Checklist · Allied health and clinics · Enquiries

How do I stop missing new patient calls and enquiries at my clinic?

By BREME · Updated 12 November 2026

Who this is for: Owners and practice managers of physio, chiro, podiatry, psychology, dental and other allied health clinics where new patients call, message or fill in a form and sometimes never hear back.

What this looks like

A new patient rings at 12.40pm while reception is on lunch and the practitioners are in sessions. It rings out to voicemail, they hang up, and they try the next clinic on the list. Nobody knows the call happened.

The same thing happens quietly in other places. The website form still sends to the email of a practice manager who left last year. A Facebook message about whether you see kids sits unread for four days. Someone writes on Instagram asking about a Saturday appointment and gets no reply. Each one is a person who was ready to book.

Why clinics miss patient enquiries

It is rarely a lack of effort. Reception is busy with the people in front of them, and enquiries arrive through more doors than anyone has written down. Each door was set up at a different time, by a different person, and nobody owns the full list.

Some doors have also changed without anyone noticing. Google says that as of 31 July 2024 the chat feature is no longer available in Business Profiles, so a website or old flyer that says to message you on Google is pointing people at something that no longer exists. Calls from your profile still come through, which makes the phone the door that matters most.

The weekly checklist to stop missing patient enquiries

1. List every door. Write down each way a new patient can reach you: the main number, any mobile on the website, the web form, every email address shown anywhere, Facebook, Instagram, online booking, and your Google Business Profile. Next to each, write where it lands and who checks it. Remove any mention of Google chat from your website and signatures.
2. Send every door to one place. Point the web form and every public email address to one shared inbox, for example reception@, that reception can open on the front desk computer. If you keep a second inbox, write down who checks it and when.
3. Give each door an owner and a reply time. One named person checks each channel at set times, for example at opening, after lunch and before close. Our rule of thumb: reply to every new enquiry within the hour during opening hours, and first thing the next morning for anything that came in overnight.
4. Set the ring time. On a Telstra mobile, Telstra says you can choose how long it rings before going to MessageBank by dialling 61*101* then 15, 20, 25 or 30, then #, for example 61*101*30# for 30 seconds. On a landline or cloud phone system, ask your provider how to set the ring time and where unanswered calls go.
5. Fix the voicemail. Record a greeting that says the clinic name, when you will call back and that they can book online any time. Check the mailbox isn't full. On Telstra, the hang-up message service sends an SMS when a caller hangs up after your greeting without leaving a message, so you still get their number. You can switch it on by calling 101, pressing ** for the main menu, 3 for Mailbox Setup, then 6.
6. Text back every missed call. When a call is missed and no message is left, send a short text from the clinic mobile within the hour using the template below. Keep health details out of texts and voicemails.
7. Turn on an instant reply for Facebook and Instagram. In Meta Business Suite, go to Inbox, then Automations, then Instant reply, turn it on, choose your channel, type the greeting and save. It answers straight away and tells people when a human will reply and where to book.
8. Test the web form every Friday. Fill it in yourself with a test name, then check it arrived in the shared inbox, how long it took, and that the confirmation message the patient sees makes sense.
9. Do a five-minute stuck check every Friday. Open each channel on your list and look for anything older than a day without a reply. Reply, then note what caused the delay.
10. Count enquiries once a month. Tally new enquiries by channel and how many became a first appointment. That tells you which doors matter and which ones are leaking.

Why each item matters

The list of doors is the item most clinics skip, and it is the one that finds the old inbox nobody reads. The shared inbox and named owner turn a vague job everybody shares into a specific one that somebody does.

Ring time and voicemail decide what happens to the caller you couldn't answer. A short ring time, a full mailbox or a greeting that says nothing useful all send people to the next clinic. The hang-up SMS and the text back catch the people who would never leave a message.

The Friday test and stuck check are what keep it working. Forms break when websites change, staff change, and passwords get reset. A five-minute check finds those before patients do.

How to tell it's working

After four weeks, look at three things: how many missed calls got a text back the same day, how many enquiries waited more than a day for a reply in the Friday stuck check, and how many new enquiries became first appointments.

The second number should fall towards zero. If it doesn't, the problem is usually one channel with no clear owner, so start there.

Hi, it's [name] from [clinic name]. Sorry we missed your call, we were with patients. We'll call you back by [time]. If it's easier, you can book online here: [booking link]. Or just reply to this text with a good time to call.

Hi, you've reached [clinic name]. We're with patients at the moment. Please leave your name and number and we'll call you back [within the hour / first thing tomorrow morning]. You can also book online any time at [short web address]. If you need urgent care, please call 000.

1. Missed calls this week: ___ Texted back the same day: ___
2. Voicemail mailbox has space: Y / N
3. Test web form sent at [time], arrived at [time], in the right inbox: Y / N
4. Shared inbox: anything older than one day without a reply? Y / N
5. Facebook and Instagram inbox: anything unanswered? Y / N
6. Instant reply still on and still accurate: Y / N
7. Any old email address or Google chat mention found on the website: ___
8. New enquiries this week: ___ Booked a first appointment: ___
9. One fix before next Friday: ___