How to Automate Client Intake with Tellop's AI Chat

Why Automate Client Intake?

Every inquiry that reaches your practice follows a predictable pattern: the client has questions, you need information, and both sides want to find a time to meet. The problem is that this process eats hours of staff time every week — answering the same FAQs, chasing incomplete forms, and playing phone tag.

Tellop automates this entire flow with an AI chat agent that handles inquiries 24/7, collects structured intake data, and only lets qualified clients through to your calendar. Here is exactly how to set it up.

Step 1: Create a Procedure

A procedure is the service you offer — a consultation, an evaluation, an onboarding session. Each procedure gets its own AI agent, intake form, and scheduling configuration.

Head to your dashboard, navigate to Procedures, and click Create Procedure. Fill in:

• Name — Something clear and client-facing, like "Initial Consultation" or "Project Assessment"
• Description — A 2-3 sentence summary of what this service involves and who it is for
• Duration — How long the appointment typically takes
• Price (optional) — Display pricing upfront to filter budget-mismatched inquiries early

Step 2: Configure Your AI Agent

Each procedure comes with its own AI agent. Think of this as your digital front-desk assistant who knows everything about this specific service.

Navigate to Agent Settings for your procedure and configure these tabs:

1. Personality — Write a system prompt that defines how your agent communicates. For example:

   "You are a friendly, professional intake assistant for Dr. Rivera's dermatology practice. You answer questions about skin consultations, explain the intake process, and guide clients through submitting their information. You are warm but efficient, and you never provide medical diagnoses."

2. FAQ Knowledge Base — Add the questions your staff answers repeatedly. Each entry has a question and a detailed answer the agent can reference:

   • "What insurance do you accept?"
   • "How long is the first appointment?"
   • "Do I need a referral?"
   • "What should I bring?"

3. Conversation Boundaries — Define what the agent should and should not discuss. This keeps conversations on track and prevents the agent from making promises you cannot keep.

Step 3: Design Your Intake Form

The intake form is what the AI agent guides clients through during the chat. Go to the Intake Form tab and build your fields:

• Text fields — Full name, reason for visit, relevant history
• Selection fields — Preferred appointment type, how they heard about you
• Date fields — Date of birth, relevant event dates
• File upload fields — Documents, images, or records (covered in detail in our file upload guide)

A well-designed form collects everything you need before the appointment so you can walk in prepared. For a legal consultation, that might be a case summary and relevant documents. For a medical practice, it could be insurance information and symptom photos.

Step 4: Set Up File Upload Requirements

If your intake requires documents — medical records, legal filings, project briefs, reference images — configure file upload fields in your intake form. Tellop uses presigned URLs so files are uploaded directly to encrypted storage, never passing through the chat itself.

You can set:

• Accepted file types — PDFs, images, or specific document formats
• Maximum file size — Prevent oversized uploads from clogging the process
• Required vs optional — Make critical documents mandatory while leaving supplementary files optional

Step 5: Enable the Approval Gate

This is the step that separates Tellop from fully automated (and fully uncontrolled) scheduling tools. With the approval gate enabled, no client can book an appointment until you have personally reviewed their intake.

When a client completes the intake flow, you receive a notification with their full profile: form responses, uploaded files, and the complete chat history. You review everything and either approve, decline, or request additional information.

Go to your procedure settings and make sure the Approval Gate is toggled on. We strongly recommend keeping it enabled, especially when you are starting out.

Step 6: Share Your Invite Link

With everything configured, it is time to start receiving inquiries. Tellop generates a unique invite link for each procedure. You can:

• Share directly — Send the link via email, text, or social media
• Embed on your website — Direct your "Book Now" button to the Tellop chat
• Add to your profiles — Include it in your Google Business listing, directory profiles, or email signature

Clients who click the link land in your AI chat — no account creation, no app download. They start chatting immediately.

What Happens Next

Once a client submits their intake through the chat, the workflow moves automatically:

1. You get notified of a new pending review
2. You review the intake data and files in your dashboard
3. You approve the client (or decline with a reason)
4. The client receives access to your booking calendar
5. They pick a time slot, and the appointment is confirmed

The entire cycle — from first inquiry to booked appointment — can happen in minutes, even at 2 AM on a Sunday.

Tips for a Successful Setup

• Start with one procedure — Get the workflow dialed in before adding more services
• Write detailed FAQ entries — The more your agent knows, the fewer conversations it needs to escalate
• Review your first 10-20 intakes carefully — Use them to refine your form fields and agent prompts
• Keep intake forms focused — Only ask for information you genuinely need before the appointment

Wrapping Up

Automating client intake does not mean removing the human element. It means removing the repetitive, time-consuming parts so you can focus your energy where it matters most — on the clients who are already qualified, prepared, and ready for their appointment. Set up your first procedure today and let Tellop handle the front desk.