The operational decision
Make sure staff can explain the assistant's purpose consistently to visitors and colleagues. A small pilot should prove one defined answering task before broader forwarding changes. Write down the normal phone arrangement so the team can restore it without reconstructing the setup from memory.
Prepare the workflow
Share the scope sheet, approved greeting and escalation contact; ask staff to name one permitted question and one excluded request.
Example wording for approval
“Ava can explain the example office's public hours and directions. It cannot handle patient details or appointments; those questions stay with the practice.”
Worked example
At the fictional staff briefing, one receptionist describes Ava as a system that answers patient questions. That wording exceeds the scope even if the technical setup is correct. Ask staff to explain a permitted parking question and an excluded prescription request in their own words. Correct the description and give them the direct practice-contact instruction. A brief shared understanding is more useful than asking everyone to sign a long document without checking what they think the assistant actually does.
Handoff record
Record these task-specific fields: briefing date, staff roles, scope version, open questions.
Acceptance check
Have a staff member explain the pilot without reading the sheet. Correct any description that presents it as clinical triage or patient intake.
Try Ava with your business’s public information ↗