AI Agents in the contact center: Tips for success from two real-world implementations

Healthcare’s contact centers are entering a new era. With AI accelerating what’s possible, executives Sam Hinton, Director of Practice Operations at Presbyterian Healthcare Services, and Tim Getsay, former Executive Vice President of Performance and Integration at Gillette Children’s, share how they’re transforming patient access from the inside out.

Their experiences show how different types of health systems can adopt AI in practical, scalable ways. 

Understanding the contact center landscape

Gillette Children’s contact center helps pediatric patients and their caregivers navigate complex conditions, requiring personalized scheduling and engagement.

Presbyterian Healthcare’s contact center staff manages billing, appointments, prescriptions, and MyChart support, serving an aging population that needs better access and coordinated care.

AI helps both organizations keep pace with rising patient expectations.

Why AI and automation?

There are three key reasons Gillette Children’s turned to AI:

1. To improve the patient experience: The goal wasn’t perfection – it was about making things better for patients.
   
   
2. To focus on care management before ROI: The organization created more opportunities for meaningful care engagement.
   
   
3. To enhance, not replace staff: AI enhances services without reducing FTEs.

For Presbyterian Healthcare, it was driven by a need to shift from reactive to proactive outreach. “We were not flexible or agile enough to meet patients where they were, and that caused frustration,” says Hinton. “Now, we’re incorporating AI Voice Agents for HCC outreach – reaching patients proactively. ”

Success tip: Once patients and staff gain confidence with AI, it becomes much easier to expand into preventive screenings such as colonoscopies or mammograms. 

Both organizations prioritized the earliest, highest-impact AI opportunities.

Finding the right AI approach

At Gillette Children’s, AI is transforming patient care by pinpointing cohorts, like those with cerebral palsy, and automatically triggering timely X-ray reminders and appointments.

Presbyterian Healthcare targeted HCC care gaps with outbound AI text messages. AI only required basic authentication – not a MyChart password – removing a barrier for seniors. 

“Since our population is already comfortable with texting, AI adoption was quick and less intimidating than other platforms,” says Hinton. “We’ve improved convenience for seniors.”

From there, both organizations moved quickly to build sustainable AI implementation plans. 

Success tip: Know your patient needs and clinical workflows to identify AI use cases.

Operational playbook for AI Agents

Presbyterian Healthcare focused on targeting the right population with the right outreach to achieve the best outcomes, launching its first HCC automation program in just 23 days.

When Gillette Children’s started with AI registration, engagement and satisfaction numbers were extremely high at 97%. A consolidated AI platform allows them to customize and build new workflows at their own pace. 

Success tip: Choose a solution and a partner that can scale quickly.

Beyond operational wins, personalization must remain central to any AI strategy.

Personalization without overhead

For Gillette Children’s, the combination of contact personalization and convenience is a huge relief for families. “When we first launched AI, our hospital layout made visits chaotic, with offices on one side and our clinic in the middle,” says Getsay. “I’d get texts from our CEO about long lines. I haven’t received that text in over two and a half years.”

Success tip: Personalize the welcome, so AI Agents don’t request basic information. Instead, it’s automatically confirmed at the first point of contact.

Early AI design choices led to quick success across scheduling, clinical workflows, and engagement.

Early AI wins and operational impact

AI reshaped patient experience and staff operations for Gillette Children's:

• Specialized experiences: Leaders reimagined how to deploy contact center staff in the AI transition.
• Scheduling improvements: AI eases the scheduling burden on clinical teams. Within a month, providers no longer viewed scheduling processes as overwhelming.
• Clinical efficiency: AI manages comprehensive pre- and post-appointment requirements for complex gene therapies. 
• New patient referrals: An AI agent scans documentation records, sometimes 200 pages, and creates a pre-visit summary completely and accurately. AI doesn't provide the diagnosis; it prepares providers to conduct their individual assessment more efficiently.

Presbyterian Healthcare learned early AI lessons: 

• Communication: Hinton actively engaged with the call center team so they understood AI's purpose and could better manage heavy call volumes.
• Quality goals: Targeting care gaps relieved pressure on leadership, who were thrilled to achieve A1C targets.
• Organizational engagement: Outbound AI texts sparked excitement for what’s next.   

Success tip: Align clinical and contact center teams before launching AI – it makes all the difference.

Both organizations assessed AI’s impact on costs, staffing, and long-term sustainability.

The ROI conversation

ROI isn’t always immediate. When both leaders and operational teams started using an AI platform and saw the benefits, adoption spread quickly. 

Presbyterian saved money through attrition. Before AI, the organization had 22 people making HCC outreach calls. Now, there are five. AI has eliminated administrative calls for nurses, allowing them to focus on patient care and practice at the top of their licensure.

“Instead of being reactive, our staff feel better prepared for the calls,” says Hinton. “And patients love that.” 

Success tip: AI strategy is about building momentum with the right leadership. 

The AI impact extended beyond the contact center, influencing system-wide strategic value.

How AI reshapes outcomes strategies

AI adds value to Gillette Children's population health vision. The organization built an outcomes department focused on defining value and showing how AI impacts patients' lives.

Success tip: Embrace the technology partnership because change is worthwhile, but first, you have to be willing to adapt.

Building on this momentum, it was time to explore new ways AI could support patients.

Expanding what’s possible with AI

Gillette Children’s completed front-end AI work: registration, scheduling, clinic prep, forms, and consents. Their AI focus is now on patient-reported outcomes. By asking two or three quick questions via automated text or voice surveys before patients leave the clinic, they can capture feedback immediately, when it matters most.

AI can also close medication adherence gaps, such as prescription pickups. However, it’s essential to have confidence that patients will embrace new technology. “Seniors are not incapable of learning. We need to change the narrative and allow them to learn and understand,” says Hinton. 

Executive leaders with that forward-thinking mindset will see increased success with AI adoption. They lean into governance, prioritization, and not just the monetary investment, but also making AI part of the culture. 

Success tip: Listen to feedback and focus on timely efforts to evolve the patient experience across the whole continuum. 

Ultimately, these experiences highlight what’s possible when leadership embraces AI as a long-term strategic investment. Organizations that adapt will be best suited to continue caring for their communities. Now is the time to build a contact center designed for the future, and that starts with AI.

Learn more about how automation can transform your contact center here.