Case Study: AI Receptionist at a Birmingham Dental Practice — 90-Day Results

🦷 The Practice

A 3-surgery NHS and private dental practice in Birmingham with 4 full-time dentists and 3 reception staff. Opening hours: Monday–Friday 8am–6pm, Saturday 9am–1pm. The practice had approximately 2,400 registered patients.

📵 The Problem: Missed Calls = Missed Revenue

Reception staff were managing a high volume of appointment calls during opening hours but had no coverage outside these hours. The practice's own call data showed 23 calls per week going unanswered on evenings and weekends — appointments that often went to competitors or resulted in patients calling NHS 111.

The cost of a missed new patient appointment averages £180–£350 in lifetime value. At 23 missed calls per week, the annual opportunity cost was estimated at £50,000–£100,000 (assuming 20% conversion to actual bookings).

🤖 The AI Receptionist Configuration

• Answers all calls outside opening hours within 2 rings
• Introduces itself as 'the Telexico AI assistant for [Practice Name]'
• Triage: emergency dental → direct to NHS 111. Appointment enquiry → capture name, date preference, NHS/private.
• Sends full call transcript to practice manager email within 60 seconds
• For appointment requests: adds to a morning callback list reviewed by reception at 9am

📊 90-Day Results

💬 Patient Feedback

Reception staff surveyed 40 patients who had interacted with the AI. 34 (85%) rated the experience as 'helpful' or 'very helpful'. 6 patients noted they preferred speaking to a person — these were typically patients with complex queries rather than straightforward appointment requests.

💷 Cost vs Hiring a Part-Time Receptionist