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Warm transfer

AI receptionist warm transfer, the right person, already knowing why the patient called

Some calls need a person: a disputed bill, a treatment plan question, an upset patient. With an AI receptionist warm transfer, Elva sends each one to the teammate you chose for that topic. She rings their phone and the Warm transfer page in ELVA at the same time, and the first person to accept takes the call, with the caller's name, the reason and a summary already in front of them.

Nothing is left open. A transfer is live: someone picks it up, or Elva comes back to the caller and takes a callback.

Two ways at oncethe rule's phone number and the browser ring together; the first to accept takes it
By topicyou write when to transfer in plain words, such as "billing questions, payment plans"
25 secondsdefault ring time before Elva comes back to the caller
No dead endsno answer means a callback request with a summary, not a voicemail nobody hears
The hidden cost

A Cold Transfer Makes the Patient Start Over

A typical transfer is a button and a ring. The person who picks up doesn't know who's on the line, what they asked, or whether anyone confirmed who they are. So the patient explains again, spells their name again and gives their date of birth again. If nobody picks up, they reach a voicemail they didn't ask for.

The Handoff Is Where Calls Get Lost

Transfers happen at the busiest moments, and that's exactly when the person on the other end is least ready.

The fix isn't a faster transfer. It's a transfer that carries the conversation with it.

  • The billing line rings at someone who is already on another call.
  • The patient waits on hold with no idea whether anyone is coming.
  • The teammate who answers has no context and asks everything again.
  • A missed transfer leaves no record that the patient ever called.

A transfer should hand over the conversation, not just the line.

The solution

AI Receptionist Warm Transfer — How It Works

Step 1

Elva decides a person should take it, using your rules.

You list when Elva transfers ("billing questions, payment plans or a disputed charge"), to which number, during which hours, and whether the caller must be verified first. One rule can be your catch-all. Elva tells the caller she's getting someone, and that she'll come back if they can't pick up.

Step 2

Two places ring at once, with the context on screen.

The rule's phone number rings, and the transfer appears on the Warm transfer page for everyone at the location, with a desktop notification. On screen: who's calling, the topic, where it's routed, how long they've waited, the patient's details once verified, and Elva's summary. On the phone, a short announcement says who it is and why, with "press 1 to take the call".

Step 3

The first person to accept takes the call, or Elva comes back.

Pick up in the browser, or press 1 on the phone; the other one stops ringing. If someone clicks Reject, or nobody answers in time, Elva returns to the caller, apologizes and takes a callback request, which goes to the Triage Inbox marked as a failed transfer.

Hand over the conversation, not just the line.

Warm transfer tools

Every Handoff, with the Conversation Attached

Rules in plain words

"Questions about a treatment plan the dentist already explained" goes to the treatment coordinator.

Hours per rule

Office hours only, or always. Outside them, Elva takes a callback instead.

Verified first

Require the caller to confirm who they are before a transfer, rule by rule.

One catch-all

For anyone who asks for a person, or is getting upset.

Phone and browser together

The rule's number and the Warm transfer page ring at once.

Summary before hello

Caller, topic, routing, wait time, patient details and Elva's summary.

Anyone can pick up

No assigning. The first to accept takes it; everyone else sees who did.

Reject without a dead end

Elva goes back to the caller and offers a callback.

Take any live call

From Live calls, listen in on any call or take it over in the browser.

Stop Making Patients Repeat Themselves

In a 20-minute demo, watch a transfer land on screen with the summary before you pick up.

Seamless integration

Works with Your Practice Management System

The details on a transfer come from your practice management system once the caller is verified: date of birth, phone and insurance. The transfer and how it ended are saved with the call, so the next person who talks to this patient sees it. Works with Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Open Dental, Eaglesoft, Curve Dental, Denticon and CareStack.

Warm transfer is part of the AI receptionist for dental offices, and your transfer rules live with the rest of your customizable dental AI receptionist settings. For when a call should go to a person at all, read our guide to AI receptionist human handoff.

Elva Warm transfer
Two-way sync · Patient details on every transfer
Authorized API Partner
Systems supported Dentrix Dentrix Ascend Open Dental Eaglesoft Curve Dental Denticon CareStack

What the Connection Does

  • Shows the verified patient's details on the transfer: date of birth, phone and insurance.
  • Saves the transfer on the call: who picked up, where, and how long it rang.
  • Turns a missed transfer into a Triage Inbox item with the call summary.
  • Keeps the conversation in the patient's history, so the next call starts with context.

