A message arrives at two in the morning. It describes a loss, asks whether there is any point in trying again, and ends with an apology for writing at that hour.
There is no automated response to that message which is acceptable. There is only a person, a short acknowledgement and somebody ringing in the morning.
Why this sector is different
Because the enquiries are not about a service. They are about somebody's life, frequently at the worst point of it, and the person writing has usually been deciding whether to write for weeks.
What goes wrong with an automated reply
It answers the words rather than the situation. A message about loss receives information about consultation fees, and the person concludes that nobody is listening.
The design principle
Published practical information can be answered at any hour. Anything where a person describes their own circumstances goes to a human being, immediately, with an acknowledgement in the meantime.
What should be answered automatically
Opening hours, location, parking, what to bring, how to change an appointment, published prices, what a service involves and how to get in touch.
What must never be
Anything about somebody's chances, a diagnosis, a result, a decision about stored material, a loss, a relationship change or a distressed message of any kind.
Recognise the signals
First person description of circumstances, emotional language, an apology for writing, mention of loss, time of night, and anything that does not match a published question.
Acknowledge immediately and honestly
That a person will respond, when, and that the message has reached somebody. An immediate acknowledgement is not a substitute for a human reply and it matters enormously at two in the morning.
Do not attempt reassurance
Nothing automated should say anything about outcomes, chances or how somebody should feel. A short, warm acknowledgement that names nothing is the correct response.
Route it to the right person
Not a general inbox. A named member of staff who handles these, with a stated time. Sensitive enquiries left in a queue are the worst outcome of all.
Give staff what they need
The message, the time it arrived and whatever context exists, so that whoever rings is not starting cold with somebody who has already told their story once.
Publish the emotional support position
What the clinic offers, whether counselling is available and what it costs, so somebody can find it without asking, which is the care in first enquiries to a fertility clinic handled with care.
Publish the practical things generously
Because the more an assistant can answer about logistics, the more staff time exists for the messages that need a person, which is the argument in partner and support questions about attending.
Review what actually arrives
The only way to know whether the boundary is drawn in the right place is to read the messages that came in last month. Checking periodically which enquiries were answered automatically, and whether any of them should not have been, is what keeps a system safe as the questions people ask slowly change.
The same boundary applies elsewhere in healthcare
Results and prescriptions need a person for the same reasons, as in test results and prescription questions that need a person, and answering the routine well is the point of how to answer product questions before they reach support.
Getting started
Publish the practical information generously, route anything personal to a named person immediately and acknowledge without reassuring. SpideyChat for clinics answers from your published pages and hands over the rest. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about routing on the features page.