What would it take
to cover the cost?

Enter your group-wide assumptions.

Use a consistent VAT basis and include the cost of all branches in scope. Contribution means the amount left after the normal costs of delivering the appointment; it is not the headline treatment price.

How is the threshold calculated?

Total period cost = recurring monthly cost × months + one-off setup.

Net contribution per extra booking = contribution after normal delivery costs − new variable cost.

Break-even bookings = total period cost ÷ net contribution, rounded up to the next whole booking. If net contribution is zero or negative, there is no finite booking-only break-even.

A worked example, not a supplier quotation.

Suppose the whole group enters £600 a month, £1,200 setup, a 12-month period, £100 contribution per extra booking and £10 in additional variable cost. Total cost is £8,400. Net contribution is £90. It needs 94 genuinely extra bookings over the period to cover the modelled cost.

Those figures are invented solely to explain the calculation. They do not describe typical clinic economics or a WebVortex offer.

What should you ask before comparing quotes?

• Is pricing per location, per group or per minute?
• What usage, telephone numbers, support and integrations are included?
• Is booking confirmed in your actual practice system or only in a separate calendar?
• Who handles failed transfers and corrections?
• Which implementation, ongoing management and exit costs are additional?
• How will genuinely additional bookings be distinguished from bookings that would have happened anyway?

Hours recovered need a separate measure.

Reception time recovered can be useful even without extra bookings. It becomes a cash saving only when costs actually change. Track measured time, quality and rework separately; do not automatically add salary-equivalent savings to booking contribution.

Read the AI receptionist buying guide · Review your enquiry process