Automation is a large part of everyday life, including how businesses handle phone calls. However, just because something can be automated doesn’t always mean that’s what people want. This is especially the case for medical offices. A patient calling may be sick, worried, confused or in need of reassurance. In those moments talking to a real person can make a huge difference. If your medical practice is considering relying on automation to help handle your call load, it’s important to consider the limitations of automation and what your patients want.
What the 2026 Research Says
So what do people actually think about automation when calling a business? A 2026 OnePoll survey commissioned by AnswerConnect asked 6,000 consumers across the U.S., U.K., and Canada about their experience with AI in customer service. The results of the survey showed that, despite how quickly businesses are opting to use AI, most people still prefer speaking to a real person.
- 85% said they would rather speak to a real person than AI when contacting a business, up from 83% in 2025.
- 59% said they find AI frustrating when calling customer service, up from 54%.
- 31% said they would hang up if they found out they were speaking with AI, compared to 29% in 2025.
- 57% said their trust in a business would decrease if it relied primarily on AI for customer service, up from 53%.
It’s worth noting that AnswerConnect is an answering service provider, so that company has a business interest in how people feel about phone and customer service automation. However, the trend in the numbers is clear, and it lines up with what many medical practices hear from their patients, that they still prefer a real person over AI.
Why Healthcare Raises the Stakes
A patient calling about a symptom, medication, or test result isn't just making a routine call. They are likely concerned or unsure about what to do next. They may also be sharing personal and confidential information. A real person can listen to the patient, ask appropriate follow up questions and respond based on the situation. This is especially important in a healthcare setting, where speaking to a real person can be reassuring for the patient.
Privacy is also an important aspect. When an answering service handles patient information for a practice, HHS (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) guidance states that a written business associate agreement and appropriate safeguards must be in place. It is essential to know who is handling patient information and who has access to it.
Where Automation Helps, and Where It Doesn’t
Automation can be helpful in a medical office. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Automation and human support can work together. Automation can be useful for routine tasks such as providing office hours or directing patients to basic information. But there are plenty of calls that require more than just an automated answer.
How to Decide For Your Practice
If you are considering more automation for your practice, consider the patient’s perspective and ask your team the following questions:
- When patients call after hours, how do we want them to feel by the end of the call?
- Which calls absolutely need a real person, and who decides?
- What do patients say today about our phone experience?
- How are we protecting the information shared on the call?
- Would we be comfortable if a patient heard exactly how their call was handled?
The answers to these questions can help your practice determine where automation can be used to support, not replace a live person answering your phones.
The Southern Voices Approach
At Southern Voices Inc., calls are answered by live human agents 24/7, rather than sending patients to an automated system. This includes eventings, weekends, and holidays, with custom greetings and personalized call handling and HIPAA compliant processes for medical offices.
To talk about what that could look like for your practice, visit southernvoices.com or call 800-677-7406.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know which calls should be handled by a real person instead of automation?
Look at the types of calls your office receives. Calls involving patient concerns, appointment changes, sensitive information, or situations that don’t fit a predictable response may be better handled by a live person. Reviewing call patterns and patient feedback can help you decide where automation makes sense and where it may create more frustration.
What happens when an automated system is unable to answer a patient’s question?
The system should give the patient a clear way to reach a real person rather than leaving them stuck in a menu or forcing them to repeat the same information. If your practice uses automation, consider what happens when a caller needs something the system wasn’t designed to handle. A smooth handoff to a live agent can prevent a frustrating experience.
Can using AI for phone calls affect how patients view a medical practice?
Yes. The 2026 AnswerConnect survey found that 57% of respondents said their trust in a business would decrease if it relied primarily on AI for customer service. While that survey covered businesses broadly rather than medical practices specifically, it suggests that how a practice handles its calls can influence how patients perceive your practice.
Is a live answering service useful if my practice already has voicemail?
It can be, particularly for practices that receive calls outside normal office hours or have staff who cannot answer every call during the day. A live answering service can give patients an opportunity to speak with someone rather than leaving a message and waiting for a callback. Whether that is worthwhile depends on your call volume, staffing, and patient needs.
What should a practice look for in a medical answering service?
Look beyond whether someone simply answers the phone. Ask about hours of coverage, how calls are handled, how information is protected, whether the service can follow your practice’s instructions, and how urgent or complicated calls are handled. A good fit should make the phone experience easier for both your staff and patients.
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