“Ava now handles a big share of our inbound calls. Since switching her on, the phones and reception feel noticeably calmer.”
Riverside Dental introduced Ava, a 24Front AI receptionist connected to the practice calendar and configured around its appointment, escalation and handoff rules. Ava started with missed and out-of-hours calls, and her role expanded as the reception team tested her on real calls.
The practice
Calls don't wait for reception to become quiet.
Riverside recorded nearly 2,500 external calls in a single month. During the busiest weekday window, between 9am and 11am, as many as 26 calls arrived in an hour.
The reception team handled those calls alongside patients at the desk, clinician support and daily admin. Suitable calls needed to move forward without waiting for someone to be free.
The needs
What Riverside needed Ava to do.
Move suitable calls forward
Ava needed to do more than answer — using approved information to book, reschedule or cancel appointments.
Know when to involve the team
Clinical uncertainty, policy exceptions and sensitive payment questions still needed a person.
Fit the way the practice already works
The calendar stayed the source of truth. Ava had to respect availability, appointment types and clinician preferences.
“24Front helped us work out what Ava needed to do in a single workshop. We tested the setup ourselves, sent feedback, and the team turned changes around quickly.”
Operational outcome
What changed for callers and reception.
More coverage when reception is unavailable
Callers get approved practice information, begin an appointment journey or leave structured details for follow-up.
Appointment requests move forward
For configured journeys, Ava identifies the patient, checks availability and books, reschedules or cancels.
Patients still have a route to a person
During working hours Ava can transfer live to reception; if no one is free, she records the reason and callback details. Ava never gives clinical advice.
Working with you
An AI receptionist should fit the practice.
Riverside didn't build its own voice-AI system or force its workflows into a generic script. The practice kept control over what Ava could complete, when she should involve reception, and what she should never guess.
The result: an AI receptionist with a defined role, helping callers move forward while keeping the team in control.