How to set up custom actions for cpap resupply request in…

Custom actions work alongside a training knowledge base, so the agent always knows your resupply policies. Have this ready:

• An active Chatref account with an agent built for your Sleep Clinics use case.
• Your practice’s resupply rules, common patient questions, and insurance pointers uploaded as source content in the agent’s knowledge base.
• Access to the agent’s Custom Actions settings (Admin role required).
• The email address of the staff member or team inbox that processes resupply requests. If you plan to connect to an external system (practice management, webhook), know that endpoint now. Chatref can POST the collected data directly to your tool.

Verify your knowledge base answers the basics: “How do I reorder a mask?” or “Do you verify insurance before shipping?” This way, when a patient reaches the custom-action flow, the agent already sounds authoritative and consistent.

All custom-action configuration lives inside the agent editor. For a sleep-clinic resupply intake, you will build a single action that gathers structured information from the patient and triggers your fulfillment process.

1. Open the Custom Actions panel From your agent’s dashboard, go to Settings > Custom Actions. Click Add action. Name it something clear like “CPAP Resupply Request Intake.”

2. Set the trigger In the trigger field, enter phrases the patient might say to start a resupply: “order replacement mask,” “cpap supplies,” “resupply request,” “need new tubing,” and “refill.” Chatref’s AI will recognize these intents and start the flow. You can later add more triggers based on actual conversations.

3. Build the collection steps (the core intake) These are the fields the agent will ask for, one at a time, to complete the request. Add them in the order that makes sense for your clinic:

   • Full name (text, required)
   • Date of birth (text or date picker, optional – some clinics use patient ID instead)
   • CPAP machine brand and model (dropdown or text; pre-populate with common models your patients use)
   • Supplies needed (multi-select: mask, headgear, tubing, filters, water chamber, humidifier)
   • Shipping address (text, required – include a note to confirm it’s current)
   • Insurance information (text, optional – or a quick yes/no to “Are you using the same insurance on file?” with a follow-up detail field if not)

   For each field, mark it required or optional. Add inline help text where needed, e.g., “Your model number is written on the bottom of the machine.” The view in the patient’s widget will be conversational – the agent will phrase each field as a question.

4. Define the outcome (what happens after collection) Scroll to the Action section. Choose what to do with the completed request:

   • Send to email: Enter the address of your resupply coordinator. The agent will compose a structured message containing all the patient’s answers.
   • Call a webhook: If your practice management system accepts incoming requests via URL, paste the webhook here. Chatref will POST the form data as a JSON payload, ready for your system to process. Test the payload with your developer before going live.
   • (You can also enable both – e.g., email for a human review while simultaneously posting to your ordering system.)

5. Craft the confirmation message After successful collection, the patient sees a closing message. Keep it practical: “Thanks, Rachel. We have your resupply request for a ResMed AirSense 11 mask and tubing. Your order will be reviewed within one business day and shipped to your address on file. If anything’s missing, reply here and we’ll update it.”

6. Save and activate Click Save and toggle the action to Active. The change takes effect immediately for any new conversations.

Before relying on the action in production, test it thoroughly from a patient’s perspective:

• Open the Playground inside the agent editor, or use the live widget on your site (logged out, in a private browser).
• Type a resupply trigger like “I need a new mask for my CPAP.” The agent should respond by introducing the intake process and asking for the first field.
• Complete the whole flow with realistic data. Confirm every question appeared and the confirmation message displayed.
• Verify the outcome: check that the email arrived in your resupply coordinator’s inbox with all the details, or that the webhook delivered a proper payload. If using a webhook, inspect the logs (your system’s) to ensure field names match what your integration expects.

Test a few intentional hiccups:

• Skip a required field mid-flow. The agent should prompt again.
• Give a nonsense date of birth. The validation (if configured) should catch it.
• Abandon the conversation after starting the flow. No partial request should be submitted. Chatref only sends the action after the user replies to all required prompts.

The action never starts Check that the trigger phrases match how patients actually talk. If you used “cpap supplies” but they say “ordering supplies,” add the latter. Watch live chats for a day and note the language patients use – then extend the trigger list.

The agent asks for too many fields at once If the conversation feels robotic, reorder the fields so each question stands alone and feels natural. You can also add a brief explanation between fields: “I’ll need a few details to process your resupply – first, your full name.”

Email goes to spam or is blocked Whitelist the sending address that appears in your test. If the problem persists, switch to a webhook to your internal ticketing system.

Insurance verification isn’t happening automatically Custom actions collect data; they don’t adjudicate coverage. Add a step that ends with a message: “We will verify your insurance before shipping. If any issue arises, our team will call you.” Then have your coordinator do the actual verification. Over time, some sleep clinics integrate the webhook into a system that checks eligibility before submitting the order.

The patient can’t remember their machine model Make that field optional, and include a help note asking them to check the device’s underside or to skip and leave it blank. Your staff can call or email later to complete the detail. The goal is to capture everything possible without stopping the process.

What causes cpap resupply request intake problems for Sleep Clinics?

The top bottleneck is phone volume. Patients call during business hours, often when front-desk staff are checking in appointments. Calls that roll to voicemail wait until the next day; after-hours requests go unanswered for 12-16 hours. Manual note-taking leads to missing machine models or shipping details, and insurance questions cause back-and-forth that stretches a simple request over multiple calls. When a staff member is out, the entire intake slows, and supplies ship late.

How do I improve cpap resupply request intake for Sleep Clinics?

Shift intake from phone calls to a structured, always-on conversation. Use Chatref’s knowledge base so the agent can answer “how often can I order?” and “do you bill my insurance?” right away, then trigger a custom action that gathers every required detail in one chat. The completed request goes to email or a webhook without any manual re-typing. This cuts the time per intake to under a minute, clears the phone, and prevents data-entry errors. The clinic staff reviews and ships – they no longer collect the data themselves.