Zocdoc Launches Zo by Zocdoc, an AI Phone Assistant that Vanquishes Hold Times and Maximizes Appointment Scheduling

Zo represents Zocdoc's ambition to power scheduling 
everywhere patients are seeking care

NEW YORK, May 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zocdoc, the leading healthcare marketplace that aims to help every patient find and book every type of care, today launched Zo by Zocdoc, an AI Phone Assistant that removes one of the most frustrating bottlenecks for both patients and healthcare organizations: the phone. Zo engages like a human and manages appointments like an expert, handling unlimited inbound scheduling calls to increase patient access and retention for healthcare organizations. On the patient end, Zo vanquishes hold times and instantly schedules appointments 24/7 using natural, conversational language. 

"AI agents will be a commodity, and it will soon feel akin to businesses having a website," said Zocdoc founder and CEO, Oliver Kharraz, MD. "What's most exciting about Zo is that it is powered by nearly two decades of Zocdoc's expertise in facilitating patient-provider interactions, understanding complex healthcare scheduling logic, and integrating with a broad base of EHRs. No other company in this space has the depth of experience, infrastructure, and intellectual property powering its AI phone assistant." 

In addition to improving a poor scheduling experience, Zo's launch represents a major step forward in Zocdoc's ambition to power scheduling everywhere patients are seeking care. Having cemented its role as America's leading healthcare marketplace, Zocdoc is operating profitably, at scale, allowing the company to extend its 17 years of scheduling expertise beyond its Marketplace. Zocdoc is already powering scheduling on providers' websites, Google Business Profiles, insurance directories, and more. Now with Zo, the company will power scheduling via the phone—America's largest appointment management channel with billions of transactions per year.

Why patients and providers need Zo

For healthcare organizations, the phone has been bad for business: Practices have long struggled with surging call volumes, operational challenges, and patient complaints. Not only does the phone create headaches for practices and their patients, it is also costly: Up to 20% of patient calls go unanswered in busy practices, and every missed call costs an estimated $200 to $300 in lost revenue (MGMA, AAPC, NIH). Beyond the high opportunity cost, there is a patient retention cost: According to a new survey*, half of Americans (49%) say they're likely to switch doctors if they can't get through to their doctor's office, and nearly 3 out of 5 (58%) Americans say they'd have more loyalty to their doctor if their phone experience was seamless. 

For patients, the phone has been a frustrating barrier to care: 1 in 4 (24%) Americans say they "hate" calling the doctor's office. In fact, Americans rate calling doctors' offices as more frustrating than calling airlines or their electric company; they say they dread calling the doctor's office about as much as they dread getting a shot. It's not just a bad experience, it's bad for health outcomes. Among patients who have been unable to reach their doctor's office on the phone, more than half (54%) admit to delaying care, while 1 in 3 (roughly 34%) admit to giving up on scheduling a visit entirely. 

How Zo works

Zo instantly answers calls and autonomously manages appointments with natural, conversational language. 

• Replaces practices' "press 1" systems: Zo replaces clunky IVRs and patient routing, intuitively handling patients' calls on the first ring.
• Unlimited, concurrent scheduling 24/7: Zo can handle unlimited calls, seamlessly absorbing both peak volumes and after-hours calls.
• Handles most scheduling needs to free up staff: Zo is designed to autonomously handle calls and escalate only the most complex cases that require staff support.

Zo seamlessly integrates with practices' existing systems and scheduling rules.

• Lightweight phone and EHR integration: Zo easily connects to practices' existing phone systems and EHRs.
• Intuitively prioritizes the right provider: Zo understands each practice's booking rules to match patients' needs, routing patients to the right resource (e.g. leveraging physician extenders) for every request.

Unlike typical AI phone solutions, practices only pay for outcomes—not time or licenses. 

• No time-based charges or license fees: Practices only pay when Zo successfully manages an appointment.
• Low risk to try: There are no upfront fees, implementation costs, or long-term commitments, making Zo easy for practices to try.

Early adopters of Zo report overwhelmingly positive experiences. Healthcare organizations are seeing Zo resolve up to 70% of scheduling calls without staff intervention. The average call is successfully resolved in less than three minutes and 30 seconds—from first ring to hang-up, with zero time on hold—demonstrating Zo's proficiency and efficiency.

"With Zo, patients don't have to wait and we don't miss calls. We can more efficiently support patients over the phone while improving patient satisfaction, without expanding the footprint of our call center." - Mason Leonard, VP of Operations, SINY Dermatology

"Zocdoc has been pivotal to our rapid growth, allowing us to scale while managing the complex preferences that come with hundreds of providers across the country" - Julie Gessin, Chief Operating Officer, Schweiger Dermatology Group

"When we're evaluating new technology, we consider three key criteria: Does it deliver on what it promises to do? Does it meet our security and privacy standards? And does it solve the problem in the most affordable way that advances our business? Zo does all three." - Josh Metzger, Chief Information Officer, Qualderm Partners

Patients who have interacted with Zo love it, leading to a CSAT score of over 80. Patients say Zo is "much better than waiting on hold," "best automated service I have used, great experience," and "a pleasure to deal with." They value Zo's ability to handle scheduling nuances like suggesting appointments with the same providers or locations as their prior appointments.

Looking ahead

Appointment management is just the beginning for Zo, as Zocdoc is actively developing additional capabilities: 

• Outbound calls: Remind patients of checkups (and can instantly schedule visits), fill last-minute cancellations, and notify waitlisted patients about new openings.
• Prescription refills: Seamlessly coordinate prescription refills.
• Additional languages: Help patients manage their care needs in their native language.
• Messaging: Extend to engage with patients via text and chat channels.

"Healthcare organizations are increasingly turning to Zocdoc to be their partner in scheduling, given our multi-channel reach," said Kharraz. "We've made it easy for practices to set up one integration—customizing their provider data (e.g. credentials, insurances, locations, etc.), availability, and booking rules—that scale to seamlessly power scheduling wherever patients are seeking care."

Healthcare organizations do not have to be Zocdoc Marketplace customers to use Zo. Any provider who wants to improve their phone experience to maximize appointment scheduling can learn more at zocdoc.com/zo.

*Survey Methodology
Zocdoc commissioned Censuswide to collect this data via an online survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers aged 18+. The survey was fielded February 28 - March 3, 2025. The confidence interval is approximately 3.1 at 95% confidence level. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.

About Zocdoc
Zocdoc is the leading healthcare marketplace that aims to help every patient find and book every type of care. Each month, millions of patients visit Zocdoc.com or use the Zocdoc app to find quality, in-network doctors, see their real-time availability, and instantly book appointments for in-person or virtual care. Zocdoc doesn't just make healthcare easier, it also accelerates patients' access to care with the typical appointment happening within 24 to 72 hours of booking.

While Zocdoc's mission is to give power to the patient, the company supports healthcare providers, too. Doctors across every state, specialty and segment —  from solo practitioners to large hospitals and health systems — rely on Zocdoc to grow their practice, at every stage. With Zocdoc, they can reach new patients where they're seeking care, save staff time with tools that integrate into their practice software, and delight their patients through great experiences that keep them coming back. Overall, Zocdoc delivers the seamless, modern healthcare experience patients deserve.

SOURCE Zocdoc