Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to record calls and meetings is taking the world by storm. There’s a huge trend in the business space to have AI record calls, create transcripts, and even compile meeting notes. It’s an area where AI performs well.

But is this capability something that your veterinary clinic should care about or consider? At Otto we think there are some key areas where this can not only save staff and doctor time but also provide better patient care and client experience.

Here are some of the ways veterinary clinics are using AI call recording, transcripts, and summaries to improve work/life balance and patient care:

When Fluffy’s owner is frantically calling because she may have eaten chocolate (or maybe it was her niece?), AI can help capture some key details as your front desk staff tries to get clarity (wait, was it even chocolate?) and book an appointment. AI can capture valuable notes that can be passed along to the rest of the team who will be handling the appointment (like Fluffy did throw up that morning because she had a lot of treats yesterday).

By recording the call and having AI summarize (and provide a transcript), your team can be ready for the appointment and can confirm details and progress of any clinical signs.

While we hate to have to go here, having documentation of client conversations about diagnostics, prescription instructions, etc. can help protect your practice and veterinarians against complaints and unhappy pet parents. Having AI take this record for you, ensures that all the details are captured and you’re not relying on only memory or the notes that were charted.

Reviewing calls sporadically or when a new protocol is rolled out can provide valuable training and insight for your team. You’ll be able to find the experts that are really good at certain conversations and they can teach others. You can also see how well the protocol is being handled by your team and identify where there might be extra training needed.

By recording calls made or received with pet parents, your staff can be more present on the phone and not worry about taking notes, because after the call, AI can deliver a summary with follow-ups needed that your team can use as their to-dos.

The downside of AI call recording:

You’ll need to review laws in your area for recording phone calls and possibly let clients know phone calls will be recorded. This could rub some clients the wrong way. You’ll need to train your staff and clients on the benefits and how it allows your team to be more present while also still capturing follow-up. You may even want to create a consent form or script to help the team talk to clients.

AI has what are called hallucinations, when it makes things up, and sometimes just does not capture things correctly. With call recording that is going to be used to pass along information to other team members or used as to-do lists, you’ll need a human review of the information to ensure it is correct. You’ll need to put protocols in place and ensure the AI implementation and these protocols are actually saving your team time (we believe they will!).

This means that common topics (like anal glands) can be flagged as inappropriate in traditional AI models when they’re common topics in veterinary vernacular. Healthcare trained models likely don’t have the same medications and terminology that vet med uses because they were trained based on human healthcare. It’s important to consider this as you dive into AI providers.

Recording, transcribing, and summarizing are actions that AI is really good at today. Thinking through how your practice can use AI in these areas so your team and doctors can focus on the present – and the pet and client in front of them – can help relieve staff burden and provide better care. Otto’s expert team of veterinary technologists can help find the right place for you to start.