The questions dentists actually ask.
These are the ones that come up on nearly every call, including the two most vendors avoid. Answered here so you don’t have to sit through a pitch to hear them.
Does it sound like a robot?
It sounds like a calm receptionist reading from your own information, and most callers finish the call without remarking on it. It is still an AI voice agent and it says so if anyone asks. We would rather you ring it yourself than take that on trust.
What happens if someone has an emergency at 2am?
It reads out your practice’s own emergency instructions — your on-call number, your A&E guidance, whatever you write — and offers the first available slot. It does not give clinical advice and it does not improvise. You write that script; we read it.
Can it handle insurance questions?
It knows which plans you accept and which you don’t, because we load your list at setup. It will not quote a patient’s coverage or estimate what they will owe — those go to your desk. Getting “do you take my insurance?” wrong loses a new patient in ten seconds, so we keep it narrow and correct.
What if a patient insists on a human?
They get one. In open hours the call transfers live to your front desk, first time of asking. After hours it takes the details and puts them at the top of your morning list.
Does it work with my calendar?
It books into your live schedule, which is why it can only offer slots that are genuinely open. Tell us what you run on the call and we confirm it works before you pay anything.
What if it books something wrong?
Every call is recorded and every booking is logged, so you can hear exactly what was said and fix it like any other appointment. Before anything on an existing patient’s record changes, it verifies who it is speaking to.
Do I have to change my phone number?
No. Your existing line, your existing handsets, nothing on your cards or your Google listing changes. Your team does not need training either.
How long does setup take?
Days, not weeks, and almost none of it is your time. We need your hours, services, insurance list, emergency script and calendar access. Your team keeps treating patients while it is built.
How many patients will this actually get me?
We don’t know, and anyone who gives you a figure is guessing or borrowing it from someone else’s study. Alent is new and has no case studies. What you get instead is the call log — every call answered, every booking made, recording attached — so you can count it yourself from month one.
What does it cost?
A flat monthly fee with unlimited calls, plus a one-time setup fee. No per-minute or per-call billing. You get the exact numbers on the 15-minute call, once we know what has to be connected.
Can I cancel?
Any time. Inside the first 14 days you get a full refund including the setup fee. After that it is month to month, no notice period and no contract to get out of.
Still have one we didn’t answer?
Fifteen minutes with the founder. No deck and no pitch — we ring your practice line and you listen to it answer.
Book a call