Clinics & Practices
A dental practice whose front desk stops living on hold
Behind every smile is someone who chose you. Larkspur wanted more of the day spent on the people in the chair, and less on the phone.
Larkspur Family Dental
Fictional business
A two-chair practice in a mid-size town, run by Dr. Priya Anand and a front desk of one.
Patients scan the QR code at the counter or the link in an email, ask Alfred their questions, book an open time, and get a reminder the day before. The front desk handles what only a person can.
Example scenarios. Every business on these pages is fictional, and the numbers are worked out from the assumptions shown, not measured results. Your numbers will differ.
Before Alfred
Where the week was leaking
Missed visits leave holes in the day
An empty chair still costs the hour, and a reminder is the simplest fix there is.
A 2023 review of 61 studies found significant evidence that reminders by text, phone or mail reduce missed health appointments.
BMC Health Services Research, 2023 The same questions, all day
Do you take my insurance? Are you open Saturday? What should I bring? Each one is a call the front desk takes between patients.
New patients read reviews first
Happy patients rarely think to leave one unless someone asks while the visit is fresh.
41% of consumers say they “always” read reviews when browsing for businesses, up from 29% a year earlier.
BrightLocal, 2026
The setup
How they set it up
- 1
Built the portal from the practice website in the quick start, and printed a counter card from Portal → Your QR code → Print kit.
- 2
In Train your assistant, added hours, insurance plans taken, and "what to bring to your first visit".
- 3
Bookings → How customers book → Use Alfred's calendar, with each dentist's own hours.
- 4
Follow-ups: approved the Booking reminder and Review & referral once, so they send by themselves.
- 5
Added Patient check-in to the portal, so arrivals show on Bookings under "Arrived today".
Starter ($20/mo) runs this setup: Booking reminder, Review & referral.
A week with Alfred
What the week looks like
Monday, 9:40 pm
A parent asks the portal chat whether Larkspur sees children. Alfred answers from what the practice taught it and offers Thursday at 4:00. Booked.
Wednesday, 10:00 am
Alfred emails Thursday's patients a reminder with a "Change or cancel" link. One moves to next week instead of not showing.
Thursday, 3:55 pm
The parent checks in from the waiting room. The front desk sees "Arrived" on Bookings without looking up.
Friday, 11:00 am
Yesterday's patients get a review ask. A 2-star rating lands in Conversations, so Dr. Anand can call the patient and make it right.
The math
Time and money in play
Worked out from the assumptions in each line. Swap in your own numbers.
Front-desk time
- 40 questions a week answered in the portal chat × 3 minutes each = 2 hours a week, about 8.7 hours a month.
- 30 reminder calls a week replaced by the day-before email × 2 minutes each = 1 hour a week, about 4.3 hours a month.
Visits in play
- 8 missed visits a month × $150 a visit = $1,200 a month in play.
- If a reminder helps 3 of those patients keep or move their visit, that is $450 a month back.
What it costs
- About 173 chat replies (1¢ each) and 260 emails (0.2¢ each) a month is $2.25 of credit. Starter ($20/mo) includes $3 a month.
Actionable insights
What you can do this week
Count last month's no-shows
Your scheduler already knows. Multiply by your average visit; that is the number the reminder works on.
Write down the five questions you answer most
Put the answers in Train your assistant. Those are the calls that stop.
Put the QR code where people wait
The counter and the waiting room, not the back office. A card nobody sees earns nothing.
Ask for the review the next day
Switch on Review & referral. Every patient gets the same review link, and low ratings also land in Conversations so you can make it right.
Run your own version of this week
Start on the free plan, build your portal in a few minutes, and print your QR code today.