Introduction
The AI Scheduling Assistant (powered by Alina) is SKED's AI receptionist that answers calls, schedules appointments, and handles common patient questions — all while keeping your existing office phone number intact. This article walks through how to configure the General settings to get Alina up and running.
To find this page, click Settings in the blue navigation bar, and under the Tools section, click AI Scheduling Assistant.
Phone Setup
This section manages how patients reach your office and how Alina handles those calls.
General Office Phone Number
Your office's main phone number is displayed here for reference. This is the number patients already know and use. After you've chosen your Alina phone number in a later step, you will need to set up call forwarding to that number as a blind transfer with your phone carrier or VoIP provider.
Alina Phone Number
This is Alina's dedicated line — the number that your forwarded calls are answered on. Patients continue calling your regular office number; they simply reach Alina through the forwarding you set up.
To select a number for Alina:
Click Select a Number for Alina.
In the modal that appears, type your desired area code into the search bar.
A list of available numbers in that area will appear. Click the number you'd like to use.
Click Finish.
Once selected, Alina's phone number will be displayed in this section.
Transfer Phone Number
When a caller asks to speak with a staff member, or when Alina is unable to assist, she will transfer the call to the number configured here.
Important: If your office number is forwarded to Alina, do not set the transfer number to your general office line — this will create a loop where Alina keeps transferring the caller back to herself.
Under Direct Number or Office Number + Extension, choose one of the following options:
Office Number — Transfers to your main office line. Use this option only if your office line is not forwarded to Alina. You would be sharing Alina's number in marketing, etc.
Direct Number — Transfers to a separate phone line (e.g. a staff member's direct line). This avoids any forwarding loop since it is a different number than your office line.
Office Number + Extension — Transfers to your office line with a specific extension. The extension must be valid in your phone system and is configured on the carrier or VoIP side. Enter the extension in the field that appears, then click Save.
SMS Phone Number
This is the number SKED uses to send text messages to patients (e.g. appointment reminders). It is displayed here for reference.
If your SMS number is different from your general office number — which is common when the office number is a wireless line and an LOA (Letter of Authorization) has not been filed — you will see an additional option:
Forward inbound calls to: This dropdown controls what happens when a patient calls the SMS number (for example, if a patient calls back the number that texted them a reminder). Your options are:
Alina phone number — The call routes to Alina first, who can assist or transfer as needed. Note: if Alina is enabled, this means those calls will go to Alina.
General office phone number — The call routes directly to your main office line, bypassing Alina.
Scheduling
This section determines which scheduling portals Alina uses when booking appointments.
New Patient Portal
Select the portal Alina uses to schedule new patient appointments. The selected portal's scheduling rules apply, but any "Linked portal" settings configured on the portal itself are ignored here — only the two portals linked in this section are used.
Tip: We recommend creating a dedicated new patient portal specifically for Alina (rather than using your existing website portal). This makes it easy to track which leads Alina is scheduling. You can quickly create a duplicate portal and rename it for Alina.
Then select the Alina NPP by clicking the chevron (▾) to open a dropdown and select it.
Existing Patients
For existing patient scheduling, Alina uses your Mobile App Settings. To update those settings, click the Mobile App Settings link in the note that appears in this section.
Voice
Select the voice you want Alina to use when speaking with callers. Click the dropdown to preview and choose from the available options. Each voice is labeled with its name, language, tone, and style.
Languages
Alina Language
Choose the default language Alina will communicate in. This is the language she will use unless the caller selects a different one.
Additional Languages
Specify additional languages callers can choose from at the start of a call. Click the dropdown and select as many languages as you'd like to offer.
Saving and Enabling
Once you have completed your setup, click Save in the top right corner to save your changes.
When you are ready for Alina to go live, check the Enabled box in the top right. This makes Alina's phone number active. Keep in mind that patients will not reach Alina until your office has also set up call forwarding with your phone carrier or VoIP provider.
Note: The Enabled toggle does not notify patients — it simply activates the number. You will need to ensure your call forwarding is set up separately.
Set Up Call Forwarding
After Alina has been enabled, click here to view instructions on setting up appropriate call forwarding so she can answer the phone when she calls your general office phone number.