Example: WhatsApp Support Employee for a Clinic
This guide walks through a complete, production-ready setup for a service business (dental clinic, medical practice, salon, etc.) that wants a WhatsApp AI employee handling patient inquiries in both English and Spanish.
What you'll build: An AI employee named Sofia that answers service and pricing questions, collects appointment requests, and escalates urgent cases to your front desk — all over WhatsApp, 24/7.
Time to complete: ~30 minutes.
Before you start
Get a dedicated WhatsApp number
Your AI employee needs its own phone number — separate from your main clinic line. See the full explanation in WhatsApp channel → Requirements.
Quickest option: Buy a prepaid SIM from any carrier (~$10), activate it, and use only for Optimly. Publish this number on your website and Google listing as your "instant response" line.
VoIP option: Sign up for a virtual number via Google Voice (free, US only), Twilio, or Vonage. ~$1–5/month.
Step 1: Hire the employee
- Go to AI Workforce → Hire AI employee
- Select role: Customer Support
- Fill in:
- Name: Sofia (or whatever fits your clinic's personality)
- Primary channel: WhatsApp
- Replace the default instructions with the bilingual template below
- Click Create draft
Step 2: Set the instructions
Open Configure → 1. Behavior → Instructions and paste this template, filling in your clinic's details:
You are Sofia, the virtual receptionist for [CLINIC NAME].
We have [N] locations in [CITY]. You help patients in both English and Spanish.
LANGUAGE RULE:
Always reply in the same language the patient uses. If they write in Spanish,
respond entirely in Spanish. If they write in English, respond in English.
If they mix both, default to Spanish.
YOUR JOB:
- Answer questions about our dental services, prices, and clinic hours
- Collect a patient's name, phone number, and preferred appointment date and time
so our front desk can call them back within [X hours] to confirm
- Share the correct clinic address when a patient asks which location is closest
- Escalate immediately if a patient describes pain, a dental emergency, or
says they need to speak with someone urgently
IMPORTANT LIMITS:
- You cannot confirm, block, or schedule appointments yourself. Always say:
"Our team will call you within [X hours] to confirm your appointment."
- Never invent a price. If unsure: "Pricing depends on your situation —
our team will give you an exact quote when they call."
- Never give medical advice. For emergencies: "Please call us at [number]
or go to the nearest emergency room."
FALLBACK:
If you cannot answer a question, say:
"Déjame conectarte con nuestra recepcionista — ella te ayudará /
Let me connect you with our receptionist — she'll be happy to help."
---
CLINIC INFORMATION (copy for each location):
Location 1 — [Name/Neighborhood]:
Address: [full address]
Phone: [number]
Hours: Mon–Fri 8am–6pm, Sat 9am–2pm, Sun closed
WhatsApp: [this number]
Location 2 — [Name/Neighborhood]:
Address: [full address]
Phone: [number]
Hours: [hours]
Location 3 — [Name/Neighborhood]:
Address: [full address]
Phone: [number]
Hours: [hours]
SERVICES AND PRICES:
Teeth cleaning / Limpieza dental: $[X]–$[Y]
Whitening / Blanqueamiento: $[X]
Fillings / Empastes: from $[X]
Extraction / Extracción: from $[X]
Implants / Implantes: consultation required
Orthodontics / Ortodoncia: consultation required
X-rays / Radiografías: included in new patient exam
Emergency exam: [price or "call us"]
INSURANCE:
We accept: [list your plans, e.g. Delta Dental, Cigna, Aetna]
For patients without insurance: [payment plan info]
NEW PATIENT:
[Any special offer, e.g. "New patient exam + X-rays: $[X]"]
Response style: Friendly & Empathetic
When Sofia cannot answer: "Déjame conectarte con nuestra recepcionista / Let me connect you with our receptionist right away."
Step 3: Add knowledge
Go to Configure → 2. Knowledge → Manage knowledge.
Add these sources:
| Source | What to add |
|---|---|
| Website crawl | Your clinic website URL (Sofia will learn from all your pages) |
| Manual text | Paste the clinic information block from your instructions above as a standalone source named "Clinic Info" — this ensures it's always retrievable |
| Manual text | Your most common patient FAQs (payment plans, insurance process, what to bring to first visit, parking) |
Add each location's details as a separate text source named "Location 1 — [Neighborhood]", etc. This makes it easy to update one location's hours without touching the others.
Step 4: Enable lead capture
Go to Configure → 3. Capabilities → Lead capture → enable.
Configure:
- Fields: Name (required), Phone (required), Preferred date (optional), Preferred time (optional), Location preference (optional)
- Trigger message:
"Para confirmar tu cita, necesito algunos datos. / To set up your appointment, I just need a few details."
Sofia collects the request and patient info. Your front desk team still calls back to confirm the slot. Make sure your team checks the Activity → Leads tab daily and calls back within the timeframe you promise patients.
Step 5: Add front desk as a colleague
Go to Configure → 4. Colleagues → Add colleague.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | "Our receptionist" (or a real name if consistent staff) |
| Contact | Your receptionist's email OR their Optimly dashboard login |
| Trigger condition | "Patient describes tooth pain, a dental emergency, broken tooth, or says they need to speak with someone immediately" |
Add a second colleague if you have a separate manager or on-call line:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | "Our team" |
| Contact | front-desk@[yourclinic].com |
| Trigger condition | "Patient is upset, asks for a manager, or asks about a billing dispute" |
For real-time escalation, have your staff use Optimly dashboard logins rather than email. Email notifications can land in spam. Dashboard notifications are instant.
Step 6: Connect WhatsApp and publish
- Open the Deploy tab
- Click Connect WhatsApp
- Scan the QR code with the dedicated clinic phone
- Once connected, you'll see the phone number confirmed
- Click Publish
Sofia is now live. Test by sending a WhatsApp message from your personal phone.
Testing checklist
Before telling patients about the new number, verify:
- Sofia replies in Spanish when you message in Spanish
- Sofia replies in English when you message in English
- Asking about prices gives the right answer (not invented ones)
- Asking to book an appointment triggers lead capture
- Saying "I have a toothache" triggers colleague escalation
- Saying "I need to speak to someone" triggers colleague escalation
- The front desk colleague receives the escalation notification
Monitoring day-to-day
Conversations page — check this daily. Look for:
- Conversations with Lead Captured badge → call those patients back
- Conversations with Escalated to Human badge → verify your front desk followed up
- Any conversation where Sofia's answer seems wrong → update knowledge
Manual Mode — if a patient needs personal attention, open the conversation and toggle Manual Mode. You type directly; Sofia steps back. Toggle back when done.
Common issues
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Sofia answers in English even when patient writes in Spanish | Check the LANGUAGE RULE in instructions — make sure it's explicit |
| Sofia invents prices | Add "Never invent a price" explicitly in instructions; add your price list to knowledge |
| Patient never gets a callback | Set a team reminder to check Leads tab every morning |
| QR code expired before scanning | Click Connect WhatsApp again — a new QR generates |
| Wrong location info given | Check each location's knowledge source for accuracy |