A schedule that manages itself
Virtual secretary to answer your practice's WhatsApp
Quick answer
A virtual secretary to answer a practice's WhatsApp comes in three types: the remote human secretary who answers from afar, hired by volume; the "press 1" menu bot; and the AI secretary, which reads the patient's message, replies, notes the requested time and reminds them of the appointment. CertuAI is the third type, answers on the number the practice already uses and costs from US$ 75 per month.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent
A virtual secretary answering a practice's WhatsApp handles the schedule, confirmations, rescheduling and the same questions every day. CertuAI puts an AI virtual secretary on the number your practice or office already uses, and it handles that routine while you see patients.
Create my virtual secretaryNo lock-in contract and no setup fee. You connect the number you already use.
Summary in 7 facts
- A virtual secretary answering a practice's WhatsApp handles the schedule, confirmations, rescheduling and the same questions every day.
- CertuAI puts an AI virtual secretary on the number your practice or office already uses, and it handles that routine while you see patients.
- CertuAI is the third type: it answers on the number the practice already uses and costs from US$ 75 per month.
- It's the part of the day that takes time and doesn't require your training.
- What needs your judgment still lands in your hands.
- The real work is gathering what already exists in the practice or office: prices, hours and rules for fitting people in.
- The right-hand column happens on its own, even when no one is at the front desk.
By the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| 12x | CertuAI is the third type: it answers on the number the practice already uses and costs from US$ 75 per month. |
| 28,2% | CertuAI measured when patients write on WhatsApp at 17 clinics and practices that answer with CertuAI's AI: 28.2% of messages arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, almost 3 in… |
| 19,259 messages | Source: CertuAI service database, 17 clinics and practices, 19,259 patient messages on WhatsApp from Jul 30 to Sep 30, 2026, measured Oct 1, 2026. |
| R$ 247 | CertuAI starts at US$ 75 per month on the Start plan, with the Brain, the CRM and automatic follow-up included. |
The routine it takes over
It's the part of the day that takes time and doesn't require your training. What needs your judgment still lands in your hands.
Books and confirms the day before
The reminder the day before is what cuts no-shows most, because a good share of absences are forgetting, not giving up. Whoever cancels frees the slot right away.
Handles rescheduling
Rescheduling often turns into ten messages over the day. The virtual secretary offers the open times and closes it in a single conversation.
Answers the usual questions
Price, duration, address, payment methods, whether you issue a receipt and what to bring to the first visit. You write it once and the answer comes out the same every time.
Brings back people who disappeared
Follow-ups, maintenance and check-ins that fell behind get a message on the right date, without anyone having to open the schedule and call one by one.
How to put the virtual secretary to work
The real work is gathering what already exists in the practice or office: prices, hours and rules for fitting people in. With that written down, the rest takes minutes.
Teach the business to the Brain
Services, prices, hours, rules and what you would rather nobody answer. The Brain is the knowledge base that makes the agent answer like your company, and not like a generic robot.
Connect the number you already use
By QR code or through Meta's official signup. CertuAI is a Tech Provider of the Meta WhatsApp Business Platform, and the number stays yours: the plan gives you the connection slot, not a new number.
Follow along in the CRM and take over whenever you want
Each conversation shows up in the dashboard with a contact, a deal and a task. You step into the same conversation at any time, and the agent hands the topic back to you when it falls outside what it learned.
The secretary routine, before and after
The right-hand column happens on its own, even when no one is at the front desk.
| Secretary task | Done by hand | With CertuAI's virtual secretary |
|---|---|---|
| Booking a time | Depends on someone being free to answer | Shows open times and books in the conversation |
| Confirming the day before | Only happens if there's time left at the end of the day | Always goes out, and so does the reminder |
| No-show without notice | Found out on the spot, with the slot lost | Whoever cancels frees the slot right away, and you message whoever was waiting from the conversation inbox |
| Rescheduling | Ten messages over the day | Resolved in one conversation |
| Price and payment questions | Repeated all day | Answered the way you defined |
| Follow-up and check-ins | Depends on someone's memory | Contacted on the right date, automatically |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
It doesn't replace the front desk, it takes the weight off it
Those who already have a front desk usually use both together: the virtual secretary handles first contact and the repetitive volume, and the front desk person takes care of whoever is standing in front of them, without being split between the counter and the phone.
And those without a front desk get the part that was missing: the hours when the practice is closed. A good share of new contacts arrive at night and on weekends, and that is where they tend to get lost for lack of a reply.
You set its limit in the Brain: what it answers, what it never answers and who each topic goes to. See how it looks for your case in AI agent by business segment, or compare with the virtual attendant if your focus is sales instead of scheduling. To compare with other AI secretaries for practices, with prices, see the Top 5 WhatsApp chatbots for medical clinics.
