n8n Workflow · Open Source

Build the AI Receptionist
in n8n — Step by Step

This is the exact n8n workflow powering the demo. Import it, connect your APIs, and you have a fully automated dental booking system running 24/7.

⬇ Download n8n Workflow ← Back to Demo

🤖 What This Workflow Does

📱
WhatsApp Trigger
Listens for incoming messages on your WhatsApp Business number. Instantly triggers the workflow for every patient message, 24/7.
🧠
AI Booking Agent
GPT-4 analyzes the message intent — booking, greeting, cancel, question. Extracts patient name, preferred date, and time from natural language.
📅
Live Slot Check
Queries Google Calendar in real-time to show only genuinely available slots. No double-booking, ever.
✅
Instant Confirmation
Saves to PostgreSQL, creates a calendar event, and sends a WhatsApp confirmation with name, date, time, and location — all in under 3 seconds.
🔔
24hr Auto-Reminder
After booking, schedules a WhatsApp reminder 24 hours before the appointment. No-show rate drops dramatically — clinics see 40%+ reduction.
📧
Email Backup
If patient provided an email, sends a branded HTML email confirmation. Works even if WhatsApp isn't delivered.

🔗 The Complete Workflow

Dental Receptionist — 6-Step Flow
1
📱
WhatsApp Webhook Trigger
TRIGGER
Patient sends a WhatsApp message to your clinic number. n8n receives it via the WhatsApp Cloud API webhook and starts the workflow instantly.
WhatsApp Cloud API · Webhook
Example incoming message
"Hi! I'd like to book a cleaning for tomorrow morning"
2
🧠
AI Receptionist Agent (GPT-4)
AI
The message is sent to GPT-4 with dental clinic context. It extracts: intent, patient name, requested date/time, and requested service. Returns structured JSON in under 1 second.
OpenAI GPT-4o · Structured Output
AI extracts from message
{ "intent": "booking", "patient_name": "Maria", "preferred_date": "2026-06-09", "preferred_time": "10:00", "service": "Cleaning" }
3
📅
Google Calendar — Available Slots
DATA
n8n queries Google Calendar for the requested date. Returns only free slots — no double bookings. If the requested time is taken, suggests alternatives.
Google Calendar API · Service Account
Available slots returned
["09:00", "09:30", "10:00", "11:00", "11:30", "14:00", "14:30", "15:00", "16:00", "16:30"]
4
✅
Book Appointment + Create Calendar Event
WRITE
n8n creates a PostgreSQL appointment record and a Google Calendar event simultaneously. Patient name, phone, date, time, service, and confirmation status are saved.
PostgreSQL · Google Calendar Events API
Calendar event created
Bright Smile Dental — Maria (Cleaning) | June 9 @ 10:00 AM | 123 Wellness Blvd, Miami FL
5
📲
Send WhatsApp Confirmation
OUTBOUND
Immediately sends a formatted WhatsApp message to the patient with: name, confirmed date/time, clinic address, and a friendly closing. Reads like a real receptionist.
WhatsApp Cloud API · Send Message
Patient receives
"✅ Booking confirmed! Name: Maria, Date: Mon Jun 9, Time: 10:00 AM. Location: 123 Wellness Blvd, Suite 100, Miami FL. See you there! 😊"
6
🔔
Schedule 24hr Reminder
SCHEDULED
n8n waits 23 hours then fires a WhatsApp reminder with appointment details. If email was collected, also sends a branded HTML email reminder as backup.
n8n Delay Node · WhatsApp Cloud API · Email Proxy
24hr later — patient receives
"Hi Maria! 👋 Just a reminder about your appointment at Bright Smile Dental tomorrow (Mon Jun 9) at 10:00 AM. Location: 123 Wellness Blvd, Suite 100, Miami FL. See you there!"

⚡ Live Booking Demo — Create a Real Appointment

📅 Book a Real Appointment
This actually saves to the database — shows the full workflow end-to-end

📲 Try It Now — Simulate the Flow

📱 WhatsApp Demo Simulator
Powered by LocalFlow AI — real OpenAI + WhatsApp simulation

⚙️ What You Need to Connect

📱 WhatsApp Business Account
Create a WhatsApp Business account on Meta Business Suite. Get your Phone Number ID and Access Token. Setup a webhook URL pointing to your n8n instance.
WHATSAPP_PHONE_NUMBER_ID · WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN
🔑 OpenAI API Key
Create an OpenAI account and get an API key. Used for GPT-4 to analyze messages and generate responses. About $0.01 per conversation on average.
OPENAI_API_KEY
📅 Google Cloud Calendar
Create a Google Cloud project, enable the Calendar API, create a Service Account, and share your clinic calendar with it. Download the JSON key file.
GOOGLE_CALENDAR_ID · GOOGLE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY
🗄️ PostgreSQL Database
Any PostgreSQL database works — Neon, Supabase, Railway, or self-hosted. n8n has a built-in Postgres node. Schema auto-created on first run.
DATABASE_URL
⏰ n8n (Self-hosted or Cloud)
Download the n8n workflow JSON and import it into your n8n instance. Self-host for full control, or use n8n.cloud for managed hosting. Free and open source.
n8n.cloud or self-hosted · Import /api/demo/workflow.json

🚀 Import in 5 Minutes

1️⃣ Download the workflow JSON
Click the download button below. Save the n8n-dental-receptionist-workflow.json file — you'll import this into your n8n instance.
2️⃣ Open n8n → Import
In n8n (cloud or self-hosted), go to Workflows → Import from File. Select the JSON file you downloaded. The full workflow appears with all 6 nodes connected.
3️⃣ Add your credentials
Click each node and enter: WhatsApp Phone Number ID + Access Token, OpenAI API key, Google Calendar service account JSON. The workflow has environment variable fields ready — use {{ $env.WHATSAPP_ACCESS_TOKEN }} format.
4️⃣ Activate the webhook trigger
Click the green "Activate" button on the WhatsApp Webhook trigger node. n8n gives you a webhook URL — copy it and add it as your WhatsApp webhook callback URL in Meta Business Suite.
5️⃣ Test with WhatsApp
Send a test message from your phone to your WhatsApp Business number. Watch the workflow fire in n8n's execution log. The AI responds, booking appears in the DB, confirmation sends — all in under 3 seconds.

Free self-hosted n8n · No credit card · Takes ~20 minutes to fully configure

⬇ Download n8n v3.0 Workflow JSON

Includes WhatsApp trigger, GPT-4 AI agent, Google Calendar, Postgres, WhatsApp send, 24hr delay reminder

📋 n8n Workflow JSON

n8n-dental-receptionist-workflow.json ⬇ Download 
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