Andrew Flicker has built his reputation as a trusted house call physical therapist in New York City. With a packed schedule, he’s always on the move, focused on delivering hands-on care. But every thriving practice has some operational reality: if you’re helping patients, you can’t answer every phone call. And if you can’t answer, you risk missing new opportunities, urgent changes, or critical questions.
Challenge
Andrew’s original setup was as basic as it gets: the standard iPhone voicemail. In theory, it worked. But in practice, messages rarely came through. "People never left any messages, so I had an issue with that," Andrew says. Even worse, many of his clients are new Americans or speak little English, making it harder for them to leave a message in the first place. For a business built on trust, accessibility, and personal care, this was a real barrier. "I serve a community and that community is extremely diverse. These people, they don't speak any English, and they had to get information to me."
Solution
Andrew needed a solution that could respect his clients’ languages and busy schedule, without the cost or hassle of a traditional answering service. That’s what drew him to Upfirst. "What appealed to me was when I read that Upfirst, the AI, it speaks like 20 or 30 languages. A more comfortable, approachable way of the client leaving me a message in their own language. Upfirst’s software translates that to me and tells me exactly what they were saying, and that's extremely useful."
Setting up his AI receptionist took just a few minutes. Andrew added key details about his practice—hours, location, visit types—so Upfirst could handle the common questions and respond appropriately when clients wanted to reschedule, cancel, or ask about services. The real game-changer? Two-way dialogue. "If a person goes, 'I'm a patient and I would like to reschedule,' then the AI goes, 'Okay, that's great. Well, when would you like to reschedule?' There's actually a two-way dialogue, and that's incredible."
He also highlights Upfirst’s notification and transparency features: "I love the text notification that transcribes everything. I love the fact you can download the audio with one click. I do love seeing the transcript, and I love being able to give the AI a knowledge base to work off."
Results
Now, even as Andrew moves from appointment to appointment across New York City, he knows every call is answered, no dropped leads, no language barriers. Clients can leave messages in Spanish, Mandarin, Russian, or any of the 30+ supported languages, and Andrew gets clear, actionable notifications (complete with transcript and audio). If someone needs to reschedule or cancel, Upfirst handles the conversation and logs the request.
"I don't really have a lot of time to answer the phone. Now, I feel like that pressure is a little off and I feel a bit more relaxed. Because I feel like I'm with the best solution I can possibly have at this point. Definitely didn't expect to like it as much as I did. That's for sure."
Upfirst let Andrew keep his focus on patient care, while clients get the accessibility and professionalism they expect, without the price tag of a traditional answering service.
Want to make every client feel heard, in any language? Sign up for a free trial.
