# WhatsApp for clinics: front desk and appointments, nothing more

> WYP.chat can run a clinic’s front desk on WhatsApp, and only the front desk: booking and moving appointments, reminders, opening hours and directions, as a team on the clinic’s number. It is not a patient record system or a certified health data host: no clinical information should go through it.

**Your whole team, no seats to count.** With 5 people, the Team plan costs €99 a month excl. VAT, the same as with one. You pay Meta directly for its messages, with no markup.

## What WYP.chat is not

- **A patient record system**: Neither clinical software nor a patient portal: it does not replace your practice management system.
- **A home for health data**: It should hold no health data: not in messages, not in notes, not on the contact card.
- **A telemedicine tool**: WhatsApp’s policy forbids telemedicine and the exchange of health information where regulation requires special protection.
- **A channel for selling health products**: Medicines and medical products are among the categories WhatsApp prohibits.

## What the front desk can do on WhatsApp

### Booking an appointment

A patient asks for a slot. Reception offers available slots from its Google Calendar, with no reason for the visit and no clinical questions.

### Moving or cancelling

Something came up? The patient messages instead of phoning, and the slot opens up for someone else.

### Opening hours and directions

Address, floor, parking, admin documents to bring: quick replies shared by the whole front desk.

### A clinical question comes in

Reception does not answer the medical question itself: a quick reply points to the phone or the appointment itself.

## What can go through WhatsApp, and what must not

The rule fits in one line: front desk yes, clinical care no. This table gives practical pointers; it does not replace your data protection officer’s advice.

| Request | On WhatsApp with WYP.chat | How to handle it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Booking, moving or cancelling an appointment | Yes | Date, time and place, without the reason for the visit |
| Opening hours, address, directions | Yes | Quick replies saved for the team |
| Appointment reminder | Yes, kept minimal | Date, time, address, how to rebook |
| Reason for the visit, symptoms | No | By phone or during the appointment |
| Results, reports, prescriptions | No | Your practice software or patient portal |
| Clinical photos | No | During the appointment or with a tool built for healthcare |
| Selling medicines or health products | No | Prohibited by WhatsApp’s policy |
| Full card or ID number | No | Prohibited by WhatsApp’s policy |

## Setting up the clinic’s WhatsApp front desk

Five settings, and everyone knows from the first message what this number is for.

[Security](https://wyp.chat/en/security)

1. **Connect the clinic’s number**: Through Meta’s official API, with our team while Meta reviews WYP.chat; the WhatsApp Business app can stay on the reception phone.
2. **Say what the channel is for**: The “Welcome and routing” scenario answers every new conversation: this number is for appointments and practical information, not medical questions.
3. **Prepare quick replies**: Opening hours, directions, documents to bring, and the reply that points a medical question to the phone.
4. **Organise reception**: Create a team per site or per practitioner: each member only sees their teams’ conversations.
5. **Connect Google Calendar**: Each member connects their own calendar and offers available slots in the conversation.

## Reminders: keep them minimal

A good reminder says nothing about the patient’s health. Four details are enough: date, time, address and how to rebook.

- **The template**: “Reminder: appointment tomorrow, Tuesday, at 9.15 am, 12 High Street. To move it, reply to this message.” No reason, no test, no speciality if it is sensitive.
- **In one click**: The reminder goes out from the conversation with a quick reply. After 24 hours without a message from the patient, a template approved by Meta is required, charged by Meta at the utility rate.
- **Automatic with Calendly or Cal.com**: With Calendly or Cal.com connected, the “Appointment reminder” scenario sends it the day before, with “I confirm” and “Change” buttons. It only gives the date and time.

## A shared front desk: who sees what

Several receptionists reply from the same number, each with their own login, without passing a phone around.

- **By team**: Members only see their teams’ conversations: one site, one practitioner, one department.
- **Protected access**: Two-factor authentication required for owners, admins and supervisors, permissions checked by the server, an audit log of sensitive actions.
- **Where the data lives**: Database in Frankfurt, files in the EU. WhatsApp messages also pass through Meta, in the EU and the United States.

## What the rules say

Under GDPR, health data is a special category (Article 9). National rules add their own requirements; here are the ones we checked.

- **United Kingdom**: The ICO treats health data as special category data, which needs both a lawful basis and an extra condition for processing.
- **France**: Hosting health data collected during care requires a certified host (HDS, Article L1111-8 of the Public Health Code). WYP.chat is not one, so it must stay clear of health data.
- **Spain**: The AEPD allows appointment reminders by messaging app to the patient alone, never to a group, with minimal information and always another way to get in touch.