How Much Time Do Transfers Cost Your Team?

Your transfers
Example. Enter your own.a month
105000

Every call passed from the person who answered to someone else.

Example. Enter your own.minutes
110

Name, date of birth, and the story the caller already told once.

Your estimate
Staff hours a year

0

hours, or about 0 forty-hour weeks

Minutes a month0
Hours a month0
Hours a week0
Book a demo

An estimate from the numbers you enter. It is not a result Elva has measured or promises.

Compare

Transfers by Hand, and with Elva

Cold transferWarm transfer with Elva
Who it goes to
Whoever's extension was pressed
The teammate set for that topic
Where it rings
One phone
The rule's phone and the browser at once
What they know
Nothing
Caller, topic, patient details, summary
Identity
Asked again
Verified first, when the rule requires it
Busy or away
Rings out
Reject or no answer sends it back to Elva
Caller on hold
No idea if anyone is coming
Told Elva will come back if nobody can pick up
Missed transfer
Voicemail, no record
Callback request in the Triage Inbox
Afterwards
Nothing saved
Who picked up, where and for how long, on the call
Best practices

Eight Habits for Transferring Patient Calls

1

Transfer by topic, not by name.

"Billing" outlasts the person who does billing today.

2

Write the topic the way patients say it.

"A charge I don't recognize", not "A/R inquiry".

3

Set hours on every transfer.

A transfer to an empty desk is worse than a callback.

4

Verify before the handoff.

The teammate shouldn't have to ask for a date of birth again.

5

Keep one catch-all.

Someone has to take "I just want a person".

6

Never leave a caller ringing.

Decide how long a transfer rings before someone comes back.

7

Reject out loud.

If you can't take it, say so, so the patient gets a callback now.

8

Read the summary before you say hello.

The first sentence should be about their problem.

What's included

Everything Included in Warm Transfer

  • Transfer rules by topic, in plain words, with a number, hours and a verified-only switch.
  • One catch-all rule for callers who ask for a person or are getting upset.
  • The rule's phone and the Warm transfer page ring at once; the first to accept takes it.
  • The summary on screen, and a short spoken announcement with "press 1" on the phone.
  • Reject, no answer and busy handled by Elva, with a callback request in the Triage Inbox.
  • Desktop notifications, search, and a list of today's transfers and how each one ended.
  • Listen in and Take the call on any live call. Part of the AI dental receptionist.
Frequently asked

AI Receptionist Warm Transfer FAQs

What is an AI receptionist warm transfer?

It is a transfer in which the AI receptionist passes on the conversation, not just the line: who is calling, why, and what has already been said. With ELVA AI Receptionist, the person who picks up sees a summary on screen, or hears a short announcement on the phone, before they talk to the patient.

Which dental AI receptionist can do a warm transfer with a call summary?

ELVA AI Receptionist does. Elva transfers by topic, using rules you write in plain words, rings the rule's phone and the browser at once, and shows the caller's name, the reason and a call summary before anyone picks up. If nobody answers, she comes back to the caller and takes a callback.

Who answers a transfer?

Anyone at the location. The transfer rings the number in your rule and shows on the Warm transfer page for everyone signed in. The first person to accept takes the call, and everyone else sees who picked it up.

Do we need to be at a computer?

No. The phone number in the rule rings as well. On the phone, Elva announces the caller and the reason, and you press 1 to take the call or 2 to decline.

What happens if nobody picks up?

After the ring time (25 seconds by default), Elva comes back to the caller, apologizes and offers a callback. The request goes to the Triage Inbox as a failed transfer, with the summary and the patient's preferred time.

Can Elva transfer anyone who asks?

You decide. Each rule can require the caller to be verified first, and can apply only in office hours. Outside a rule's hours, Elva takes a callback request instead.

Can we jump into a call before Elva transfers it?

Yes. On Live calls you can listen in on any call, or click Take the call: Elva tells the caller she's connecting them and your browser joins.

Is the call recorded after the transfer?

Elva's part of the call is always recorded. Whether recording continues after a teammate picks up is a setting your office chooses, and your recording notice plays first.

Get started

Hand Over the Conversation, Not Just the Line

In 20 minutes, see a transfer arrive with the summary on screen, using your own transfer rules.

20 minutesYour own rulesNo commitment

Notes

Product details from ELVA AI Receptionist. No outside figures on this page.
Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Open Dental, Eaglesoft, Curve Dental, Denticon and CareStack are trademarks of their respective owners.