Overview
Phone Agent uses call workflows to decide how it should handle different caller intents. Workflows can be enabled or disabled per agent and location.
Default workflow types
The current Phone Agent setup includes these workflow types:
New Appointment Booking: collect patient details, preferred time, and reason for visit.
Modify/Reschedule Appointment: handle requests to change an existing appointment.
Appointment Cancellation: process cancellation requests and offer rescheduling where appropriate.
Check Record: help callers check or confirm appointment details after identity checks.
Callback Request: collect name, number, and reason for call when staff need to call back.
General Enquiry: answer questions about the clinic, services, pricing, and availability.
Which workflows require Cliniko or Nookal?
New Appointment Booking, Modify/Reschedule Appointment, and Appointment Cancellation can be enabled without a PMS, but the agent can only collect the request for manual follow-up; it cannot complete live appointment actions.
The Check Record workflow requires Cliniko or Nookal. Its switch is unavailable until a PMS is connected because the workflow needs appointment record information.
What happens without a PMS?
If appointment workflows are enabled without a PMS, Phone Agent should collect the caller's details and the request. Your team then reviews the request in Phone Agent > Call Logs and follows up manually.
Use this as a safe fallback when you want call capture before full booking automation.
Patient confirmations and online booking links
The New Appointment Booking workflow includes optional patient communication actions. Depending on the saved configuration, Phone Agent can send an SMS confirmation after successfully booking a new appointment or text the clinic's online booking link with the caller's consent.
See Send appointment confirmations and online booking links with Phone Agent for configuration, consent, limitations, testing, and troubleshooting.
Caller information
For each workflow, make sure the agent collects enough information for the clinic to act on the request. Typical fields include caller name, phone number, patient name, date of birth where appropriate, preferred appointment time, reason for visit, and urgency.
Do not disable every workflow
At least one workflow should remain enabled. If the agent has no enabled workflow, it will not have a clear instruction for handling callers.
When to edit workflows
Edit workflows when callers are being routed incorrectly, appointment requests lack key details, the clinic wants different handling by location, or the agent is answering questions it should hand over to staff.