From Voicemail Box to Virtual Team Member
How a 3-doctor GP clinic in the Southeast transformed after-hours communication with AI-powered call handling.
The Voicemail Nightmare
Every morning, the front desk staff at this Southeast GP clinic faced the same routine: 23 voicemails waiting to be processed. It took roughly 45 minutes just to listen, transcribe, and route them before the first patient even walked in.
But the real problem was not just the time. It was what was not happening.
No Triage
Urgent messages sat alongside routine questions with no prioritization. A pet owner calling about their dog who just ate chocolate was buried between refill requests.
No Answers
Callers with simple questions — like clinic hours, vaccination requirements, or post-op care instructions — got nothing but a beep and a prompt to leave a message.
No Scheduling
Pet owners who wanted to book wellness visits or follow-ups had to wait until the next business day, often calling back multiple times.
Puppilot Goes Live
In April, the clinic deployed Puppilot as their after-hours AI assistant. The setup was straightforward: Puppilot was connected to the clinic's phone system, given access to the clinic's patient database for context, and configured with the clinic's protocols for triage, scheduling, and frequently asked questions.
From the very first night, every call was answered immediately. No hold music. No voicemail prompt. A knowledgeable AI that could actually help.
What Calls Actually Sound Like
Here are three representative calls from the clinic's first month with Puppilot, showing how different call types are handled.
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
After the first full month of Puppilot handling after-hours calls, the results were clear.
Call Type Breakdown
Before vs. After Puppilot
| Metric | Before | After Puppilot |
|---|---|---|
| After-hours call response | Voicemail only | Immediate live AI answer |
| Morning voicemail processing | ~45 minutes daily | Eliminated |
| FAQ resolution (after-hours) | 0% — callers left messages | 79% resolved without follow-up |
| Emergency triage | No triage — all calls treated equally | 46% fully triaged, rest escalated |
| Scheduling callbacks needed | 100% of scheduling requests | Reduced by 85% |
| Caller satisfaction | Frustration with voicemail | 97% neutral-to-positive sentiment |
| Info captured for scheduling | Partial — varies by caller | 95% of calls had all info gathered |
What the Data Revealed
The single most important discovery was that nearly half of all after-hours calls were pet owners asking straightforward questions: clinic hours, vaccination requirements, boarding policies, or what to bring to a first appointment.
Before Puppilot, every single one of those callers heard a voicemail prompt, left a message, and waited for a callback the next day. Many called back in the morning, adding to the phone queue during peak hours.
With Puppilot, 79% of those FAQ calls were fully resolved on the spot. The callers got their answers immediately. The front desk never had to return those calls. That alone freed up significant time and reduced the morning rush.