Use AI Care Navigator to route, signpost, and manage requests submitted through Patchs Telephone Assistant.
Patchs Telephone Assistant allows patients to call your practice, explain what they need, and have their request automatically transcribed into the Patchs inbox for staff to review. AI Care Navigator rules can then help Patchs handle these telephone requests consistently by applying routing, messaging, and signposting logic.
This article explains how to create rules for Telephone Assistant requests, what to consider before going live, and how the experience works for staff and patients.
Before You Start
Before creating rules, make sure Telephone Assistant has been enabled for your practice and that the relevant Patchs AI modules are switched on. Telephone Assistant requests appear in the Patchs inbox like standard online consultations, but they include clear indicators that the request came from Telephone Assistant, along with a transcript and audio playback where available.
You should also decide which types of telephone requests you want AI Care Navigator to act on, such as routine appointment requests, administrative queries, medication queries, or requests that should be signposted to another service.
How to Create a Rule for Telephone Assistant
1.Open AI Care Navigator
Go to the AI Care Navigator settings from your Feature Settings page. If AI Care Navigator is not visible, check that the required AI features are enabled for your practice.
2. Choose the request source condition
Create a new rule and set the condition so it applies to requests submitted through either
- Telephone Assistant – to apply the rule to ONLY requests submitted by the Telephone Assistant
- All Sources- to apply the rule to requests submitted by either Telephone Assistant or Patchs Web
* Note that if you don’t specify a request source, the rule will only apply to requests submitted via Patchs Web.
You can then add additional conditions, such as request type, urgency, topic, patient information, or practice-specific workflow needs.
3. Select the action
Choose the action you want AI Care Navigator to take. This may include
- sending a message
- signposting the patient
- asking further questions
- assigning the request to an inbox
* Note: Only free text messages and templates that can be read out by the Telephone Assistant are supported.
Links, HTML, button responses, and self-book links are not supported. 'Ongoing Health Problem' and 'Other' request types are not available in the Telephone Assistant.
5. Preview and test the rule
Review the message or workflow action before saving. Where possible, test the rule using a dummy patient so you can confirm the Telephone Assistant request appears correctly in the inbox and the AI Care Navigator action is applied as expected.
What Staff See in the Inbox
When a Telephone Assistant request reaches the Patchs inbox, staff can review it in a similar way to an online consultation. The request includes a transcript of the caller’s responses, including any additional care navigator questions.
Best Practice Guidance
- Keep rule names clear so staff can quickly understand what each rule does.
- Use telephone-specific wording where helpful, especially if patients may not have seen an online form or written guidance.
- Test new rules before going live to confirm they apply to the correct requests.
- Review rules regularly to make sure they still match your practice workflow and patient access model.
- Make sure urgent or safety-critical requests follow your agreed clinical safety process.