A lab's phone and WhatsApp fill up with the same questions: how much is this test, do I need to fast, will someone come to my house, when is my report ready. A chatbot on your website can answer these any hour, and pass the rest to your team.
This guide lists what patients ask and how to set up ReplyBash to answer each question correctly. A lab is a place where a wrong answer matters, so it also covers what the agent should never do.
What patients ask
These come up again and again, roughly in order of how often:
- Price: how much is a CBC, a thyroid profile, a health package?
- Preparation: do I need to fast, for how long, can I drink water, should I take my medicine?
- Home collection: do you come to my area, from what time, how much extra, do I book in advance?
- Timing: when are you open, can I walk in, is there a Sunday slot?
- Reports: when will it be ready, how do I get it, can it be emailed?
- Prescription: do I need a doctor's note for this test?
- Location: which branch is near me, is there parking?
- Payment: do you take UPI, cards, insurance?
- Accreditation: are you NABL accredited? (Say yes only if it's true, and include your certificate details.)
How to set the agent up
Start the same way as any site: sign up, enter your website, scan it and click Start reading. Most of the questions above are already on your test, package and branch pages, so the agent can answer them with a link to the page.
Then close the gaps, in this order:
- Upload your price list. Under Files & Q&A › Files, upload the PDF or CSV. A CSV with one test per row (name, price, preparation) is the easiest for the agent to read. Update the file when prices change and delete the old one.
- Add snippets for facts that aren't on your site. Under Text snippets, add lines such as "Home collection starts at 6 AM every day, including Sundays", your areas, the extra charge and how far ahead to book.
- Add Q&A pairs for answers that must be exact: fasting rules for common tests, report turnaround, payment methods. A Q&A pair is used word for word.
- Open Playground, pick the Bookings (clinics, labs, salons) template, fill in your lab's details and click Save to agent.
- Test with real questions, in English and Hindi, and check each source link.
For more on what each of these does, read how to train a chatbot on your website.
Bookings, home collection and callbacks
Most patients who ask about price want to book. Give them a form instead of a phone number to copy.
- Open Actions and click New form, then start from the Callback request template, or build a form named Book a home collection.
- Set Purpose to Lead. Add fields: Name, Phone, Test or package (Long text or Dropdown), Address area and Preferred time.
- Under When should the agent show it?, write: "When someone wants to book a test or home collection, or asks to be called."
- Under Send to, add your front desk's email or a Telegram or Slack group, so someone sees each request within minutes.
Each request becomes a lead in Leads with the conversation attached, so the person who calls back knows what the patient asked. If you book appointments through Cal.com or Google Calendar, paid plans can let patients pick a slot in the chat. See the guide on capturing leads.
Report status
The agent can't open a patient's report, and shouldn't. What it can do is tell them how long reports usually take for each type of test, how they are delivered (WhatsApp, email, pickup, portal) and who to contact if it's late.
Write that as a Q&A pair, and add your lab's phone number or a Request form for report problems. Under Purpose, choose Request, which isn't a sales lead, so these don't mix into your leads.
What the agent should not do
In Playground › Instructions, add rules such as these, in your own words:
- Never interpret results, diagnose, or advise on medicine. For results, tell the patient to speak to their doctor.
- Never quote a price that isn't in the price list. If a test isn't listed, say so and offer a callback.
- For emergencies, tell the patient to call a doctor or emergency services, not to wait for a reply.
- Don't ask patients to type their report or ID numbers in the chat.
Also decide how long chats are kept. Under Settings › Security & privacy you choose a retention period, and conversations older than that are deleted daily. You can delete chats at any time.
Open Conversations to read chats, and click Take over when a patient needs a person. Questions the agent couldn't answer appear under Unanswered questions on Overview: answer each once and it's fixed for everyone.
What to expect
Expect the first week to show you which questions your website didn't answer. That is useful by itself: add them to the website too, because patients who find the answer on Google never need the chat.
You can start on the Free plan (100 messages a month, 50 pages) to test on your own site. Paid plans start with a 7-day free trial and re-read your site daily, so price changes reach the agent by the next morning. For labs, see the diagnostic labs page, pricing and the quickstart. If your site runs on WordPress, follow this guide.