60-70% of patients still prefer to call, especially older demographics, complex bookings, and urgent needs. Online booking doesn't replace the phone—it supplements it.
You invested in online booking for a reason. You hoped it would free up staff, reduce call volume, and let patients self-service their appointments at 11 p.m. on a Sunday. And it does—partially.
But here's what the data shows: between 60-70% of patients still reach for the phone. This isn't because your online system is broken or hard to use. It's because patients have legitimate reasons to call.
They have questions your booking form can't answer. They're unsure which appointment type suits their situation. They want confirmation that someone heard them. Or they're simply more comfortable talking to a human about their health.
Online booking works well for straightforward, routine appointments. A patient knows they need a doctor's visit, they pick a time, they're done. But that's not every patient.
The groups that still call: Patients over 65 (even tech-savvy ones), parents booking children (they have questions), patients with complex medical histories, people booking urgent care, and anyone who's never visited your practice before.
These are also your highest-value patients. They're less price-sensitive, more likely to follow medical advice, and more likely to stay long-term. And they're calling your phone line.
Many practices see calls as a legacy hassle that online booking was supposed to solve. So when patients call, they're treated as the exception—not the rule. The call goes into a general queue, gets answered by whoever is available, and the patient usually doesn't get the personalized attention their situation warrants.
A patient calling to discuss symptoms before booking shouldn't be rushed. A parent calling with concerns about a child's appointment shouldn't be transferred 3 times. An older patient calling because they don't trust the website shouldn't feel like a burden.
But when you're treating all calls as routine, that's exactly what happens.
When a patient calls, you're getting direct insight into what matters to them. Are they anxious? You can reassure them. Do they have specific concerns? You can address them before they walk in. Are they comparing you to competitors? You can present your case, live.
Online booking strips away all of that. A patient clicks "Book" and you know nothing about them until they arrive or no-show.
The practices winning in 2026 understand this: online booking and phone calls aren't opponents. They're partners. Online booking serves the self-sufficient 30-40% who don't need to talk to anyone. Phone calls serve everyone else—the patients who need guidance, reassurance, or just a conversation about their health.
Strategic perspective: A medical centre in Sydney found that patients who called before booking had a 94% show-up rate, while those who only booked online had an 81% show-up rate. That gap matters on your schedule, your revenue, and your ability to care for patients who actually come in.
Your phone line isn't a legacy system that's dying out. It's a channel where your best patients are reaching out. And if it's currently set up to move calls through as fast as possible—rather than to actually serve the patient on the other end—you're wasting an opportunity.
The practices getting this right are ensuring that when a patient calls, someone with knowledge and authority answers. Not to hurry them off the phone, but to actually engage. They separate routine calls (appointment confirmations, refill requests) from consultative calls (new patients, complex needs, urgent situations). They know who calls, why, and what they need.
CallSorted.ai helps medical centres manage this reality. By routing calls intelligently—based on the patient's situation, their medical history, and the complexity of what they're calling about—you ensure that every phone call moves your practice forward, rather than just filling the queue.
Online booking is a tool. The phone is still the channel where trust gets built. Use both.