Remote human secretary or AI secretary: what changes in the practice?
Both answer the practice's WhatsApp, but in different ways, and the menu bot sits in between. Side by side:
| Remote human secretary | Menu bot | AI secretary (CertuAI) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | By quote, depending on call and message volume | Depends on the platform | US$ 75 per month on Start, no long-term contract |
| When it answers | During the hours the contract covers | Any time, but only through the menu path | Any time, every day |
| How many conversations at once | One per agent | Several, each stuck in the menu | Several at once, no queue |
| What it understands | Everything, following your practice's script | Only the number of the option chosen | The message the way the patient wrote it or said it in audio |
| What it doesn't do | Answer outside the contracted hours | Answer a question that isn't on the menu | Clinical guidance; and, by default, confirming an appointment on its own: the front desk confirms |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Remote human secretary as read on secretariavirtual.net.br on Oct 1, 2026: human service from home, following the business's script, with price by quote. The calculation for a hired receptionist, with salary and payroll charges and their sources, is in “Is an AI or a secretary worth more in the practice”.
How much time does the front desk spend on WhatsApp?
Before choosing among the three types, it helps to measure the size of the work. CertuAI's hours calculator works out the hours per month that go to answering messages, and you compare that with the hours your secretary covers.
What CertuAI measured on clinic and practice WhatsApp
The secretary works set hours, and patients don't only write during them. CertuAI measured when patients write on WhatsApp at 17 clinics and practices that answer with CertuAI's AI: 28.2% of messages arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, almost 3 in every 10. If the front desk works those hours, that is the part that waits until someone is back.
| What was measured | Result |
|---|---|
| Patient messages that arrived outside Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm | 28,2% |
| Messages that arrived on the weekend | 11,2% |
| Messages that arrived at night on a weekday, 6pm to midnight | 11,7% |
| Conversations that started outside Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm | 29,9% |
Swipe the table sideways to see all the columns.
Source: CertuAI service database, 17 clinics and practices, 19,259 patient messages on WhatsApp from Jul 30 to Sep 30, 2026, measured Oct 1, 2026. Business hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, in each clinic's time zone. Test accounts, test contacts and imported history are excluded.
Frequently asked questions
I need a virtual secretary to answer my practice's WhatsApp. What's out there?
A virtual secretary to answer a practice's WhatsApp comes in three types: the remote human secretary who answers from afar, hired by volume; the "press 1" menu bot; and the AI secretary, which reads the patient's message, replies, notes the requested time and reminds them of the appointment. CertuAI is the third type, answers on the number the practice already uses and costs from US$ 75 per month.
Does it work for a practice with more than one professional?
Yes. Each professional has their own schedule and specialties in the Brain, so when a client asks for a specific person, it offers that person's times, and when anyone will do, it offers the first open slot.
Does it really reduce no-shows?
The reminder the day before and the day of is what changes the number most, because a good share of no-shows are people forgetting. When the person replies that they can't come, the slot goes back to the schedule as open, and you message whoever was waiting from the conversation inbox.
Can it quote prices?
As far as you authorize. The usual setup is to answer with the price range for simple services and, for anything that depends on an evaluation, explain that the price comes after the appointment and offer a time right away. That way nobody gets a number that changes later.
What if the topic is sensitive?
You set the handoff rules in the Brain. Sensitive topics go straight to you, and it only replies that a person will follow up personally.
Does it work alongside my current secretary?
Yes, and it is the most common setup. It takes over first contact and confirmations, and your secretary joins the same conversation whenever she wants, without the client repeating what they already said.
How much does a virtual secretary cost?
CertuAI starts at US$ 75 per month on the Start plan, with the Brain, the CRM and automatic follow-up included. No long-term contract. A remote human secretary is usually priced by quote, depending on call and message volume.
Where to go next?
Want your schedule handled without opening your phone?
Teach it your hours and rules for fitting people in, connect your number and watch the day-before confirmation go out on its own.
Plans from US$ 75 per month. If you don't like it within 30 days, we refund 100% of your money.
Create my virtual secretaryIn short
A virtual secretary to answer a practice's WhatsApp comes in three types: the remote human secretary who answers from afar, hired by volume; the "press 1" menu bot; and the AI secretary, which reads the patient's message, replies, notes the requested time and reminds them of the appointment.
About CertuAI: CertuAI is the AI that answers a small business's WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger 24/7, with a built-in CRM, and is a Tech Provider on Meta's WhatsApp Business Platform. Paid plans start at US$ 75 a month, with no lock-in. Create my agent