Gather
Research Executive Summary

The True Cost of an Unsuccessful Patient Call

Gather fielded a quantitative study for Parlance to quantify what unsuccessful patient calls cost independent multi-site clinic groups, in lost appointments, lost lifetime value, and operational strain on front-desk teams.

What we set out to learn

Parlance sells intelligent voice technology to independent clinic groups, whose most urgent, revenue-critical problem is patient access by phone. The objective was to produce an original, citable statistic Parlance can own and publish: the true cost of a patient call that goes unanswered, is abandoned on hold, is never returned, or reaches a person but ends without the patient getting what they needed.

Who we surveyed

102 decision-makers and strong influencers over patient-access operations at independent, non-hospital-affiliated clinic groups across the United States, each with 10 or more locations and $30M to $500M in annual revenue. Fielded in July 2026 as a guided interview, reported at the total-sample level.

82%
say most or almost all patient access still starts with a phone call
40%
estimate losing $250K+ a year to unsuccessful calls
73%
have seen or suspect patients leaving over phone frustration

The headline finding

Most defensible finding

The phone is still the front door for 82% of these practices, yet getting through no longer guarantees getting helped. Four in ten leaders estimate their group loses at least a quarter-million dollars a year to calls that fail, and nearly three quarters have seen or suspect patients leaving for a competitor because of it.

Beyond the topline, the study reframes what a "missed call" means. Two thirds of leaders say some answered calls still end without the patient accomplishing what they called to do, a loss no abandonment report captures. And the most common consequence leaders name is not a lost call but a front desk worn out by the volume, which is the operational story Parlance is built to relieve.

Prepared by Gather for Parlance · July 2026 · N=102 · Total-sample reporting. Full findings, question-by-question data, and participant verbatims accompany this summary in the report, headline map, data appendix, and verbatim library.
Headline Verification Ledger

Which Planned Headlines the Data Supports

Every headline from the research plan, graded against 102 independent clinic group leaders. The verdict on each tells you what is publishable as written, what needs a wording change, and what the data won't carry.

