Zocdoc Launches “Zo” – An AI Assistant to Revolutionize Medical Appointment Booking

Zocdoc, the leading digital platform for booking medical appointments, has launched a new AI-powered assistant named Zo that promises to eliminate frustrating hold times and transform the patient scheduling experience.

Meet “Zo” – The AI Call Center Agent

Zo is an AI agent trained to speak naturally and politely, like a human call center representative. It can handle unlimited scheduling calls, automatically booking appointments without needing patients to wait on hold.

“This is the beginning of a more pleasing health care experience,” said Zocdoc CEO Dr. Oliver Kharraz. “We’re freeing up call centers to focus on more complex tasks, while automation handles routine bookings.”

Zo connects directly with medical practices’ phone systems and EHRs (electronic health records), and there are no upfront costs to try it. Practices only pay $2 per successful appointment booking.

Why Zo Matters:

• Average hold time at health care call centers is 4.4 minutes, way above the HFMA’s 50-second recommendation.

• Only 50% of patients are satisfied with current call center experiences.

• Zo eliminates wait times entirely and is available 24/7, including during call volume spikes.

Real AI, Not Just a Demo

Zo took two years to develop and is trained using over 20 years of Zocdoc’s data, including complex factors like insurance coverage and doctor preferences.

Dr. Kharraz said the hardest part wasn’t building a demo, but teaching Zo real human behavior. Early versions made awkward suggestions, such as telling patients where to find their insurance card. Now, it mirrors how real staff would respond—patiently and respectfully.

“There were thousands of social and conversational nuances we had to teach it,” he said. “That’s what makes Zo so different—it’s built to actually work.”

Adoption Still Slow in Healthcare

While AI is transforming many industries, health care has been slow to adopt agentic AI—AI that can fully complete tasks on its own. A recent survey showed only 3% of healthcare executives consider call centers a priority area for AI use.

But Zo may change that perspective, offering a practical solution for an area often plagued by staffing shortages and poor customer satisfaction.