Replying via SMS
Your team can reply to patients directly from the Inbox when a conversation needs a human response. Staff replies are sent from your practice number and stay in the same conversation timeline as AI messages.
Sending a Staff Reply
Open Inbox.
Select the patient or phone thread.
Review the previous messages and call summaries.
Type your message in the message box.
Press Enter or click Send.
Pausing AI SMS
Open the patient's conversation.
Use the AI toggle in the conversation header.
Switch from AI Active to AI Paused.
Reply manually until the issue is resolved.
Pausing AI affects that contact's SMS automation only. It does not disable Ira for calls, and it does not affect other patients.
When to Take Over
Situation | Recommended action |
|---|---|
Routine scheduling question | Let AI handle it. |
Patient is upset | Pause AI and reply personally. |
Billing dispute | Pause AI and route to staff. |
Clinical question | Pause AI and route to the clinical team. |
Common Questions
Q: Does the patient know whether staff or AI replied? All SMS replies come from the practice number. Internally, the timeline shows whether a message was from AI or staff.
Q: What happens if AI stays paused? Incoming SMS messages for that contact remain staff-managed until someone turns AI back on.