15 Sep 2026: AI Voice Calls

Ricardo Updated by Ricardo

Since we launched Calling last year, which represented a significant expansion of communication capabilities via WhatsApp beyond messaging, organisations all over the world have been addressing critical needs in healthcare, especially in regions with low literacy or where a phone call is faster and more convenient.

The main piece of feedback we get is: we get so many missed calls. We just can't handle the volume. Unlike text messages, it's hard to scale.

Today, we're launching what we think will be transformational for your organisation, even if you're not using Calling already: the capability for you automate a voice call with AI, enabling people to interact with your Journeys entirely in voice.

We're calling it AI Answering.

What this enables

The core unlock is turning a WhatsApp number into a 24/7 clinical front door — powered by voice. Here are a few examples of what you can do with it:

  • After-hours triage: A patient calls outside clinic hours, describes their symptoms by speaking naturally, and the AI agent triages urgency — advising them to come in the morning, go to the ER, or providing self-care guidance. No staff needed.
  • Appointment booking by voice: Instead of navigating menus or typing, a patient just says "I need to see Dr. Molefe on Thursday afternoon" and the AI handles scheduling. This is especially important for elderly patients or those with limited literacy.
  • Pre-consultation intake: Before a scheduled visit, the patient calls and the AI walks them through medical history questions, current symptoms, and medication lists — all by voice. The clinician gets a structured summary before the patient even walks in.
  • Medication adherence: The AI calls patients (or patients call in) to confirm they're taking medications correctly, flag side effects, and escalate to a nurse if something sounds wrong.
  • Community health worker support: CHWs in the field call in to report patient visits, get clinical guidance, or check protocols — hands-free, while they're on the move.
  • Language accessibility: In multilingual markets like South Africa or India, patients can speak in their preferred language instead of trying to type in English. Voice + AI removes the literacy and language barrier simultaneously.

Getting started

Simply head over to Settings > Calls and enable AI Answering:

When someone calls you, instead of that call being routed to a person, our system routes it to an AI model that's following any journey you specify it to follow.

You can use GPT, Gemini an ElevenLabs (which has the best voice) models out of the box.

To learn more, we wrote an in-depth guide that also includes tips and tricks on how to get the best results (tldr: use AI Agents).

Welcome to the future.

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