HOLDS: publishable as written
REFRAME: angle survives, wording changes
CONTRADICTED: data runs the other way
3
Hold
2
Reframe
1
Contradicted
Planned Headlines
Planned Headline 1: The flagship number
"Independent clinic groups estimate they lose roughly $X a year to patient calls that go unanswered, are abandoned, are never returned, or end unresolved."
Reframe
Source: Q13 annual-loss estimate (self-reported), with Q7, Q8, Q10 as context
40% estimate they lose $250K or more a year; 72% put the figure at $50K or more
Corrected framing: The estimates cluster in the mid range rather than at an eye-catching single number, so lead with the share above a meaningful threshold: "4 in 10 independent clinic groups estimate they lose at least a quarter-million dollars a year to unsuccessful patient calls." That is defensible, on-message, and avoids overstating a self-reported figure.
Planned Headline 2: The cost is hidden
"X% of clinic leaders don't track unsuccessful patient calls, and most have never put a dollar figure on the loss."
Contradicted
Source: Q6 tracking + Q13 "never put a number on it"
2% say they don't track it; only 4% have never put a number on the loss
The data runs the other way: 66% say they track missed and unsuccessful calls precisely and another 32% have a rough idea, so the "they don't measure it" premise fails. The real hidden-cost story is downstream: leaders track the calls but still can't see the patients who quietly leave (only 3% admit they wouldn't know, yet 74% believe blocked callers go elsewhere), and they struggle to price the loss in dollars. Reframe from "they don't track it" to "they track the calls but can't see what those calls cost them."
Planned Headline 3: Frustration sends patients to competitors
"X% have seen or suspect patients leaving their practice for a competitor after a poor phone experience."
Holds
Source: Q15 patients leaving for a competitor
73% have seen or suspect patients leaving over phone or access frustration; 33% have seen it outright
Publishable as written. Lead with the combined 73%, or the sharper 33% "have seen it happen" for a more conservative claim. The number climbs to 83% among 20 to 49 clinic groups.
Planned Headline 4: The caregiver multiplier
"The typical patient schedules for X others, so one caller lost on the phone can mean a whole family's appointments lost."
Holds
Source: Q12 caregiver multiplier
88% say the typical patient also books for at least one other person; 48% book for two or more
Publishable as written. This is the leader's read of their patient base, so frame it as "leaders say," but the signal is strong and it carries the lifetime-value story: one lost caller rarely means one lost appointment.
Planned Headline 5: The biggest channel, the smallest investment
"The phone is the largest way patients reach these practices, yet X% say it's been under-invested and X% have no automation handling calls."
Reframe
Source: Q5 phone share + Q19 investment + Q18 priority + Q20 automation
82% say most or almost all patient access still starts with a phone call; 51% say the channel is under-invested
Corrected framing: The "biggest channel" half is strong and holds. The "smallest investment" half is softer than planned, since half of leaders say the phone already gets significant investment, so avoid a stark neglect claim. Lead with the dominance and the even split: "The phone is still how 82% of patients reach these practices, yet half of leaders say it has been under-invested." The under-investment view is sharpest among smaller groups (63% of 10 to 19 clinic groups).
Planned Headline 6: Phone beats the doctor in complaints
"X% of clinic leaders say patients complain more about reaching them by phone than about the providers or the care itself."
Holds
Source: Q17 phone vs. care in complaints
58% say patients complain more about reaching them by phone than about the care itself
Publishable as written. It mirrors the pattern Parlance saw at Collaborative Health Partners, where phone wait times were the number one patient complaint every quarter. Strongest among 20 to 49 clinic groups at 66%.
Emergent Findings
Emergent finding: The answered call that still fails
Even when patients get through, leaders estimate a meaningful share of calls end without the patient getting what they came for.
Holds
Source: Q8 answered-but-unresolved rate (new construct)
64% say at least some answered calls end unresolved; 34% put it at 15% or more of answered calls
The freshest number in the study. It widens "missed call" beyond ring-and-abandon to the caller who reached a person and still left empty-handed, which is exactly the gap an intelligent assistant is built to close. A strong candidate for a standalone social card.
Emergent finding: The front desk pays first
The most common consequence of the phone situation isn't a lost call, it's a burned-out front desk.
Holds
Source: Q16 consequences felt (multi-select)
48% name front-desk staff overwhelmed or burned out, the single most-cited consequence
Ahead of long hold times (43%) and abandoned calls (40%). The staffing-relief angle is a proven Parlance story and it leads the consequence list here, not trails it.
Emergent finding: The market is mid-adoption
Most of these groups are already in motion on automation, which reframes the sale from "why" to "which partner."
Holds
Source: Q20 automation today
62% already use voice automation (20%) or are actively evaluating or piloting it (42%)
Only 38% still handle every call with staff or ad hoc. The buying conversation for this ICP is less about proving the category and more about winning the selection, where a proven healthcare track record and hands-on implementation top the criteria list.
A Parlance Research Report

The Phone Is Still the Front Door. For Most Clinic Groups, It's Leaking Patients.

102 leaders of independent multi-site clinic groups told us what unsuccessful patient calls really cost, in appointments, in loyalty, and in staff worn thin.

Research Report  |  July 2026  |  102 Respondents

The phone remains how 82% of patients reach these practices, but getting through is no guarantee of getting helped. 4 in 10 leaders estimate their group loses at least a quarter-million dollars a year to calls that go unanswered, abandoned, or unresolved, and 73% have seen or suspect patients leaving for a competitor because of it.

82%
say most or almost all patient access still starts with a phone call
40%
estimate they lose $250K or more a year to unsuccessful patient calls
73%
have seen or suspect patients leaving for a competitor over phone frustration
1

The Phone Is the Channel That Carries the Practice

Digital scheduling has not displaced the call. For the overwhelming majority of these groups, the phone is still where patient access lives, which means every weakness on the line is a weakness at the front door.

Of all the ways patients reach your practices to schedule or get help, roughly what share still starts with a phone call?
On a busy day, what's your best estimate of the share of inbound patient calls that go unanswered, get stuck in voicemail, or are abandoned by patients on hold?
Why it matters

When 82% of access runs through the phone and half of leaders say 15% or more of calls fail on a busy day, the phone stops being a support channel and becomes the single biggest point of revenue leakage in the practice.

