Physio Answering Service: AI Voicemail for Physiotherapists

See also: AI Answering Service for Medical Clinics | AI Answering Service for Therapists | How Much Does an Answering Service Cost?

In short: a physiotherapist runs back-to-back 45–60 minute sessions and can't answer the phone during them. Heilo's voicemail (Heilo Voicemail) plays your practice greeting to the caller and records a message with their name, number and visit type. Heilo transcribes and summarises it, and you call back in the 10–15 minute breaks between sessions.

The Session You Can't Pause

Example: you're 25 minutes into a post-ACL reconstruction session. Your patient is mid-exercise, you're guiding their knee through range of motion. The phone buzzes in the other room — a new patient referral from an orthopedic surgeon. You can't stop. The caller waits 15 seconds, hangs up, and dials the next physiotherapy practice on the list. By the time your session ends, they've already booked elsewhere.

This can happen every day in a private physiotherapy practice. Unlike office jobs where you can excuse yourself for a call, hands-on treatment demands unbroken attention — both for clinical safety and therapeutic effectiveness.

Why Physiotherapy Practices Especially Struggle With Phone Calls

Back-to-back scheduling — many practices run 45–60 minute sessions with only 10–15 minute breaks. That leaves a few narrow windows per day to return calls
Cannot interrupt treatment — you're physically working on a patient. Stepping away mid-mobilization isn't just rude, it can compromise the treatment outcome
Solo practitioners without front desk — many private physios operate alone or with one assistant who's also busy. There's nobody to answer the phone
New patients want an appointment soon — someone with a referral often calls several practices. If they can't reach you today, they may book with another practice tomorrow

How Heilo Works for Physiotherapy Practices

1. Professional Greeting

You record a greeting specific to your practice:

"Hi, you've reached [Name] Physiotherapy. I'm currently in a session with a patient. Please leave your name, phone number and what your call is about: a first visit, a follow-up, a change of appointment or a price question. I'll call you back between sessions today. If someone's life or health is in danger, hang up and call 112 or your local emergency number."

The caller hears a professional, reassuring message — not endless ringing or a cold carrier voicemail.

2. Transcript and Summary of Each Message

Heilo never talks to the caller: it plays your greeting and records the message. It then transcribes and summarises the message and picks out details such as:

Patient name and contact number
Visit type (first visit, follow-up, change of appointment, price question)
Referral source (orthopedic surgeon, GP, self-referred)
New patient vs returning patient

Heilo writes down what the caller said. It does not assess urgency, symptoms or health, and it does not decide which patient comes first: you do. Health details belong in your callback or the visit, which is why the greeting does not ask for them.

3. SMS Alerts Between Sessions

During your 10–15 minute break, you check your SMS alerts. With alerts turned on, you get the caller's details, number, a short topic and a link; the full transcript and summary are in the dashboard. From the messages there you learn, for example:

"New patient, first visit, has a referral, prefers evenings."

"Existing patient, wants to move Thursday's appointment."

"Price question about sports massage."

You decide the order: you call the new patient and book the first visit yourself, move the existing patient's appointment, and answer the price question after your last session.

Types of Physiotherapy Calls

Call type	What the message should include	What to prepare before you call back
First visit with a referral	Name, number, mention of the referral	Free slots and the documents the patient should bring
First visit, self-referred	Name, number, preferred times	Free slots and your price list
Package extension (existing patient)	Name and number of sessions	Dates of the next visits
Insurance or reimbursement question	Name, number, type of referral	Information about waiting times and slots covered by insurance
Change or cancellation	Name and the appointment to change	Free slots to swap into
Price question	Number and the service they ask about	Your current price list

This table covers admin only. Whether a matter is urgent and whom to call first is your decision.

What Does It Cost?

For missed calls you need Heilo Voicemail: your greeting (including a greeting schedule), the recording, a transcript, a summary and an SMS alert. It needs missed-call forwarding with your carrier. Billing is monthly per number, and the fair-use limit of 500 recorded minutes per number per month is informational and blocks nothing. The higher plans, Heilo Select and Heilo Line, also let you record calls you answer. Plans and prices are on the pricing page, and the service is described on the automatic answering machine page.

Summary

A physiotherapist who keeps full focus during sessions can still get back to every caller who leaves a message. Heilo records the message with the caller's name, number and visit type, and with SMS alerts turned on you get the topic and a link. You decide whom to call first.

FAQ

What about patient data in voicemail messages?

Ask only for contact details and the visit type in your greeting; health details belong in your callback or the visit. Heilo gives you the tools to inform the caller (a notice, your own wording, a call label). Your company, as the data controller, provides the legal basis and meets the duty to inform. Assess your practice's duties for patient data with your own legal advisor. A recording is kept for 365 days by default and then deleted; the transcript stays. A call moved to the trash is erased completely after 30 days. The terms list Heilo's subprocessors, including Twilio (telephony, a US company), Supabase (database, EU), Vercel (hosting) and Google Gemini (transcription and analysis).

Can I set different greetings for clinic hours vs after-hours?

Yes — Heilo supports greeting schedules. You can have one greeting during treatment hours ("I'm in a session") and a different one for evenings and weekends ("The practice is closed, leave a message for the next business day").

How do patients react to leaving a voicemail instead of speaking to someone?

Not every caller leaves a message. A short, warm greeting that names the practice, asks for a name and number and says when you'll call back gives them a clear reason to. The key is the greeting design — it should feel personal, not robotic.

How much does it cost compared to hiring a part-time receptionist?

Heilo is billed per number per month; see the pricing page. A receptionist answers calls and books appointments, which Heilo does not do: Heilo records the message, and you call back and book the visit.