> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.routiq.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# How Robyn texts patients
> What Robyn does when a patient texts your clinic, and how you stay in control.
When a patient texts your clinic's Routiq number, Robyn reads it and works out what they need. She knows who they are from their mobile number, matched against your practice system. Then she books, answers or passes it to your team.
## What she does
She finds real times in your diary and offers them. Nothing changes until the patient replies YES.
From What Robyn knows. When your clinic is Live, she answers questions about opening hours, where you are, parking and your phone number on her own.
Any other answer she writes waits for your team to approve, in the Message Queue under Replies.
When she shouldn't or can't answer, the conversation goes to Needs a person and your team is told.
## What she never does
* She never gives medical advice, a diagnosis or a treatment suggestion.
* She never makes up times or prices.
* She never says something is booked before it is.
* She never books someone your practice system doesn't know. If a new number asks to book, the conversation goes to your team.
## A conversation, start to finish
Here's a made-up example of a patient booking by text.
| Who | Message |
| - | - |
| Patient | Hi, can I get in next week for my knee? |
| Robyn | Here's what's free next week.
Standard Consultation at Harbour Street with Alex:
1. Tue 13 Oct at 9:00 am
2. Tue 13 Oct at 2:30 pm
3. Wed 14 Oct at 10:15 am
Reply 1, 2 or 3. Nothing is booked yet. |
| Patient | 2 please |
| Robyn | You've picked Tue 13 Oct at 2:30 pm, Standard Consultation with Alex. Reply YES to book it. Nothing is booked yet. |
| Patient | Yes |
| Robyn | Your appointment is booked: Tue 13 Oct, 2:30pm at Harbour Street. Reply here if you need to change it. |
Robyn writes her own opening line, so it changes from conversation to conversation. The times, the "Reply YES" question and the confirmation always follow the pattern above.
## Choose how Robyn works
Go to **Settings**, then **Operating mode**: "Who presses send: you, or Robyn." Only an owner or admin can change it.
| Mode | What the app says | What it means |
| - | - | - |
| Test | "Nothing reaches a patient." | Nothing is sent, not even your team's replies. |
| Assisted | "You approve every message before it sends." | Everything Robyn writes is a draft for your team. She doesn't change your diary. |
| Live | "Texts send on their own. Robyn replies to patients." | Robyn books by text and answers simple questions on her own. Rebooking messages go out on your schedule. |
Before you switch to Live, the app asks "Go live?": "Rebooking messages go out to real patients without review, on the saved schedule, and Robyn replies to patients on her own. You can return to Assisted at any time." Press **Go live** to confirm.
A new clinic starts in Live, but nothing is sent until it has its number and credits.
If your clinic is Live and something still stops Robyn replying, Operating mode tells you, for example "Robyn has no clinic information to answer from yet." with a link to add it.
## Pause Robyn in one conversation
Open the conversation in **Chat** and press **Pause Robyn**. She stops replying in that thread, and her unsent drafts there are cancelled. The patient's texts still come in. Everyone at your clinic sees that she's paused.
When one of your team replies in a thread, Robyn pauses there automatically.
To hand the conversation back, press **Let Robyn reply**. If your clinic is Live and the patient's last text is still waiting, she answers it.
## When she replies
Robyn replies at any hour, as soon as a text arrives. Rebooking messages and campaigns are different: they only go out during your sending window. See [the Message Queue](/reengagement/message-queue).
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