Long hold times are one of healthcare's most persistent pain points — and one of the costliest. For a major ENT specialty group serving half a million patients a year, that frustration was becoming a liability, straining front-desk staff and eroding the patient experience. Here's how an AI voice agent turned their busiest bottleneck into a competitive advantage.
Reduction in calls requiring human intervention
Faster than calls with human agents
Hours of patient time saved
The challenge: long hold times, overwhelmed staff
A leading ears, nose, and throat care specialist, managing half a million annual outpatient visits across 10 clinics, was grappling with a problem that plagues many large medical institutions: frustratingly long hold times that left patients exasperated and staff overwhelmed.
The solution: an AI voice agent for patient experience
Determined to modernize their digital front door, they turned to Avaamo’s Patient Experience (PX) solution. The result? A game-changing AI voice agent that would transform their patient experience from the ground up. The AI agent seamlessly handled routine tasks like appointment scheduling and providing clinic directions – all with zero wait times. When human intervention was needed, it authenticated users and transferred calls, sharing details to eliminate redundant information gathering.
The results: faster calls, fewer escalations
The impact was immediate. Patients quickly embraced the AI agent, resulting in a 40% reduction in appointment-related calls requiring human intervention. Each AI-handled call saved an average of 3 minutes – a 55% improvement over human-agent calls.
The bigger picture: a new standard for patient care
The numbers tell a compelling story: In its initial deployment, Avaamo’s voice agent has already saved patients over 5,000 hours in appointment management time. By embracing AI, this ENT specialist has not only solved a pervasive problem but has set a new standard for patient care in the digital age.