As a medical student at UCL, I spend a lot of time thinking about patient outcomes. But I've realised that a patient's journey doesn't start in the chair - it starts on the phone.
While doing AI research at Moorfields Eye Hospital, I learned how to build systems that can spot tiny details in a retinal scan that a human might miss. That work requires extreme focus and a "zero-error" mindset. But when I stepped into the world of private dental clinics, I saw a system that was struggling to keep up.
The "Lunchtime Leak"
We've all seen it: It's 1:00 PM. The reception desk is a whirlwind. One staff member is checking out a patient, another is handling a payment, and the phone is ringing.
Because the team is human, that call goes to voicemail.
In a private practice, that "missed call" is often a new patient looking for a high-value treatment like an implant or Invisalign. If they don't get an answer, they don't leave a message - they just move to the next clinic on the Google search results.
Applying "Moorfields Logic" to the Front Desk
I teamed up with Hashir, a computer scientist from Queen Mary, to solve this. We didn't want to build a "robot voice"; we wanted to build a digital safety net.
We used the same architecture I used in my pathology research to create a voice assistant that is actually smart enough to:
Stop the Noise: It picks up instantly, so your front-desk team can actually focus on the patient standing in front of them.
Talk to Your Calendar: It doesn't just take a name and number. It understands your Dentally, SOE, or Pearl system and finds a slot for that hygiene appointment or consultation.
Recover Your Revenue: We've seen that simply being "available" to answer the phone 24/7 can increase a clinic's bookings by 25% in the first month.
Trust is Earned, Not Bought
In medicine, we trust the tech because it's been tested rigorously. I've brought that same mindset to Clero AI. We aren't trying to replace your wonderful staff; we're trying to give them their time back and ensure that your practice doesn't lose thousands of pounds just because the phone rang at the "wrong" time.