IVR, WhatsApp, SMS & Email Outbound Automation

AndroHealth can reach patients automatically over IVR (voice calls), WhatsApp, SMS, and email — for example to confirm or remind about appointments — and record each patient's response back into the system. You build this in three steps: connect your PBX, define voice prompts, then create an outbound configuration that ties a channel to an event with retry and fallback rules.

How outbound communication works

An outbound configuration listens for an event on a component (such as an Appointment) and sends a message on your chosen channel. The recipient's reply — a keypad action on a call, or a tap on a WhatsApp/SMS/email link — is saved against that transaction. If the first channel fails, the system can fall back to another channel, and retries follow your retry policy in a FIFO queue.

Step 1 — Configure your PBX (IVR)

Go to Admin Console → Third Party Configuration → IVR Configuration to open the PBX Configuration list.

PBX (IVR) Configuration list screen in the AndroHealth Admin Console

Click Add to create a PBX. Enter the connection details and the max concurrent calls (how many parallel outbound calls this PBX can handle), then Save.

Add PBX Configuration form with connection details and max concurrent calls

Step 2 — Set up voice prompts

Go to Admin Console → IVR → Voice Prompt Configuration. Voice prompts are the spoken building blocks an IVR call plays.

Voice Prompt Configuration screen in AndroHealth IVR settings

Click Add and choose a category. Each category exposes its own fields:

Standard — fixed phrases (you can add multiple records)
Day / Date / Year — auto-populated values
Doctor / Department — dynamic values pulled from the system

Add Voice Prompt Configuration with category-specific fields

You can only create one configuration per category, and a prompt that's already used in an outbound configuration can't be deleted (only inactivated).

Step 3 — Create an outbound configuration

Go to Admin Console → IVR → Outbound Configuration and click Add. The form is organized into sections; the sections that appear depend on the Mode (channel) you pick.

Add Outbound Configuration form in IVR mode

Basic information

Choose the component, the event, and when the first transaction fires — Immediately after Event, or a set time Before / After the event (for example, X hours before an appointment). Once runs on a specific date; Continue keeps running until inactivated.

Channel & content

The Channel section selects the medium for the event. For IVR, the Content Type section builds the call from your voice prompts: pick prompts from Available Voice Strings and arrange the Voice Play Sequence by drag-and-drop.

Building the voice play sequence from available voice prompts

Call actions

The Call Action Configuration section maps keypad keys to actions so you can capture the recipient's response — for example, press 1 to confirm, or Repeat IVR to replay the message. Add as many actions as the event supports.

Call Action Configuration mapping keypad keys to patient responses

Retry policy & fallback

The Retry Policy sets how many times and how often the system retries to reach the recipient. Turn on a Fall Back rule to try another channel (e.g. IVR → WhatsApp → SMS) when the previous one fails.

Retry Policy section of an outbound configuration

Fall back rule to reach the recipient on another channel

WhatsApp, SMS & email modes

WhatsApp uses your already-configured WhatsApp platform.
SMS / Email messages include a system-generated link per recipient; tapping it opens a page where the patient selects a response, which is saved against that transaction.

Monitor activities & logs

IVR Activities (Admin Console → IVR → IVR Activities) lists every triggered transaction and its response, including calls queued due to line not available, PBX limit reached, or unable to connect.

IVR Activities list showing triggered transactions and responses

IVR Logs (Admin Console → IVR → IVR Logs) shows the detailed logs of all outbound transactions.

IVR Logs list of all outbound transactions

Where this appears

Admin Console → Third Party Configuration → IVR Configuration
Admin Console → IVR → Voice Prompt / Outbound Configuration / IVR Activities / IVR Logs
Registration → OP Registration, and OPD → Appointment
WhatsApp, SMS, and Email configuration

Common questions

Which channels can AndroHealth use for outbound messages?

IVR voice calls, WhatsApp, SMS, and email.

What happens if the first channel fails?

A fallback rule can try another channel — for example IVR → WhatsApp → SMS.

Can I capture patient responses?

Yes — keypad actions on calls, or link taps on WhatsApp/SMS/email, are saved against the transaction.