Got questions? View the FAQs section at the bottom of this article!
Introduction
Alina is SKED's AI Scheduling Assistant. She answers patient calls, books and reschedules appointments, and answers common questions for your office. The setup wizard walks you through the essentials: how patients reach Alina, her phone number, which New Patient Portal she uses, her voice, and her languages. This article covers each step.
Start the Setup Wizard
In the blue navigation bar, click Alina, then select Scheduling Agent. This opens the AI Scheduling Assistant page on the General view. Click Set Up Alina at the top right of the page. The setup wizard will open. A progress bar and step counter at the top show where you are.
Note: If you close the wizard before finishing, your progress won't be saved. You'll need to start from the beginning next time.
Step 1: Choose How Alina Handles Calls
Choose one of two options:
Alina answers calls to her own number: Alina gets her own dedicated line. Share it on your website, Google listing, or anywhere you want patients to reach her directly. Your office number stays separate.
Alina answers calls to my office number: Alina answers when patients call your main office line. This requires call forwarding set up with your phone provider, plus an additional direct number or extension Alina can use to transfer calls back to staff without creating a loop.
Tip: Not ready to set up call forwarding? Choose Alina's own number now. You can switch to your office number later.
Step 2: Set a Transfer Number (Office Number Only)
This step only appears if you chose Alina answers calls to my office number.
When a patient asks to speak with a staff member, Alina transfers them to this number. Select the Type, either Direct Number or Office Number + Extension, then enter the Number.
Warning: Don't use your main office number alone. Because your office number forwards to Alina, transferring back to it would send the call in a loop. Use a direct line or an extension.
Step 3: Get a Number for Alina
Enter your preferred three-digit area code, then select one of the available numbers listed.
Note: If you chose your office number in Step 1, patients will call your office line rather than this number, so the area code doesn't need to match your location.
If no numbers are available for an area code, try a different one.
Step 4: Choose a New Patient Portal
Alina uses a New Patient Portal to view new patient appointment availability. You have three options:
Select an existing portal: Alina uses it as-is.
Duplicate: Click Duplicate next to a portal to make a copy just for Alina.
Create new: Build a new portal from scratch.
Tip: Duplicating a portal gives Alina her own copy, so changes to her setup won't affect your existing portal.
If You Choose Create New
You'll be asked to configure the new portal:
Allow same day scheduling? Lets patients book quick, flexible appointments.
Schedule appointments directly into the calendar? If checked, appointments save to your calendar and sync to your EHR. If unchecked, new patients request an appointment and you receive an email notification.
Limit how far in advance patients can schedule? Limits how far in the future a patient can book or request.
Show Email & SMS consent opt-in? Shows opt-in checkboxes during scheduling. This is required for compliance unless your team collects consent in person.
How should the birthday field be handled? Choose Optional, Required, or Hidden.
Which appointment types should be available? Search and select the new patient appointment types for this portal.
Warning: If no appointment types are selected, patients won't be able to schedule.
After you continue, you'll see a confirmation that your new portal has been created and linked to the AI Scheduling Assistant.
Note: For existing patients, Alina uses your mobile app settings, not this portal.
Step 5: Pick Alina's Voice
Click the play button next to each voice to hear a preview, then select your favorite. Each voice lists tags such as language, tone, and style to help you compare.
Step 6: Set Languages
Choose Alina's Default language from the dropdown. You can also add Additional languages (optional). Callers can choose from these, and Alina can switch languages mid-call.
Finish Setup
After the last step, Alina will take about 10-15 seconds to get ready. You'll see progress messages while your number is reserved and her call routing and voice settings are configured.
When it's done, you'll see Alina's number is ready! along with her phone number. At this point she's on and ready to answer, but not live to patients yet. Call her number to hear her in action. The screen also lists the steps to complete before going live (see the FAQ below). Click Go to Training to continue.
FAQs
How do I go live?
Alina isn't live to patients until you complete the steps shown on the final screen and turn on Enabled at the top of the page. The steps depend on the option you chose in Step 1.
If you chose Alina's own number:
Train Alina on your office. Provide knowledge and guidance on how she should answer questions and handle common tasks.
Enable Alina. Check Enabled at the top of the page. Nothing else is needed, because patients call her number directly. Share it on your website, Google listing, or anywhere patients look you up.
If you chose your office number:
Train Alina on your office. Same as above.
Configure call routing (required to go live). Log in to your phone provider's account (RingCentral, Vonage, etc.) and find the Call Forwarding or Blind Transfer setting for your office number. Forward calls to Alina's number, shown on the final setup screen.
Enable Alina. Check Enabled at the top of the page.
Note: If you enable Alina before call forwarding is active, you'll see a reminder. She won't answer real calls until forwarding is in place.
Can I change how patients reach Alina later?
Yes. If you're not ready for call forwarding, choose Alina's own number during setup and switch to your office number later.
Why can't I find a number for my area code?
Not every area code has numbers available. Try a nearby or different area code. If you chose your office number, the area code doesn't need to match your location.
Why won't Alina answer calls to my office number yet?
Call forwarding needs to be set up with your phone provider. Forward your office number to Alina's number, then confirm it's active.
Can I leave the wizard and come back?
Closing the wizard before you finish won't save your progress, so you'll start over from the beginning.