For smaller general practices, communication pressure can be just as intense as in large clinics… especially when patient needs span multiple languages and extend beyond business hours.
This anonymized Auckland-based general practice supports more than 3,600 patients with a lean team of GPs, nurses, and administrative staff. Serving a multilingual community in English and Mandarin, the clinic faced a growing challenge: demand for timely, clear communication without the staffing capacity to support it consistently across languages and time zones.
This case study explores how the clinic partnered with Heron as a first point of contact: not to replace staff, but to ensure every patient inquiry was acknowledged, understood, and followed up.
Read it here: https://pitch.com/v/case-study-2-anonymized-swp8j6
The Challenge: Language Gaps, Interruptions, and Limited Visibility
Before introducing Heron, the clinic struggled with several compounding issues:
Limited multilingual coverage at the front desk
Frequent interruptions pulling staff away from clinical and coordination work
Low visibility into incoming inquiries and follow-ups
Pressure during busy periods and outside business hours
Despite a committed team, these constraints made it difficult to deliver the consistent, calm experience the clinic wanted for both patients and staff.
Why Heron
The clinic needed a solution that could:
Handle patient calls accurately and naturally in multiple languages
Reduce front-desk interruptions without removing the human touch
Work seamlessly with existing phone infrastructure
Provide reliable after-hours and overflow coverage
Heron’s healthcare-native design, multilingual capabilities, and safe escalation model made it a natural fit — offering support without introducing complexity or additional staffing.
What Changed
Over a high-volume month, Heron absorbed a significant portion of patient communication, acting as a dependable front-line layer for the clinic.
Key outcomes included:
Hundreds of calls and chats handled without staff intervention
High patient acceptance of AI-assisted communication
Over five hours of call time offloaded
99% intent match accuracy, giving staff confidence in follow-ups
Clear insight into inquiry types and patterns
For the first time, the clinic had structured visibility into why patients were calling, and the reassurance that nothing was slipping through the cracks.
A Calmer Experience for Staff
Staff described Heron as a support system rather than a replacement.
Routine questions and initial triage were handled automatically, allowing the team to focus on in-person care and coordination. Interruptions decreased, follow-ups became faster, and confidence increased that after-hours and overflow calls were still being addressed.
The result was a more sustainable workload, especially during busy periods.
A Better Experience for Patients
From the patient’s perspective, the difference was immediate:
Calls answered without waiting on hold
Clear, consistent communication in their preferred language
Safe escalation whenever nuance or human judgment was needed
A smoother, more predictable patient journey
As one clinician noted, Heron fundamentally changed how the clinic handled inquiries and follow-ups — ensuring every patient felt heard and supported.
More Time to Care
Today, Heron acts as a reliable first point of contact for the clinic, easing pressure on the front desk while preserving the warmth and trust patients expect.
This case study highlights what’s possible when AI is used not to replace people, but to create space for better care — especially in clinics serving diverse communities with limited resources.
