How it works

Monitor: Scans your Google Sheets appointment log for patients beyond the 24-hour post-treatment window who haven’t received follow-up

Filter: Identifies eligible patients based on consent status, treatment date, and previous contact attempts

Personalize: Prepares patient-specific context (name, procedure type, days since treatment) for the AI agent

Send: Retell AI’s “Susan” agent initiates an SMS conversation using natural, empathetic language tailored to the treatment

Track: Marks the patient record as contacted to maintain clean data and prevent duplicate messages

The conversation engine

Susan’s AI configuration:

• Opens with the patient’s name and references their specific treatment naturally
• Responds empathetically to recovery concerns without providing medical advice
• Recognizes keywords like “swelling,” “pain,” or “bruising” and offers appropriate reassurance
• Flags concerning responses for medical team follow-up while handling routine wellness confirmations
• Maintains your spa’s warm, professional brand voice throughout the exchange
• Concludes gracefully when the patient confirms they’re recovering well

The system delivers genuine care at scale—compassionate check-ins that feel personal without requiring your team to manually text dozens of patients daily.

Patient Appointment Database

This Google Sheet serves as the central tracking system for all aesthetic treatments and follow-up communications. Each row represents a single patient appointment with complete contact information, treatment details, and communication preferences.

The treatment_date column records when the procedure occurred, allowing the automation to calculate elapsed time and identify patients who’ve crossed the 24-hour recovery threshold. The followup_sent column starts as FALSE for every new appointment and flips to TRUE once the workflow successfully sends the AI check-in message through Retell, preventing duplicate outreach while maintaining a clear audit trail of patient contact history.

Workflow Architecture

This n8n automation orchestrates the complete follow-up process from patient identification to message delivery. The workflow reads appointment data, filters for eligible patients based on treatment date and contact status, then branches into two paths: voice calls for patients who prefer phone contact, and SMS messages for those who opted for text communication.

After successfully triggering the AI agent through Retell’s API, the workflow updates the Google Sheet to mark followup_sent = TRUE, ensuring each patient receives exactly one check-in per treatment while maintaining a complete record of all automated outreach.

Retell AI Agent Configuration

“Susan” operates as Tatiana’s AI Care Coordinator across both voice and SMS channels, using identical conversational intelligence with channel-appropriate delivery. The agent receives patient-specific context (name, treatment type, days since procedure) and initiates a warm wellness check-in that mirrors how Tatiana’s human staff would naturally follow up.

The system branches into three response pathways: Positive Response (patient recovering well, conversation concludes gracefully), Mild Concern (acknowledges discomfort like normal swelling, offers reassurance), and Voicemail (leaves brief callback message for voice path, or waits for SMS reply). Whether calling or texting, Susan maintains the same empathetic tone, concise pacing, and professional brand voice that patients expect from the spa.