October 19, 2025.
Released on the eve of HLTH 2025, new data from Nimblr, drawn from over 100 U.S. medical practices, show that clinics using AI-native multichannel patient engagement platforms achieved a 3.4 times higher return on investment than those relying on a single channel such as phone, text, or web.
Conducted by Nimblr, the home company of Holly AI, the study analyzed aggregated performance data collected between 2024 and 2025 from practices of varying sizes and specialties, including single-provider offices, mid-sized clinics, and large multi-location medical groups across the United States.
Practices adopting multichannel conversational AI report substantial improvements in operational efficiency, patient access, and care continuity. By automating engagement across voice, text, and web, they reduce administrative workload, recover missed appointments, and deliver faster, more personalized communication. These combined effects are driving measurable gains in financial performance, patient satisfaction, and staff well-being, reshaping how practices think about automation and access.
The Shift Toward Connected Patient Communication
Healthcare organizations have long relied on separate systems for calls, texts, and portals, creating disconnected experiences for patients. As expectations for digital access rise and staffing challenges intensify, this fragmented approach is becoming increasingly inefficient.
Coordinating engagement through multiple channels supported by conversational AI produces stronger response rates, smoother care continuity, and more efficient workflows. Practices that unify communication can now reach patients where they are and when they are available, whether by phone, text, or web, ensuring greater accessibility and responsiveness.
Holly AI: AI-Native Platform for Multichannel Patient Engagement
Holly AI, developed by Nimblr, is one of the first AI-native platforms for multichannel patient engagement. With more than eight years of experience in the market, the platform has managed communication for over 16 million patients and supports more than 1,500 healthcare practices across the United States.
Where single-channel bots or narrow AI tools handle isolated tasks, HollyAI functions as a comprehensive platform that captures patients wherever and whenever they choose to reach out. Designed by a team of applied AI scientists, the system interprets patient intent in natural language, maintains context across interactions, and ensures a consistent, accessible, and human-like experience at every touchpoint.
This architecture enables practices to deliver equal accessibility and service quality across every channel, meeting patients in their preferred mode of communication while reducing administrative friction and improving retention.
How the Analysis Was Conducted
The study examined monthly operational and financial data from more than 100 healthcare practices across the United States, covering a wide range of specialties and organizational sizes, from single-provider offices to large, multi-location medical groups. Each practice’s performance was analyzed across four dimensions: time saved, cost savings, recovered revenue, and return on investment (ROI).
All metrics were first calculated at the practice level and then normalized per provider to make the findings scalable and easy to interpret. This approach allows any organization to understand the expected benefits of automation on a comparable basis, regardless of size or structure. The data presented therefore reflects average monthly results per provider, offering a clear picture of the impact that a multichannel or single-channel strategy can have on operational and financial performance.
The ROI represents the return generated from each provider’s monthly investment in the AI platform, providing a direct measure of how automation translates into financial outcomes.
The analysis revealed consistent and significant performance advantages for multichannel adopters compared with single-channel users. Practices that automated engagement across voice, SMS, and web achieved an average ROI 3.4 times higher, along with stronger gains in time and cost efficiency.
Automation across multiple channels was found to amplify outcomes rather than divide them. When patients receive reminders and follow-ups through several coordinated touchpoints, they are more likely to confirm, reschedule, and book follow-up appointments. At the same time, being able to schedule through multiple channels increases booking rates and brings new patients into the practice.
In contrast, practices limited to a single communication channel faced diminishing returns once that channel’s capacity was reached. Their ability to scale automation and engagement was constrained, which reduced both responsiveness and overall operational benefit.
The evidence shows that channel diversity multiplies the impact of automation. Practices using AI-native multichannel engagement not only achieve higher ROI per provider, but also realize compounding advantages in efficiency, booking effectiveness, and patient participation.
| Average Staff Time Saved Per Provider (Hours) | Average Savings of Staff Hours Automated Per Provider | Average Recovered Revenue Per Provider | Average ROI Per Provider | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Practices Using All Channels (Phone + SMS + Web) | 26 | $358 | $1,008 | 899% |
| Practices With Only One Channel (Phone, Web or SMS) | 10 | $142 | $232 | 262% |
| Ratio (Times Higher) | 2.6X | 2.5X | 4.3X | 3.4X |
The chart above shows average monthly results per provider across key performance metrics. Practices using AI-native multichannel patient engagement platforms consistently outperform single-channel users, achieving up to 4.3 times higher recovered revenue and 3.4 times higher ROI.
Independent Research Supports the Findings
HollyAI’s results align with independent studies confirming the benefits of omnichannel and conversational automation in healthcare.
A 2023 study in ScienceDirect, “An Overview of Omnichannel Interaction in Health Care Services,” found that integrating communication channels improved patient satisfaction by up to 35 percent, expanded access to care, and reduced administrative costs. A 2024 meta-analysis in Springer Nature’s Journal of Medical Systems, “Patient Engagement with Conversational Agents in Health Applications,” reported that conversational agents significantly enhanced user engagement, adherence, and continuity of care. Similarly, a 2024 case study on ResearchGate showed that multichannel automation improved efficiency and message quality while lowering staff workload.
Together, these studies reinforce the conclusion that AI-driven multichannel communication delivers superior patient and operational outcomes compared with single-channel systems.
Why This Matters for Healthcare Operations
Healthcare providers continue to face critical staffing shortages and rising patient expectations for real-time, personalized communication. At the same time, patient populations span multiple generations, languages, and digital preferences.
By centralizing communication and automating up to 80 percent of front-desk tasks, practices using Holly AI maintain responsiveness while reducing staff fatigue and turnover. Automation eliminates repetitive scheduling calls and manual follow-ups, enabling teams to focus on high-touch patient needs and ensuring that every interaction remains connected, personal, and efficient.
As new data and independent research converge, one conclusion stands out clearly: the future of patient engagement is conversational, connected, and multichannel.
Sources
- Nimblr Internal Data Analysis on Multichannel Conversational AI Performance in Healthcare (2025). Based on aggregated monthly data from over 100 U.S. medical practices using the Holly AI platform between 2024 and 2025.
- An Overview of Omnichannel Interaction in Health Care Services. ScienceDirect. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949761223000160
- An Evaluation of Intelligent Automation for Patient Communication and Conflict Resolution: A Case Study Using Pega Decisioning in Multichannel Healthcare Environments. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392656297_An_Evaluation_of_Intelligent_Automation_for_Patient_Communication_and_Conflict_Resolution_A_Case_Study_Using_Pega_Decisioning_in_Multichannel_Healthcare_Environments
- Patient Engagement with Conversational Agents in Health Applications. Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10916-024-02059-x
Nimblr is an AI company specializing in automating patient communication and front-desk workflows for healthcare organizations. Its flagship solution, HollyAI, is an AI-native platform that integrates seamlessly with EHR, CRM, and RCM systems to manage patient interactions across phone, SMS, and web. Acting as an extension of staff, HollyAI automates scheduling, payments, insurance verification, prescription refills, and patient inquiries through natural, conversational experiences available 24/7.
With more than eight years of experience in AI-driven healthcare automation, Nimblr supports over 1,500 medical offices and has managed communication for more than 16 million patients across the United States. The company’s technology automates over 100 front-office tasks, helping practices reduce administrative workload by up to 75%, recover missed revenue, and improve patient access and satisfaction.
To learn more, visit https://www.nimblr.ai.