1. No-shows: a costly challenge for businesses and professionals
A no-show is a client or patient who fails to show up for an appointment without notifying in advance. This is far from a marginal issue — it significantly disrupts operations and profitability in many industries
Some key figures
In France, the national health insurance system estimates nearly 28 million medical appointments are missed each year
This represents 6 to 10% of consultations, with peaks reaching 20% in some specialties like physiotherapy or ophthalmology
In other sectors (automotive, beauty, home services, restaurant), no-show rates sometimes range from 30% to 50%
Consequences include
Lost time slots, rarely reallocated at the last minuteWasted professional time, with practitioners or technicians left inactiveDirect loss of revenueDisrupted scheduling, which also affects other clientsBeyond the financial impact, no-shows generate stress, inefficiency, and poor customer or patient experience.
2. Why manual reminders are no longer enough
To reduce absences, some businesses or medical offices rely on manual reminders by phone or SMS. While this can help, it quickly reaches its limits
Not scalable: calling each client manually becomes impossible as volumes increaseInconsistent: some reminders are missed or sent too lateTime-consuming: it eats into administrative time at the expense of more valuable tasksDespite best efforts, no-shows persist due to the lack of a reliable and automated reminder system.3. Reducing no-shows with an AI voice agentAI voice agents offer a simple, automated, and customizable solution to send appointment reminders in advance
How it works
The voice agent automatically calls clients 24 to 48 hours before the appointmentIt reminds them of key information: date, time, location, documents to bringIt asks whether they want to confirm, reschedule, or cancelIn case of cancellation, the time slot is immediately freed up or reassigned — e.g. to a waitlisted client or re-added to the calendarYou can also combine the voice call with a SMS or email, increasing the chances of response
Key benefits
Noticeable drop in no-show rates, often within just a few weeksMore stable and optimized planningBetter client experience, without extra effort from your team4. Real-world use cases in healthcare, automotive, and servicesVoice agents are already in use across multiple industries to tackle no-shows. Here are some examples
Physiotherapy clinicsAutomated calls are sent the day before weekly sessions
If the patient is unavailable, they can reschedule directly via the call.→ Result: up to 25% fewer missed appointments
Veterinary clinicsReminders for vaccinations, sterilization procedures, or follow-ups
Pet owners confirm or change the time in one word.→ The team can focus fully on care and reception
Vehicle inspection centersVoice agents call 48 hours ahead of the scheduled check
They remind clients of required documents and manage any rescheduling.→ Freed-up slots are reassigned, minimizing downtime
In-home techniciansCalls specify the expected time of arrival and what to expect
A contact number is provided for cancellations.→ Fewer wasted trips, more efficient routing
RestaurantsVoice agents confirm reservations a few hours before the service and cancel if the customer is unavailable.→ Helps restaurants reduce last-minute absences and increase table turnover without overbooking.
5. How to deploy this use case with Rounded
- Intro message tailored to your business
- Info to be mentioned: name, date, time, location, any required documents
- Available options: confirm, cancel, or reschedule
- Voice style, tone, language — all customizable
- API connections and actions based on user response→ Confirmed? → Send automatic notification to the front desk→ Voicemail detected? → Automatically send SMS with appointment details→ Cancelled? → Update your calendar or trigger a waitlist recall
- Dynamic filters (by date, number, duration…)
- Full transcript of each call
- Extracted variables like: “confirmed”, “no answer”, “rescheduled”
With Rounded, you can build a voice reminder agent in minutes — no coding required
Triggering automatic callsCalls are launched via your online calendar or CRM, using tools like Zapier, Make, or a custom webhook
Example: “Call all patients 24h before their scheduled Google Calendar appointment.”Setting up the voice agent in RoundedFrom the Rounded interface, you can configure every detail of your reminder workflow
Rounded acts as your orchestrator for smart appointment reminders, connected to all your business tools (CRM, agenda, medical software...)
Monitor every call in the Rounded dashboardAll calls are visible in a dedicated dashboard, featuring
This gives you a clear view of your campaign’s performance, so you can fine-tune as needed
ConclusionNo-shows are a serious issue — but not an unsolvable one. With AI voice agents, you can automate appointment reminders, reduce missed visits, and stabilize your planning — all without adding to your team’s workload
With Rounded, you can deploy this solution quickly, and start seeing results in just a few weeks.→ A ready-to-use “appointment reminder” template is coming soon on the Rounded platform.