drafts in the clinic's own voice across WhatsApp, email, web and calls, and nothing sends until the team approves it.4
Summary
Let AI draft every patient message and have a person approve it before it sends. The draft is ready in seconds, a correct one takes one tap to approve, and the record shows who sent what.
Every patient who writes overnight has a reply waiting by morning, and the first job at the desk is approving answers. A WhatsApp sent at 9pm is answered minutes after the desk opens, and the clinic still owns every word that reaches the patient.
See it in your clinicThirty minutes on your own patients and doctors.
Request a demoSee a WhatsApp message answered with a draft in your clinic's voice and approved by your team, in fifteen minutes.
| Message | Drafted by | Approved by |
|---|---|---|
| Booking, rescheduling or cancellation | wai, with the slot held | Front desk |
| Prices, directions and what to bring | wai, from the clinic's own information | Front desk |
| Deposit or payment link | wai, with the link attached | Front desk |
| Question about symptoms, results or medication | wai, with the thread summarised | Clinician |
| Complaint or sensitive request | wai, as a holding reply | A senior team member |
The draft is instant and a person decides
Every patient message is matched to that patient's record and answered with a draft in the clinic's own words. A member of the team reads it, edits it if needed and approves it, and only then does it send. A booking question that turns out to be clinical goes to a clinician.
Clinical documents have a higher bar. A note, a letter or a result explanation is drafted for the clinician and signed by the clinician, as set out in the guide to AI scribe accuracy.
Speed wins the booking
In a study of 1.25 million online sales leads across 42 US companies, firms that tried to contact a lead within an hour were nearly seven times as likely to qualify it as firms that waited even an hour longer.1 The same research audited 2,241 companies and found that 23% never responded at all, and that those which did took 42 hours on average.1
These figures come from business in general. In a clinic, the first reply with a time and a price is the one the patient acts on.
What the rules and guidance expect
WHO's first global report on AI in health sets six principles for its regulation and governance. The first is protecting human autonomy, which in health care means that humans should remain in control of health care systems and medical decisions.2
In the UK, Article 22 of the UK GDPR gives people the right not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing where it has legal or similarly significant effects on them, and the ICO lists the safeguards needed where an organisation does make such decisions.3 A routine booking reply is not that kind of decision, and with a person approving every message the question never arises.
Each country words this differently, so check your own regulator's guidance.
What to approve, and who approves it
Decide in advance who approves which kind of message. The table below is a starting map to adapt in the first week.
How wai runs approval
wai Admin keeps each patient's email, WhatsApp, web and phone messages in one thread on one record, drafts the reply inside that thread in the clinic's voice, and holds it for the team.4 Missed calls become a drafted text, and booking changes arrive with the new slot already held.
Anything clinical goes to a clinician with the full conversation attached. The wai security page states the rule that nothing clinical sends without a clinician's signature, and nothing operational sends without the team's approval.5 Every message, draft, approval and change is written to an event log the clinic can export.5
Enquiries that arrive at night and over the weekend have a drafted reply ready for approval in the morning, as set out in answering clinic enquiries after hours.
Where to start
Pick the three message types that fill most of the inbox, usually booking changes, prices and directions. Set who approves each and run them through drafted replies for two weeks, measuring the time from a patient's message to the approved reply before and after.
Then widen it to the rest of the inbox, keep clinical questions with the clinicians, and review the event log weekly for the first month. The guide to one inbox for every channel covers the set-up.
Bring a week of your own enquiries. We show you the drafts, the approval and the log on your workflows.
Frequently asked questions
Does the AI reply to patients on its own?
No. wai drafts each reply in the clinic's voice and a person at the clinic approves it before it sends.5 Clinical questions go to a clinician.
Does approving every message slow the front desk down?
It makes the desk faster. The draft is ready when the message arrives, and a correct draft takes one tap to approve.
Who should approve clinical questions?
A clinician. The front desk approves bookings, prices and payments, and anything about symptoms, results or medication goes to a clinician with the conversation attached.
Is there a record of who approved a message?
Yes. Every message, draft, approval and change is written to an event log, and the clinic can export it.5
What does the law say about automated replies to patients?
It depends on the country. In the UK, Article 22 of the UK GDPR restricts decisions based solely on automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects.3 With a person approving every message, no reply is a solely automated decision.
Which channels can be drafted and approved?
With wai Admin, WhatsApp, email, the website and phone calls, with missed calls answered by a drafted text, all in one thread per patient.4
Sources
- 1Harvard Business Review, Oldroyd, McElheran and Elkington, 2011The Short Life of Online Sales LeadsRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 2World Health Organization, 2021WHO issues first global report on Artificial Intelligence in health and six guiding principles for its design and useRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 3Information Commissioner's OfficeRights related to automated decision making including profilingRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 4wai, 2026wai Admin, the front desk and back officeRead 14 October 2026Read source
- 5wai, 2026Security at waiRead 14 October 2026Read source
Every patient answered in minutes, in your clinic's own voice
Fifteen minutes on your own messages and diary, with every reply drafted by wai and approved by your team. We reply within one working day.
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