Private GP practices
You sell speed. The phone has to prove it
Nobody pays to see a GP privately in order to be seen eventually. Speed is the whole proposition, which means an unanswered phone does not just lose an enquiry, it contradicts what you are selling. We make sure the practice answers first, books same day where you have capacity, and follows up before the patient tries somebody else.
The outcome
The practice proves its promise on the first call
A patient going private has usually just been told how long the alternative will take. They are in a decisive frame of mind and they are ringing more than one practice. Whoever answers, gives a real appointment time and confirms it in writing tends to get the patient, and that has far more to do with how the phone is handled than with how much is spent on advertising.
What we put in
- Answered first, including out of hours
- Our Virtual Receptionist answers when reception is on another call or the practice is closed, takes what the patient needs and how soon, and offers a real slot rather than a promise that somebody will ring back.
- Same day capacity actually filled
- Private practices routinely have same day capacity that goes unsold because nobody was reachable at the moment somebody wanted it. Matching urgent enquiries to that capacity is usually the fastest revenue in the building.
- Registration and self-pay paths kept separate
- A registered patient and a one-off self-pay enquiry need different information and different admin. Sorting that at the point of enquiry removes the back and forth that delays the appointment.
- Written confirmation while they are still deciding
- A confirmed time in writing, immediately, is what stops a patient continuing down their list of practices.
What it’s worth
What a filled same day slot is worth
Use your own numbers. Take the consultations you could have delivered this week but did not sell, and the share of enquiries that reach a human first time. The gap between those two figures is the opportunity, and it is usually larger than anything an advertising budget would add, because the demand already exists and is already calling you.
The cost of the gap is a clinician sitting available while a patient who wanted that exact slot rings somebody else. It never appears in your reporting, because an unanswered call leaves no record and an unsold slot looks like a quiet day.
How it’s built
You own it, not us
The number, the call records, the patient data and the automations sit in accounts in your practice's name. Nothing switches off if you stop working with us, and nothing has to be exported. In primary care, where the data is sensitive and the relationships are long, that matters more than usual.
- Registered to your businessThe numbers, the database, the automations, the website and every call record sit in accounts in your organisation's name.
- We hold access, not ownershipOur route in is a permission you grant, and one you can withdraw without anything stopping.
- If we stop working togetherThe system keeps running and nothing has to be exported, because none of it was ever somewhere else.
What it takes
How to start
Run a free Leak Check. It scores what a patient experiences when they try to reach you: how fast the phone is answered, what happens out of hours, and how long a web enquiry waits. You keep the findings whether or not you work with us.
What owners ask first
How do private GP practices get more patients?
Usually by converting the demand already reaching them rather than by generating more. Private patients are decisive and comparison-shopping on speed, so the practice that answers first and offers a real time tends to win. Answer rate and time to a confirmed appointment move the number faster than advertising spend does.
Will patients accept an automated first answer?
It is answering calls that currently reach nobody, so the comparison is an answer against a ring tone. It says what it is, handles availability and booking, and passes anything clinical to your team with the details already captured.
Is this suitable for a practice handling sensitive information?
Enquiry handling captures the practical details needed to book an appointment, not clinical information, and everything sits in accounts your practice controls. We go through exactly what is captured and where it is stored during the Leak Check.
What does it cost?
It depends on call volume and how much follow-up you want automated, and the tiers are published so you can see where you would land before anyone books a call. The Leak Check is free and the findings are yours regardless.
Free · No install · Results in 48 hours
Find out what's recoverable in your clinic
We mystery-shop your clinic the way a patient would, by search, phone and web form, then show you the patients you could be winning. Scored on three things: are you found, is the enquiry answered, does anyone chase it.