Medslots vs hiring a receptionist: which does your clinic need?
Facts checked · Updated
A receptionist and Medslots cover different hours and different work. Indeed India puts receptionist pay at roughly 13,003 to 14,523 rupees a month for about one 8-hour shift, six days a week. Medslots costs 4,999 rupees a month and replies on WhatsApp 24x7, but cannot greet patients or take payments in person. Most clinics run both.
A receptionist vs Medslots, side by side
Sources: Indeed India: Receptionist salaries (checked 17 Sep 2026); Indeed India: Medical receptionist salaries (checked 17 Sep 2026).Base pay is the Indeed India average; a full hire also carries leave cover, training time and, where it applies, the employer's ESI share. See the sections below.
What a receptionist covers
A receptionist covers the desk: greeting patients, answering the phone during working hours, taking payments, and managing files and the day's schedule in person.
Indeed India shows an average of 14,523 rupees a month for a receptionist and 13,003 rupees a month for a medical receptionist specifically, both figures checked 17 Sep 2026. City averages in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi run higher than the national figure.
Salary is not the whole cost. Where the ESI scheme applies, the employer pays 3.25 percent of wages on top, according to ESIC's own contribution page. Add leave cover, training time, and the cost of replacing someone who leaves, and the true monthly cost sits above the base salary figure.
A single shift, 8 hours a day for 6 days a week, covers 48 of the 168 hours in a week. Enquiries that arrive during lunch, in the evening, or on the day off still need someone to answer them.
What Medslots covers
Medslots replies to patient messages on WhatsApp in about 5 seconds, 24x7, answers questions on fees and timings, and books the appointment in the same chat.
It costs a flat 4,999 rupees a month per clinic, plus 2,500 rupees a month for each additional branch. There is no setup fee and no contract, and the account goes live within 24 hours of signup. You or your staff can take over any conversation from the AI at any time.
Medslots also keeps the clinic's Google Business Profile current (services, descriptions and posts) and works on whether AI answer tools like ChatGPT and Gemini surface the clinic, which a front-desk hire does not do.
What Medslots can't replace
Medslots works inside the chat. It is not standing in the clinic, so it cannot do the parts of the job that need a person physically present.
- Greeting a patient who walks in, or noticing someone who needs help to a chair
- Taking cash or card payments at the counter, or handling receipts and change
- Managing physical files, registers and the day's paper schedule
- Calming an upset patient in person
- Handling an emergency in person
- Answering clinical questions, which always belong with the doctor
A fair split, depending on how your clinic works
Choose a receptionist when
- Patients mostly walk in, and someone needs to be at the desk to greet them and handle payment
- Your clinic needs a person to manage physical files, registers or a busy waiting room
- You want a single point of contact who knows regular patients by name
Choose Medslots when
- Enquiries arrive on WhatsApp outside your desk hours: evenings, lunch, Sundays
- Calls and messages get missed while the desk is busy with a patient in front of it
- You want appointments booked without someone available to answer every message
Most clinics do both
- A receptionist covers the counter and in-person work during the day
- Medslots covers WhatsApp enquiries and booking in the hours the desk can't reach, including after closing
- Together they cover more of the week than either does alone
What Medslots includes
- WhatsApp replies in about 5 seconds, 24x7
- Appointment booking inside the same chat
- Fee and timing answers
- Google Business Profile kept current
- AI-answer visibility checks (ChatGPT, Gemini, Google's AI answers)
- Live within 24 hours, no setup fee, no contract
Plus ₹2,500 a month for each extra branch.
Want to see if Medslots fits your clinic?
₹4,999 a month per clinic, plus ₹2,500 for each extra branch. No setup fee, no contract and no per-message charges. Live within 24 hours of signup.
Common questions
Can Medslots fully replace a clinic receptionist?
Usually not. It can reply to WhatsApp enquiries at any hour and book appointments, but it cannot greet patients, take payments at the desk, manage physical files, or handle an in-person emergency. Most clinics use it alongside a receptionist rather than instead of one.
How much does a receptionist cost compared to Medslots?
Indeed India shows an average receptionist salary of 14,523 rupees a month, and 13,003 rupees for a medical receptionist specifically, both figures checked 17 Sep 2026. That is base pay only. Medslots is a flat 4,999 rupees a month per clinic, with no setup fee.
How many hours does each one cover?
A receptionist on an 8-hour shift, six days a week, covers 48 of the 168 hours in a week. Medslots replies on WhatsApp across all 168 hours, including evenings, Sundays and after closing time.
Does Medslots cost more if I have more than one branch?
Yes. The price is 4,999 rupees a month for one clinic, plus 2,500 rupees a month for each additional branch.
Is a receptionist's salary the full cost of hiring one?
No. Base salary is the largest line, but where the ESI scheme applies, the employer also pays 3.25 percent of wages on top, per ESIC's contribution page. Leave cover, training time and the cost of replacing someone who leaves add to that further.
Facts checked against the sources listed on this page.
Sources
- 1.Indeed India: Receptionist salaries (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 2.Indeed India: Medical receptionist salaries (checked 17 Sep 2026)
- 3.Employees' State Insurance Corporation: Contribution (checked 17 Sep 2026)
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