+30%
More inbound volume handled
Zero
New hires added
SGD 600
Average transaction size
About the company
PROTOCOL Health
PROTOCOL is one of Singapore's flagship longevity and preventive health clinics, building a category that pairs doctor-led care with a digital health platform. The company offers 100+ biomarker bloodwork screening, prescription therapies including GLP-1 and TRT, targeted supplementation, and one-on-one health coaching, all wrapped in a personalized plan grounded in real clinical data. PROTOCOL is licensed by the Singapore Medical Council, registered with MOH, and recently closed a US$1M pre-seed round.
The Challenge
PROTOCOL's growth was working: more inbound, more bookings, and a strong pipeline of new members. The constraint was the people delivering the experience.
01
Sales and coaching sharing the same inbox
The same team closing new members and delivering coaching were fielding inbound WhatsApp inquiries, answering complex medical questions, and chasing follow-ups. Every hour spent on triage was an hour not spent on the concierge service.
02
Medical-grade accuracy is non-negotiable
Inbound questions ranged from "what does this biomarker mean" to "is GLP-1 right for me." Generic chatbots are not built for this level of accuracy, and getting it wrong is a brand and clinical risk.
03
Hiring out of the problem doesn't work in Singapore
Adding more sales reps or junior coaches in Singapore is one of the most expensive ways to scale. Linear headcount growth would have eroded unit economics on a SGD 600 average transaction.
Sales + coaches
Doing dual duty: closing and triaging inbound
Concierge service
The #1 brand differentiator, getting squeezed by volume
SGD 600 avg ticket
Premium price point, premium expectations
Singapore labor cost
Hiring out of the problem was not unit-economical
What didn't work
Where Coach Hours Were Going
The team had not previously deployed automation. Every inbound conversation was handled by a human, which sounds right until you look at where the hours actually went.
01
First-touch triage bottleneck
Every new lead got a coach or sales rep doing the same opening qualification in real time, regardless of how serious the prospect was.
02
Repetitive medical Q&A
Coaches answered the exact same questions about biomarkers, screening logistics, GLP-1/TRT eligibility, and pricing multiple times a day from scratch.
03
Dropped follow-ups
Without an automated cadence, follow-ups were a manual to-do list. High-intent prospects often went quiet because the team couldn't circle back fast enough.
04
Missed package upsells
Relying on stretched human capacity meant prospects inquiring about single tests frequently weren't guided toward comprehensive coaching packages. | | Fail Card 5 Title | Broken unit economics
05
Broken unit economics
Using expensive, clinical-adjacent talent in Singapore to do basic administrative routing and follow-ups broke the business model for scaling.
Brand-defining concierge service was getting funded by the wrong people doing the wrong work.
What Covena does differently
A Clinically-Aware Concierge
Covena built an AI concierge for PROTOCOL on WhatsApp that handles the front of the funnel with clinical-adjacent accuracy, automates follow-ups, and gives coaches their time back.
01
Adaptive discovery, tuned to intake
The AI asks the right qualifying questions based on what the prospect is asking about, collecting inputs seamlessly like a knowledgeable concierge.
02
Complex medical Q&A grounded in KB
Answers detailed questions about biomarkers and protocols with accuracy backed by PROTOCOL's clinical content, explicitly flagging questions for human handoff when needed.
03
Package-level upsell
Surfaces the right package for each prospect, organically recommending a full screening plus coaching package rather than just the cheapest entry point.
04
H+1 and H+7 auto follow-ups
Every conversation gets an automated follow-up at one hour and seven days after the last message, ensuring consistent, on-brand nudges with no manual chase.
05
Built for Singapore's cost base
The system was designed to scale pipeline volume linearly without adding more sales headcount, perfectly protecting unit economics.
Deployed in 4 weeks. Coaches back on coaching. Pipeline volume up.
Building a Concierge Layer Without Adding Headcount
The agent sits in front of the sales team and coaches, handling the high-volume work and handing off only when human judgment is genuinely needed.
Adaptive Discovery Questions
Tailored to each PROTOCOL service line: screenings, GLP-1, TRT, coaching, supplementation.
Clinically-Aware Q&A
Answers complex medical questions grounded in PROTOCOL's KB, with explicit flagging when a question is out of scope.
Package-Level Recommendations
Upsells from single tests into full screening plus coaching packages where appropriate.
H+1 Follow-up
Automatic re-engagement one hour after the last message to recapture intent before it cools.
H+7 Follow-up
Second automated nudge at seven days to convert leads who needed more time.
Clean Handoff to Human Coaches
Hands warm, qualified prospects to the human team with the full context of the conversation, no re-asking.
Implementation: Live in 4 Weeks
WEEK 1
Discovery, KB Mapping, and Clinical Boundaries
PROTOCOL's coaches and sales team led knowledge transfer on intake questions, package logic, and defining strict clinical boundaries.
WEEK 2
Build & Clinical Accuracy Testing
Building the agent and stress-testing it against the KB on real medical questions, with clinical leads reviewing every output.
WEEK 3
WhatsApp Integration & Follow-up Cadence
Connecting the agent to WhatsApp Business and configuring the automated H+1 and H+7 follow-up cadence.
WEEK 4
Fully Live
Full inbound traffic handed to the AI, with the human team focused exclusively on warm handoffs and concierge delivery.
The Impact
Same conversion rate, materially more pipeline, on the same headcount.
+30%
Volume Handled
Inbound conversations handled at the same 3% conversion rate.
0
New Hires Required
No additional sales reps or coaches added to absorb the increase.
SGD 600
Average Transaction
Premium price point preserved, with consistent upsell into packages.
Reclaimed
Coach Hours
Health coaches back on coaching, the work that defines the brand.
Metric
Before
After
Inbound volume handled
Capped by team capacity
+30% on the same headcount↑ 30%
Conversion rate
3%
3% (held constant at higher volume)Maintained
New hires required
Linear with volume
ZeroHeadcount decoupled from growth
Coach time on triage
Significant share of week
Reallocated to coaching↑ Concierge capacity
Lead follow-up
Manual and inconsistent
H+1 and H+7 automated cadenceClosed-loop
Out-of-scope medical Qs
Coach answered everything
AI flags and routes to clinicianSafer + faster
What's Next
With sales and coaches off the inbound treadmill, PROTOCOL's team is investing the recovered hours back into the concierge experience that members pay for: deeper coaching sessions, more personalized planning, and clinical attention.
Want a Concierge Like This for Your Health or Wellness Business?
If your sales team and clinicians are sharing the same inbox, and growth is starting to mean either burnout or expensive new hires, Covena builds AI concierges that handle the front of the funnel with clinical-grade accuracy, automate the follow-up cadence, and give your premium operators back to the work only they can do. Live in weeks.