SoundHound AI and Allina Health are putting hold music on notice. The two companies have launched “Alli,” a voice-enabled AI agent designed to overhaul patient engagement at Allina’s Customer Experience Centre, and early results show it’s already changing the game.
Powered by SoundHound’s conversational AI platform Amelia, Alli connects directly to Allina’s electronic medical record system, authenticates patients instantly, and handles appointment scheduling on the spot. Plans are already in motion to expand Alli’s capabilities to include prescription refills, doctor searches, and responses to common non-clinical questions.
That means no more navigating call trees or waiting on hold for simple tasks. As a result, call times have dropped by up to 10 seconds, and 80% of patient calls are now answered in under 45 seconds, all without hiring more staff.
While Alli deals with the routine, human agents are freed up to handle the tougher conversations, the kind that require empathy, not automation.
Michael Anderson, executive vice president of enterprise AI at SoundHound AI, said: “Long wait times and administrative complexity can be a huge source of stress for patients. We are proud to partner with Allina Health on this important digital transformation. The organisation is taking a forward-thinking approach by integrating AI to support patients with immediate, personalised assistance.”
The move signifies SoundHound’s broader push to bring advanced voice AI into healthcare. The company says its agents are HIPAA-compliant, channel-agnostic, and able to operate across voice or chat while integrating into existing systems with ease.