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Surprisingly Human: What Patients Really Think About Talking to Voice AI in Healthcare

Assort Health

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June 5, 2025

14 million patient interactions, and growing. At a time when staff are stretched and hiring is tough, more patients are choosing to schedule on their own terms. Voice AI has become a trusted first touchpoint - meeting patients with clarity, speed, and care from the very first call.

“Will our patients feel comfortable talking to a robot?”

It’s one of the first questions we hear from healthcare leaders exploring voice AI. And we get it.

Healthcare is personal. It's emotional. And it's built on trust. So putting a robot at the front lines of that experience, especially when your clinic is already short-staffed or struggling to hire, can feel risky.

After millions of real-world patient interactions and tends of thousands of reviews, one thing is clear:

Patients don’t just tolerate voice AI. They appreciate it.

Given the choice between:

  1. Wait on hold for 45 minutes for the next available human
  2. Talk immediately to a (good - the important part here is good) voice AI

Patients who have used Assort would highly recommend the second, even those who were skeptical initially.

Voice AI Doesn’t Replace Your Staff, It Makes Them More Effective

At Assort Health, we help clinics automate routine phone tasks like appointment scheduling, rescheduling, and cancellations through specialty-trained voice AI. Our voice agents are trained to handle complex workflows, like confirming insurance, navigating specialty-specific triage rules, and offering available appointment slots, without compromising clarity or care.

AI isn’t here to replace your staff—it’s here to give them leverage. By handling routine, repetitive tasks in the background, it frees up your team to focus on the work that truly requires their expertise: supporting patients through complex care decisions, strengthening relationships, and delivering a more thoughtful, human experience.

We’ve built our system to be thoughtful:

  • It confirms insurance.
  • It navigates specialty-specific triage rules.
  • It handles schedule complexity with ease and patience. 
  • But it also accurately knows when a human staff members needs to be called in.

But Don’t Just Take It From Us

Here’s what patients actually say after talking to a Voice AI: 

“All of it scheduled through AI? Unbelievable.”
Chicago, IL

“I love the robot that makes the appointments. It was very sweet when I told it I needed a minute to get my insurance card.”
BOS Patient

“Terrific. Offered me other time slots and then booked it. Thank you.”
PBOI Patient

“You sound so intelligent but not human… and if you are an AI, you're a really good one.”
Palm Beach, FL

“Wow.”
Multiple clinics across the U.S.

Not exactly the cold, frustrating experience many expect from automation. What we hear instead is relief. Surprise. Even delight.

Most patients prefer our voice AI over waiting 45 minutes on hold—even the skeptics.

The Data Tells the Same Story: Accelerated Adoption by Patients

We’ve served over ten million patient interactions across a wide range of practices and specialties. Across tens of thousands of patient surveys (and growing), Assort Health’s voice AI earned an average satisfaction rating of 4.3 out of 5.

And usage is accelerating. Many of our partner clinics are seeing a J-curve adoption pattern, where more and more calls are being handled by voice AI each month as patients grow more comfortable and trust the system.

# of patient interactions served by Voice AI

At one high-volume orthopedic practice, average daily call volume per staff member dropped from 80–110 calls to just 30–40. As one team member put it, “We’re only getting 20 calls a day—what else are we supposed to be doing?”

The shift is giving clinic staff room to breathe, and to refocus on what really matters.

Patients Are Choosing Voice AI. Here’s Why

Voice AI reduces wait times and offers flexibility. Patients can book, cancel, or reschedule appointments through the channel they prefer, whether that’s web, phone, or SMS, without needing to speak to a staff member.

In practice, it’s effective: over 90% of calls are resolved on the first attempt using Assort’s voice AI, with no need for human follow-up. This improves access for patients while reducing manual workload for staff.

What This Means for Healthcare Leaders

For clinic operators, physician-owners, and patient experience leaders, the takeaway is clear: It’s possible to improve efficiency without compromising the human side of care.

Voice AI isn’t just a tool. It can be part of a broader operational strategy.

  • You can automate without losing the human touch.
  • You can improve efficiency and patient satisfaction.
  • You can offer an experience that feels modern and human with technology.

When implemented thoughtfully, it can reduce friction for patients, ease the workload for staff, and create a more modern, responsive experience across the board.

Want to Hear It for Yourself?

Let’s talk about what voice AI could look like at your clinic, and what it might free your team up to focus on. Book a Demo with our team.

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