Notes for owners · Digital marketing
Reply templates for clinic WhatsApp enquiries
Eight first replies for a clinic's WhatsApp number, covering price, timing, location, scans and reports, each ending with one next step the patient can take.
The GullySales team · Updated 17 Oct 2026 · 6 min read
Rules for this trade differ by state and professional body, and they change. Check the current position with your own council or adviser before you act on anything here.
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A good first reply from a clinic answers the question the patient actually asked, adds the one detail they forgot to ask, and ends with a single next step. Below are eight, written as plain text that you can save as quick replies in the WhatsApp Business app and edit before sending. Square brackets mark what you fill in. None uses a button, so they work from a phone at the front desk.
The rule behind all eight
Patients do not write full questions. They send "CT scan price?" or "doctor available?". Answer that, add what decides the answer, and offer the next step in one line. One message, one ask. If you stack three questions on a worried person, you may get silence.
No diagnosis, no medicine advice, no promised results. Rules on what clinics may say differ by state and body and change, so check with your own adviser or council before you save any of these.
The eight replies
1. "How much is it?" (a scan)
Hello [name], thank you for writing to [centre]. The charge for a [scan] depends on [whether contrast is needed / the area / the report format]. A plain scan is [amount]. Contrast changes that. Which area has the doctor asked for? Then I can give you the exact figure.
2. "Is the doctor available today?"
Hello [name]. [Doctor] sees patients today from [time] to [time]. The next free slot is [time]. Shall I book it for you? I only need your name and the best number to reach you.
3. "Where are you? / location"
We are at [address], opposite [landmark], [floor]. Here is the location pin. Parking is [available / on the road]. If you tell me what time you plan to come, I will let the desk know.
4. "What are your timings?"
We are open [days] from [time] to [time]. [Doctor] is here on [days]. Is there a day that suits you? I can hold a slot.
5. "Do you do [treatment]?"
Yes, we do [treatment]. The first step is a consultation so the doctor can examine and explain what is suitable. The consultation fee is [amount]. Would you like a morning or an evening slot?
6. "Can I send my report / scan?"
Yes, please send it here. Our team will pass it to the doctor, and we will message you here with what to do next. Please also tell us your age and what the problem is, in a line.
7. "Do you take insurance / cashless?"
Thank you for asking. For insurance, please send us your insurer's name and the card, and our desk will check what we can do before you come. Coverage depends on your policy, so we do not want to promise it from here. May I take those details?
8. A reply to a patient who went quiet
Hello [name], this is [centre]. You asked about [treatment] earlier. If you are still thinking about it, I am happy to answer any question here. If you have already sorted it, no problem, and thank you for writing.
Which of these covers which question
| What the patient wrote | Template | The one next step |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 1 | Tell us the area or treatment |
| Doctor, today | 2 | Say yes to the slot |
| Where / how to reach | 3 | Tell us your arrival time |
| Timings | 4 | Pick a day |
| A named treatment | 5 | Choose a morning or evening slot |
| Sends a report | 6 | Wait for the doctor's view |
| Insurance | 7 | Share the policy details |
| Silent for some days | 8 | Reply or close the loop |
For example: a CT scan centre in Kozhikode
Take an invented scan centre in Kozhikode. A patient writes "CT abdomen price". The desk replies with one figure. The patient arrives, is told the doctor wants contrast, and is asked to pay more. The patient feels misled and tells the family doctor, who sends the centre referrals. The mistake was giving a single number to a question whose answer depends on the doctor's request.
The desk now uses template 1. It states that the amount changes with contrast, gives the plain-scan charge, and asks which area the doctor has requested. Patients who send a prescription photo get the actual figure before they travel. The centre also keeps a note at the top of the quick replies telling staff never to quote from memory. Some patients now go elsewhere because the first reply gives no single number, and the centre accepts that; the complaint about surprise charges stops.
Editing a template so it does not sound canned
Change the patient's name, one detail from their message and the time you give. If the patient wrote in Malayalam, answer in Malayalam. The template is only a frame. Read it once before sending, and delete any line that answers a question they never asked.
Keep messages short enough to read without scrolling on a small phone. If the patient sends a voice note, reply in text first with the answer, then offer to call. Some people send voice notes because typing is slow for them, not because they want a call.
When not to use a template
Do not use one when a patient describes pain, an emergency or distress. Write by hand, say that a staff member will call, and call. Do not use template 8 more than once; a second nudge becomes pressure. And if your clinic is sending hundreds of messages a day, saved replies will not hold: look at the paid route in our post on the WhatsApp Business API.
Saving the eight on the front-desk phone
Open the Business app and save the eight under quick replies, with shortcuts such as /price and /map. Put your real amounts and times in once. Nobody should type a fee from memory. The healthcare hub has more on how patients choose a clinic, and the WhatsApp sales process service is the nearest. When you want help fitting the replies to your own enquiries, tell us what you need.