"I answer the phones, I schedule new patients, we receive over 1000 calls a day. I schedule at over 50 locations across the east coast. When things get busy we try to keep our calls under a certain time to keep the wait times short."

— Operations Executive, 50+ clinic group, Sports Medicine, New York
2

Getting Through Isn't the Same as Getting Helped

The loss leaders describe goes beyond the call that rings out. It includes the caller who reaches a person and still hangs up without an appointment, the cost that never shows up in an abandonment report.

And of the calls that do get answered, roughly what share end without the patient accomplishing what they called to do?
When a patient can't get through by phone, or can't get what they need, how often do you think they simply go somewhere else for care?
Why it matters

64% of leaders say at least some answered calls end unresolved, and 74% believe blocked or unhelped callers take their care elsewhere at least occasionally. The failure extends past the busy signal to the conversation that didn't get the patient what they needed.

"The idea would be potential lost customers when there's an overload of calls or a shortage of staff. Each customer represents a value. What makes it hard is the different issues a customer might be calling for, and for how many people."

— Director of Patient Access, 10-19 clinic group, Physical Medicine & Rehab, Texas
3

One Lost Caller Is Rarely One Lost Appointment

The patient on the phone is often booking for more than themselves. That's what turns a single dropped call into a compounding loss, and why frustration on the line shows up as patients walking out the door.

Beyond themselves, for how many other people does a typical patient at your practice tend to schedule appointments?
Have you seen, or do you suspect, patients leaving your practice for a competitor because of phone or access frustration?
Why it matters

88% of leaders say the typical patient also books for at least one other person, and 48% for two or more. Lose that caller on the phone and you can lose a household's worth of appointments, which is why 73% have seen or suspect patients leaving over access frustration.

"We had some times where the phones were very busy. We were getting lots of patients calling. We would just have to put them on hold and apologize and tell them we will call them back in a few minutes or later on that day."

— Director of Patient Access, 20-49 clinic group, Primary Care, Florida
4

The Biggest Channel, and Where Complaints Actually Land

Leaders know the phone carries the practice, and they know it under-delivers. When patients complain, it's more often about reaching the practice than about the care once they arrive.

When patients complain, how often is it about reaching you by phone or getting through, versus the providers or the care itself?
Thinking about where your technology dollars go, how much investment has your phone / patient-access channel gotten relative to its size?
Which of these has your phone situation caused at your group? Select all that apply.
Why it matters

58% say patients complain more about reaching them by phone than about the care itself, and the top consequence leaders name is a front desk worn out by the volume, ahead of any lost call. Half say the channel that carries the most patients has been under-invested.

"One time we had two front desk staff call out sick on a Monday morning, and the phones quickly became backed up. Patients experienced long hold times, some calls were missed, and appointment scheduling was delayed. It led to frustrated patients and extra work returning calls later."

— Operations Executive, 10-19 clinic group, Primary Care, Washington

The Front Door Is the Phone. Parlance Answers It.

Parlance builds intelligent voice assistants that answer, route, and resolve routine patient calls, so front-desk teams stop drowning in volume and patients stop hanging up unhelped. Not a vendor handoff. A joint build, proven across multi-site clinic groups.

See how it works

Methodology

The True Cost of an Unsuccessful Patient Call  |  Fielded July 2026

102
leaders of independent multi-site clinic groups
10+
clinic locations per group
$30M–$500M
annual revenue band
U.S.
independent, non-hospital-affiliated groups

Respondents by Role

Groups by Size

Respondents are decision-makers or strong influencers over patient-access and phone operations at independent clinic groups with 10 or more locations and $30M to $500M in annual revenue, not affiliated with a hospital or health system. Percentages are calculated from unique respondents and rounded using the largest-remainder method, so single-select charts total 100%. Multi-select questions total more than 100% because respondents could choose more than one option.

Data Appendix

Every Question, Every Segment

All closed-ended questions in as-asked order, with the base shown for each. Use the toggles to cut any question by clinic size or role. Segments with a base under 30 are flagged as directional.

Verbatim Library

In Their Own Words

Every open-ended response from 102 clinic group leaders, reproduced as written. Search the full text, or filter by question, role, specialty, and group size.

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