## An AI agent for clinics

Practical information only, never medical advice. Your team always stays in control.

### Coucou AI agent

Welcome · Available

With the “Wellness and care” activity, it only answers practical questions (opening hours, directions, documents to bring) from your sources and passes any other question to the team.

### Veilleur AI agent

When you are closed · Available

When the clinic is closed, replies right away with your reopening time and passes the request to your team for when you reopen.

### Créneau AI agent

Appointments · Coming soon

Will offer appointment slots from your calendar and send the reminder the day before.

Coucou and Allô are available today on WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram and your website chat, and Veilleur replies when you are closed, with your reopening time. The other agents are coming soon.

[The catalogue of 18 AI agents](https://wyp.chat/en/ai-agents)

Recommended plan

## Team, €99 per month excl. VAT

Teams to decide who sees what, tracked response times, 3 numbers and unlimited users. A single practitioner: Solo (€29 excl. VAT).

[See all pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

## Questions from clinics

### Can patients book appointments over WhatsApp?

Yes, for the admin side: the patient messages, reception offers a slot and confirms it. The message only holds the date, time and place, never the reason for the visit.

### Can we send results or prescriptions with WYP.chat?

No. Results, reports and prescriptions are health data. They go through your practice software or patient portal, not WhatsApp.

### Is WYP.chat a certified health data host?

No. That is why WYP.chat should only be used for the front desk and appointments, with no medical data in messages, notes or contact cards.

### What if a patient sends symptoms or a photo?

Do not answer the medical question itself: a quick reply points them to the phone or their appointment. Their message stays in the conversation like any message received, which is why the welcome message explains what the channel is for from the start.

### Are appointment reminders automatic?

Yes, with Calendly or Cal.com connected: the reminder goes out automatically on WhatsApp the day before, with “I confirm” and “Change” buttons. Otherwise it goes out from the conversation, in one click with a quick reply.

### Can we send marketing messages to patients?

WYP.chat automatically leaves out contacts without marketing consent and anyone who replied STOP. Professional conduct rules for healthcare may add further limits: check them before any promotional message.

## Similar industries

### [WhatsApp for hair and beauty salons](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/hair-beauty)

Booking requests arrive on WhatsApp, Instagram and website chat. Reception offers available Google Calendar slots and fills a cancelled slot with a campaign.

### [WhatsApp for driving schools](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/driving-schools)

Office staff and instructors share the driving school’s WhatsApp: a lesson moves using Google Calendar slots and a scenario reminds learners of their test.

### [WhatsApp for gyms](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/gyms)

Trial requests, membership questions and timetable changes, handled by reception and coaches. Follow-ups only go to people who opted in.

## How to do it in WYP.chat

Help centre articles that walk through each setting, screen by screen.

- [Organise the team: teams, response times, quick replies, tags](https://wyp.chat/en/help/organiser-equipe)
- [Write to a customer after 24 hours](https://wyp.chat/en/help/modeles-24h)
- [Create a scenario](https://wyp.chat/en/help/creer-workflow)

- [WhatsApp Business use cases: every industry](https://wyp.chat/en/industries)
- [WhatsApp Business guides, one question at a time](https://wyp.chat/en/guides)
- [The whole WYP.chat help centre](https://wyp.chat/en/help)

## Sources

1. WhatsApp, Business Messaging Policy: [whatsappbusiness.com/policy/](https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/)
2. GDPR, Article 9, EUR-Lex: [eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32016R0679)
3. ICO, special category data: [ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/a-guide-to-lawful-basis/special-category-data/](https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/lawful-basis/a-guide-to-lawful-basis/special-category-data/)
4. Légifrance, French Public Health Code, Article L1111-8: [www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section\_lc/LEGITEXT000006072665/LEGISCTA000006185255/](https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/section_lc/LEGITEXT000006072665/LEGISCTA000006185255/)
5. AEPD, guide for healthcare professionals (Spanish): [www.aepd.es/guias/guia-profesionales-sector-sanitario.pdf](https://www.aepd.es/guias/guia-profesionales-sector-sanitario.pdf)

Official texts checked on 10 October 2026. Practical pointers, not legal advice: have your use reviewed by your data protection officer.

- [Security](https://wyp.chat/en/security)
- [Teamwork](https://wyp.chat/en/features/teamwork)
- [Google Calendar, Meet and Contacts](https://wyp.chat/en/integrations/google-calendar)
- [Professional services](https://wyp.chat/en/industries/professional-services)
- [Pricing](https://wyp.chat/en/pricing)

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Source: https://wyp.chat/en/industries/clinics · Updated on 16 October 2026