AI receptionists for dental practices are everywhere now, and the demos all sound impressive. But a polished demo call tells you little about how a system will handle your practice's real calls, your booking rules, your patients' privacy and the urgent calls that matter most.
Here are 15 questions to ask any AI receptionist vendor before you sign, grouped by what they reveal, with notes on what a good answer looks like.
Key takeaways
- Test the product yourself with realistic and difficult calls, not just the vendor's demo.
- Get clear, specific answers about bookings, emergencies, privacy and pricing.
- Be wary of vague claims like "integrates with everything" or "fully compliant".
- A vendor that's upfront about limitations is usually more trustworthy than one that claims none.
Calls and conversations
1. Can I call it myself, right now, with my own scenarios?
A good vendor will let you test the agent with your own questions, including awkward ones. If they only offer a scripted demo, ask why.
2. What happens when it doesn't understand, or the caller asks for a person?
Look for clear escalation options: transfer, staff alert or callback. Ask to see it in action.
3. How does it handle several callers at once?
An AI agent should answer simultaneous calls without a queue. Confirm there are no hidden concurrency limits on your plan.
4. Does it tell callers they're speaking with an AI, and that calls are recorded?
It should. Transparency builds trust, and recording notices matter legally. See call recording laws in Australia.
Bookings and integration
5. Where exactly does it book appointments?
Into your practice software directly, a connected calendar, or as requests for staff to confirm? Ask for specifics, including which PMS versions are supported. See connecting an AI receptionist to your practice software.
6. How does it follow our booking rules?
Appointment types, lengths, which clinicians see whom, buffers and new-patient rules. Ask them to show how rules are set up and tested.
7. What happens if the integration fails?
The agent should fall back gracefully, such as taking details for a callback, rather than double-booking or dropping the call.
Safety
8. How does it handle dental emergencies?
Ask exactly what happens when a caller describes a knocked-out tooth, heavy bleeding or facial swelling. It should never give clinical advice, and urgent calls should get a fixed safe response and fast escalation. See how AI receptionists handle dental emergency calls.
9. How do you stop it from making things up?
Ask how the agent is grounded in your practice information, what it does when it doesn't know, and how clinical topics are escalated.
Privacy and security
10. Where is patient data stored and processed?
Get specific answers, including subprocessors and countries. See patient data and AI vendors.
11. Is our patient data used to train AI models?
The answer should be a clear no, in writing.
12. What security certifications do you hold?
Ask for evidence rather than assuming. A vendor that tells you honestly what it doesn't have is more trustworthy than one that's vague.
Pricing and contract
13. What does it really cost per month?
Ask about included minutes, overage rates, setup fees, phone number costs, SMS costs and AI model costs. Model your practice's real call volume. See AI receptionist vs hiring another receptionist.
14. What are the contract terms?
Minimum term, notice period, price changes, and what happens to your data when you leave. Can you export it?
15. Can we trial it before committing?
A trial on your real calls, even after-hours only, is the best test there is.
Red flags
- Claims it "integrates with every PMS" without naming specifics
- Can't explain where data goes
- Won't let you test with your own scenarios
- Says the AI "never makes mistakes"
- Pricing that's vague until after you sign
- No clear answer on emergencies
How IntelliDent answers
- Testing: call our AI receptionist in a demo and try your own scenarios.
- Escalation: you set rules to transfer, alert staff or schedule a callback. Clinical questions go to your team.
- Bookings: agents book into your connected calendar. Enterprise practices can request a PMS connection, subject to the PMS vendor's API and approval; it isn't guaranteed for every PMS and isn't a real-time two-way sync.
- Privacy: application data is hosted in Australian AWS regions; calls and AI replies use providers such as Twilio, OpenAI and Anthropic that may process data overseas, listed on our Subprocessors page. We don't use your patient data to train AI models.
- Certifications: we don't currently hold HIPAA, SOC 2 or ISO 27001 certification.
- Pricing: plans start at A$99 a month (excluding GST) with 300 voice minutes. See pricing.
- Trial: after a demo, we can provision a 14-day trial at Starter-level access.
Frequently asked questions
How long should we trial an AI receptionist?
Two weeks is usually enough to see real call types, especially if you start with overflow and after-hours calls.
Who at the practice should evaluate it?
Involve the practice manager, an experienced receptionist and a dentist, who should review the emergency handling.
Should we ask for references?
Yes. Ask to speak with a practice similar to yours in size and setup.
Next steps
Copy these 15 questions into an email and send them to every vendor on your shortlist. Then book a demo to put IntelliDent through the same test.