A dermatology clinic's enquiries arrive in three very different forms. Someone worried about a changing mole. Someone who has had acne for years and finally wants help. Someone comparing prices for a cosmetic treatment. The first needs urgency and care, the second needs reassurance, the third needs information.
The mistake is treating all three the same, and the bigger mistake is answering the first one at all.
Step 1: separate concern from cosmetic
The clearest thing a skin clinic website can do is split medical concerns from cosmetic treatments at the entry point. Different pages, different pricing, different routes. Patients then self-select, and the clinic sees at a glance which enquiries need prioritising.
Step 2: never assess anything
Photos will arrive unprompted. A website must not comment on them, compare them to anything, reassure or alarm. The only correct response is that skin concerns need in-person assessment, with a route to book and a reminder to see their doctor promptly if the concern is urgent.
Step 3: answer the admin questions properly
Whether a referral is needed, what a consultation costs, whether treatment is included, how long appointments take, whether the clinic treats children and how soon they can be seen. These are the questions that decide whether someone books, and they are entirely safe to answer. Admin questions are covered in clinic websites and the admin questions patients ask first.
Step 4: capture what the clinic needs
The service wanted, whether they have a referral, whether they have been seen before, how urgent they feel it is, and their availability. Nothing clinical.
Step 5: capture it in conversation
SpideyChat for clinics answers admin questions from your own pages at any hour and captures appointment requests without assessing anything.
Visitor: I have a mole that has changed shape. Can you tell me if it's serious? Assistant: I am not able to assess that, and changes to a mole should be looked at properly. Please contact your doctor promptly, and the clinic can also see you privately. The appointments page shows consultation fees and current availability. Would you like to leave your name and contact details so the team can offer you the earliest slot?
Step 6: prioritise urgent enquiries
A clinic that sees the word "changing" or "bleeding" in a captured enquiry can move that patient up the list. That only happens if the details reach a person quickly.
Step 7: explain what happens at the appointment
Nervous patients delay booking. Explaining the length, what the clinician will do and whether anything can be treated on the day removes hesitation, in the way described in specialist clinics and the questions before a first consultation.
Cosmetic enquiries have a different rhythm
Cosmetic enquiries are price-sensitive and comparison-driven, often arriving late at night. They need clear pricing and no pressure.
Referrals and insurance
Patients are often unsure whether they need a referral from their doctor, whether their insurance covers a consultation or whether they can pay privately without either. Setting this out plainly on the appointments page removes a delay that can add weeks to being seen. It also saves the team explaining the same thing several times a day.
The cost of unanswered enquiries
Clinic enquiries that sit unanswered convert elsewhere, as described in the lost revenue in unanswered clinic enquiries. The same is true across healthcare, as covered in AI receptionist for physiotherapy clinics.
Getting started
Split medical from cosmetic, publish fees and availability and capture appointments without assessing. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.