WhatsApp for clinics and doctors

The problem

Reception is busiest when patients are standing in front of it. The phone rings, WhatsApp fills up on a personal or shared phone, and messages sent after closing wait until morning. A patient who needs a dermatologist or a dentist this week will often message two or three clinics, then go with whichever replies first and clearly.

Most of those messages are the same few questions. What are the timings? Is the doctor in on Saturday? What is the consultation fee? Where do I park? Answering them should not take a trained receptionist away from the patient in front of them.

A concrete flow

1. Patient writes in. From your Google profile, website or a QR code at the front desk, they open a chat with your clinic number.
2. Routine answers. Timings, doctors, fees, location and what to bring, answered from your Business Brain in the language the patient uses.
3. Appointment request. A WhatsApp Form or a few short questions collect the name, doctor, preferred day and time.
4. Reception confirms. The request lands in the shared inbox with the details on the contact, and your staff confirm a slot from your own schedule.
5. Reminder. An approved utility template reminds the patient about the visit.
6. Follow-up. Where a doctor has asked for a review visit, your staff send a reminder template at the right time.

What should go to a person

This is the most important part of the setup. Write these down as hand-over rules before you switch the AI on:

• Symptoms, diagnosis, medicines, dosage and side effects.
• Test reports and anything about a patient’s medical history.
• Complaints, billing disputes and insurance questions.
• Anything that sounds urgent. Include your emergency number in the reply and tell the patient to call it or go to the nearest hospital.

Test these in the playground before going live. Try messages like “I have chest pain, should I come in tomorrow?” and check that the AI hands over and gives your emergency instructions, instead of attempting an answer.

What you set up

• Business Brain: doctors and specialities, days and timings, consultation fees, services, address, parking and what to bring.
• WhatsApp Form: patient name, reason for the visit in general terms, preferred doctor, day and time.
• Templates: visit reminder, review-visit reminder and clinic closure notice.
• Inbox: assign chats to reception, and use tags such as “new patient” or by department.
• Opt-in: ask patients for permission before sending anything other than messages about their own visits.

Which messages to send, and what they cost

Adding an offer to a reminder can turn a utility template into a marketing one, which costs more. Paste your wording into the template category checker to get an estimate, then see the price per message.

Mistakes to avoid

• Letting the AI guess. If a fee or timing is not in the Business Brain, it should hand over, so keep this information current.
• Putting health details in templates. A message on a shared family phone can be seen by others. “Your visit on Tuesday at 11” is enough.
• Broadcasting to every patient. People who came once for a fever do not need every announcement, and blocks and reports can hurt your number’s quality rating.
• Using a personal phone. When only one person can see the chats, the clinic loses the history when that person is away.

How to start

Start small. Spend an hour with your receptionist writing down the twenty questions you hear most, and add the answers to the Business Brain. Run the AI on those for a week, and read every chat. Add a WhatsApp QR code at the front desk so that patients can reach you later. See also how the AI agent works.

Frequently asked questions

How can a clinic use WhatsApp Business?

To answer common questions about timings, fees, doctors and location, take appointment requests, send visit reminders and follow-up messages, and share health camp or new-service announcements with patients who agreed to hear from you.

Will the AI give medical advice to patients?

It should not, and you set it up that way. Add a clear rule in the Business Brain and hand-over settings so that symptoms, medicines, reports and treatment questions go straight to your staff. Tell patients to call emergency services for emergencies.

Can patients book appointments directly on WhatsApp?

They can send a request through chat or a WhatsApp Form with their name, preferred doctor, date and time. Your staff then confirm the slot against your own schedule. Nexora does not sync with clinic appointment software.

Is it safe to share reports on WhatsApp?

Decide this with your own legal or compliance adviser. Limit what you collect, get the patient's consent, and keep sensitive discussions with authorised staff. Avoid sending health details in broadcast templates.

Which Nexora plan does a clinic need?

Starter suits a clinic that wants flows, forms and a shared inbox for up to 3 staff. Flex adds the AI agent, for clinics that get many routine enquiries outside reception hours, with up to 10 team members.