About
→ Agent to help book appointments
Concept
An artificial assistant to handle phone calls for dentists, with a database connection to store and write all necessary data in the back office.
Clients
Intended for small dental offices (3–10 employees). Their owners were approachable. Most of these practices were family-owned, not affiliated with larger organizations, and open to trying a new product. They relied entirely on other technological solutions databases, operators, etc. This family-owned business acquired rights to these technological solutions under an annual license ranging from USD 1,000 (about USD 83 per month) to USD 5,000 (about USD 416 per month). Another key characteristic of these businesses was the low churn of the products they used. Once a product made its way into the practice’s workflow, churn was very low (for example, the database provider was, in most cases, the same one they had used since starting operations, often for over 10 years). However, the brand also carried significant weight. Depending on the type of patients the practice served, the owner was more willing to try “new” products.
Nevertheless, there was strong resistance to actually bringing on a new provider in both cases. The dentists were aware of the low churn among the products they used and, as a result, expected a niche, specialized product with a clear value proposition.
Approach
I was fortunate to have a close relationship with a practice owner (J)—close enough that he allowed me to run tests on his database. In return, he expected to receive the system for free. I develope the system, but it was not feasible to offer it for free at that time. Other businesses were approached, and in total we spoke with 50 owners; 10 expressed interest, and on two occasions that interest led to discussions about installing the system. However, neither of those practices felt confident that the system would last in the long term—without trust, there was no deal.
Monetization
SaaS subscription. Before licensing, useres had a trial phase. The trial phase help me to iterate on possible bugs, features, etc quickly.
Main Costs
There were many voice providers at the time; all were charging between 0.18 per minute. That variable cost, combined with the expense of running the application, resulted in approximately a 20% profit margin.
Conclusion
When offering a B2B solution without a clear customer journey, businesses expect a personal relationship before committing to a product. This relationship requires ongoing effort. Brand and reputation matter more than price in this arrangement, which makes it more difficult to scale. The buyer gains the power to request additional features, personalized support, and more, unless an annual license is agreed on advance.
One main obstacle was the 10DLC license for text messages, which wasn’t easy to obtain because you needed an operating business.
Also, at the end of the day, although the application sounded like a good idea on paper, customers didn’t perceive much difference between a live operator and an AI answering the phone. Worse, because they believed both products were comparable, they expected a similar (if not lower) price.
Next Time
Next time, I’ll set up an automated self-service system that reduces friction, so prospective clients can quickly experience the product with minimal involvement on my part.