Private clinic

«They call us — and book with our neighbours»

The medical center invested in equipment and advertising. Interviews showed: people choose not by the equipment, but by how they were spoken to on the phone.

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1Company & symptom

Company
A private medical center in a million-plus city. Strong equipment, market-level prices, but leads often "go think about it" — and book with a nearby clinic.
Symptom
Plenty of first calls, but very few convert to a booking. Advertising pushed equipment and prices — it didn't work. Why people left was unclear.
False hypothesis
"They choose us by price and equipment." That's what the budget was invested in.

2Research design

Goal
Understand how people actually decide where to go with a health issue.
Who we invited
20 people who called or left a request in the last month — both those who booked and those who left.
Format
A 12–15 minute voice interview, gentle tone, opt-in only.

3Script

Full set of questions

  1. How did it all start — why did you start looking for a clinic right now?
  2. What did you feel when you realized it was time to see a doctor?
  3. How did you search for where to go? Describe the steps.
  4. What did you look at first when comparing clinics?
  5. What made you uneasy or put you off anywhere?
  6. What was your first contact with us like — a call, the site? What stuck with you?
  7. What matters more to you — price, equipment, or something else? Why?
  8. What ultimately was the deciding factor when choosing where to go?
  9. If you went to another clinic — what turned out to be better there?

AI doesn't read this out as a list. It follows the questions and, after every answer, asks a live follow-up until it gets to the real point. Here's how it sounds.

4Live conversation

Interview excerpt

AI
You called us, but booked with another clinic. What tipped you that way?
Respondent
The girl on the phone there calmly explained everything and didn't rush me.
AI
And with our call, what was wrong?
Respondent
They quickly gave the price and asked what day to book. But I was still scared to go at all.
AI
What exactly were you afraid of?
Respondent
That they'd find something serious. I needed someone to say: this is normal, we'll sort it out.
AI
And did that clinic give you that?
Respondent
Yes. I even paid a bit more there. It just wasn't scary to go there.

5Interview analysis

sonarum combines 20 conversations into one report: which themes come up most often, live quotes, and conclusions.

How often the theme came up

Decide out of anxiety, not price comparison80%
The first call decides more than the site and equipment70%
Want "to be calmed and explained to", not "just booked"65%
Ready to pay more for peace of mind45%
Equipment barely influenced the choice30%
«I needed someone to say: this is normal, we'll sort it out.»
«They quickly gave the price and asked for a day — but I was still scared to go at all.»
«I paid a bit more, but it wasn't scary to go there.»

Key conclusions

  • A clinic is chosen out of anxiety, not by rationally comparing equipment and prices.
  • The first call matters more than the site and equipment: tone decides, not booking speed.
  • Advertising about equipment and price missed the mark — people needed calm and care.

6Solution & result

Retrain the call center: first ease the anxiety and explain, then book. Change advertising from "equipment and price" to "we'll explain calmly, without rushing". Rewrite the first-call script around care.

Before → after

Call → booking
34%
58%
First-contact rating
not measured
4.7 / 5
"Went to think it over" and never came back
48%
27%

They changed not the equipment, but the tone of the first conversation and the ad message — and nearly doubled the booking rate. No price cuts, no new equipment investment.

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