AI virtual receptionist
A virtual assistant for clinics, on the phone and on WhatsApp.
Loominary's virtual assistant for clinics in Portugal is an AI agent built for each clinic. When the front desk is busy or closed, it answers calls and WhatsApp messages, replies about opening hours, treatments and insurers, and books the appointment in the clinic's calendar. It speaks European Portuguese and works alongside the team, without replacing it.
- European Portuguese
- 24 hours a day
- Live in 1 to 2 weeks
By Jorge Ferreira, founder of Loominary · LinkedIn·
- Patient
Good afternoon, I'd like to move my Thursday appointment. I can't make it after all.
- Maria
Good afternoon, this is Maria, the clinic's virtual assistant. I'll sort that out now. I have Friday at 9:30 am or Monday at 5 pm. Which suits you better?
- Patient
Friday at 9:30.
- Maria
Your appointment is moved to Friday at 9:30 am. I'll send the confirmation to this number on WhatsApp.
Appointment rescheduled in the clinic's calendar · WhatsApp confirmation sent
One person at the front desk can't cover the phone
The receptionist greets whoever walks in, takes payments, manages the calendar and answers the phone, all at once. While they are with a patient at the desk, the next call keeps ringing. At lunchtime, after 6:30 pm and on Saturdays, nobody answers. A full-time receptionist covers 40 of the 168 hours in a week, and the maths on that cost is in virtual receptionist: how to compare the cost (in Portuguese).
Virtual receptionist, virtual assistant or AI agent?
They are the same thing under different names. AI agent is the technical term. In every case it is a system that answers the way the front desk would, with the clinic's information, and that books appointments instead of just taking down a number for someone to call back later.
How it works
From the call to the booked appointment
- 01
Answers and introduces itself
Call or WhatsApp, the agent replies within seconds and introduces itself as the clinic's virtual assistant.
No hold music, no voicemail
- 02
Replies with the clinic's information
Opening hours, address, treatments, doctors and accepted insurers, as they were set up for your clinic.
European Portuguese
- 03
Books, confirms and reschedules
Straight into the calendar the clinic already uses, with a WhatsApp confirmation and a reminder before the appointment.
No transcription errors
- 04
Hands over to the team
Sensitive situations, complaints and clinical questions stay with the front desk, which sees the request and decides.
The team has the final say
Real results
The virtual receptionist at MLClinic
At MLClinic, in Cascais, one person ran the desk, took payments and answered the phone. With the agent answering the phone and WhatsApp, these were the first month's numbers, with the same team.
MLClinic
Dental and aesthetic medicine · Cascais
+22
appointments a month
recovered appointments that used to be lost
-70%
front-desk phone workload
less time on the phone, more time with patients
0
missed calls
every call answered, 24 hours a day
What a virtual assistant doesn't do
It doesn't greet patients at the door, take payments or run the practice. It doesn't give diagnoses or clinical advice. It doesn't deal with an angry patient or a sensitive situation: it hands over to the team. And when it doesn't know the answer, it says it will ask the front desk instead of making something up. The point is to take the unanswered phone off the team's shoulders, as we explain in AI virtual receptionist vs. human. If you are still choosing between one more person, a call centre, a chatbot or an AI agent, see the 4 alternatives compared.
GDPR and the EU AI Act
Loominary processes data as the clinic's data processor, under a data processing agreement. Data is encrypted and not shared with third parties. Patients are told they are talking to an automated system, as the EU AI Act requires for anyone talking to an AI.
Set up in 1 to 2 weeks
After the free assessment, we set up the agent with the clinic's treatments, insurers, opening hours and doctors, and connect it to the phone, WhatsApp and the calendar. Training the team takes less than 30 minutes and service doesn't stop during setup. If WhatsApp is what you care about most, see the WhatsApp assistant for clinics.
By type of clinic
Every specialty gets different calls
Dental clinics
Toothache on a Saturday, implant assessments, cleanings, quote requests and no-shows.
Physiotherapy
Many sessions per patient, constant rescheduling and questions about insurance and agreements.
Aesthetic clinics
Price requests on WhatsApp, assessment appointments and messages coming in from ad campaigns.
The clinic's WhatsApp
Replies, bookings and reminders on the clinic's own number, at any hour of the day.
Frequently asked questions
Questions about the virtual assistant
Does the virtual receptionist replace my receptionist?
No. It answers the phone and WhatsApp when the front desk can't. Your receptionist keeps the desk, the patients standing in front of them and everything that needs a person.
Does it speak European Portuguese?
Yes, with a Portuguese accent and vocabulary, and it uses the names of your clinic's treatments and insurers.
What happens when the assistant doesn't know the answer?
It tells the patient it will pass the request to the front desk, and the team is notified. It doesn't improvise answers about prices, treatments or health.
How much does a virtual receptionist cost?
It is built to measure for each clinic, so there is no price list. The model is a one-off implementation fee plus a fixed monthly fee, with no per-call or per-message charge from Loominary. WhatsApp messages the clinic sends on its own initiative, such as reminders, carry Meta's rate and are paid to Meta. The amount varies with the channels (phone, WhatsApp and email), the integrations with the management software and the number of locations, and is presented in the free 15-minute assessment.
How can I see the agent at work?
Request a demo. We talk to you on WhatsApp or Jorge calls you, and we show the agent booking and rescheduling appointments in a sample clinic.
How many calls can your front desk not answer?
The free 15-minute assessment answers that with your clinic's own numbers.