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Google's New Feature Will Let Patients Skip Calling Your Office
It's already rolled out to several verticals across the country.
Kyle OConnor
August 13, 2025
Read Time: 1 Minute, 6 Seconds
Whew. It’s been a whirlwind of a week.
It’s like every DSO in the country got the memo at the exact same time that big changes were coming. I wouldn’t say it’s panic-led but practices and organizations across the country are finally convinced that a massive shift is near and are starting to act.
And on that front, there is more news on a behavior change for your potential new patients and how they book their appointments.
It's called Have AI call and it lets Google's AI make phone calls on behalf of users. Seriously.
How Does It Work?
Instead of patients calling your office themselves, they can now let AI handle it.
They need to see a dentist.
They search ‘dentist near me’ or ‘dentist (city)’ as usual.
They tell Google's AI what and when they want to book.
They click Have AI Call instead of doing it themselves.
The AI calls your office and handles the conversation beginning to end.
The Result: Patients skip the awkward phone call. Your staff gets a polite AI that clearly states what the patient needs and when they can make it in. You can see an example of the option below.
Wait, This Is Already Happening?
Google is currently testing this with select business verticals such auto mechanics, home services and a few others.
Dental practices aren't included yet but early reports suggest this will expand to healthcare and other appointment-based businesses by early 2026.
What does this mean for dental?
For Patients: No more phone anxiety, no more being put on hold, no more trying to explain what they need to a rushed receptionist.
For Practices: Clearer appointment requests, less phone tag, and potentially more bookings from people who normally avoid calling.
The Catch: Your staff needs to be ready to interact with AI callers that sound increasingly human. I know it’s sounds future-esque and odd but it’s the reality we are stepping into.
This is part of Google's push to make search more actionable. Instead of just finding information, users can now take action directly through Google. This means that ranking with AI Mode and having your ads display correctly within AI Mode, will be wildly wildly wildly important.
Bottom Line
Phone anxiety is real and it keeps potential patients from booking appointments. Google's AI callers remove that barrier entirely.
The practices that prepare for this shift will capture more bookings. The ones that ignore it will miss patients who prefer the AI option. And as always, as time goes on, it will become the default for most users.
When this rolls out to dental practices, you'll want your team ready and your practice to show up as an option.
-Kyle
My Podcast 👇
