Heron
Heron (Heron Health Limited) is an Auckland-based AI platform that automates patient phone calls, appointment booking, and multi-channel communications for healthcare clinics across Australia and New Zealand. It integrates directly with major regional practice management systems.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Heron does
Heron (Heron Health Limited), headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, is a cloud-based AI patient communications platform purpose-built for healthcare clinics across Australia and New Zealand. The product provides an autonomous AI agent that answers inbound patient calls 24/7, captures intent through natural conversation, checks live availability against the clinic's Practice Management System, and books appointments directly into the PMS before the call ends. A unified inbox consolidates phone, SMS, WhatsApp, and email interactions so clinic staff can assign, track, and resolve requests in one place, with configurable escalation paths for non-routine or clinical inquiries.
The platform is built on Google Cloud Platform infrastructure and uses third-party large language models for natural-language understanding, speech-to-text, and text-to-speech. SIP-based telephony integration connects Heron to existing clinic phone systems without replacement, while proprietary connectors enable real-time bidirectional integration with four major ANZ PMS platforms: Medtech Evolution (via the ALEX API), Best Practice, Elixir, and Gensolve. Security and compliance posture is anchored by SOC 2 Type I certification (examined March 2026), HIPAA-aligned architecture, and explicit compliance with the NZ Privacy Act 2020, Health Information Privacy Code 2020, and Australian Privacy Act 1988.
Heron monetises through a four-tier SaaS subscription model (Solo, Essential, Plus, Premier) with monthly billing, annual contracts available, and usage-based overage fees when call, chat, email, or SMS allowances are exceeded. Overage rates decline by tier (from $2.00 to $1.00 per call/chat/email across Essential to Premier), aligning incremental pricing with customer commitment. Go-to-market combines a direct sales motion — website-led demo booking with personalised walkthroughs of PMS integrations — and a formal channel partner programme for clinic technology consultants and resellers, who earn monthly referral fees plus billable integration revenue. The customer base is concentrated in mid-market GP clinics and specialty practices (dental, allied health, physiotherapy), with named customers including Tamatea Medical Centre, The Tooth Group, Meadowbank Clinic, and Arc Physio.
Heron firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Heron
- Legal name
- Heron Health Limited
- Website
- https://heyheron.ai
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Heron (Heron Health Limited) is an Auckland-based AI platform that automates patient phone calls, appointment booking, and multi-channel communications for healthcare clinics across Australia and New Zealand. It integrates directly with major regional practice management systems.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Heron industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Patient Communication Software (Healthcare / Practice Automation)
- NAICS
- Telephone Call Centers (56142), Telephone Answering Services (561421)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Voice Calling (VoIP) Apps (BPAMACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- AI/ML Solution Integration & MLOps Enablement (BPAEAAAJ), iPaaS (Cloud Integration Platforms) (HDAEAIAB)
Keywords
Where Heron is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Heron business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription (Per Plan Tier): Heron charges clinics a recurring subscription fee based on their selected plan tier (Solo, Essential, Plus, Premier). Plans include a monthly or annual allocation of calls, WhatsApp AI chats, email AI handling, and SMS messages. Subscriptions auto-renew at the end of each subscription period unless cancelled. Overage fees apply when usage exceeds plan allowances.
- Usage-Based Overage Fees: When clinics exceed their monthly or annual plan allowances for calls, WhatsApp AI chats, email AI handling, or SMS, they incur per-unit overage fees. Fee rates vary by plan tier: Essential ($2.00 per call/chat/email, $0.15 per SMS); Plus ($1.50 per call/chat/email, $0.10 per SMS); Premier ($1.00 per call/chat/email, $0.05 per SMS).
- Partner Referral Fees: Partners in the Heron partner programme earn monthly referral fees for each clinic successfully introduced. Partners also generate additional billable revenue through integration work including phone extension setup, PMS configuration, and feature onboarding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Premier — highest allowances and lowest overage rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Plus — mid-tier with moderate allowances and overage rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Essential — entry-level tier with standard overage rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Solo — lowest tier for small practices |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels8 records
Heron product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Heron is an AI-powered cloud-based patient communications platform for healthcare clinics that answers inbound calls 24/7, understands patient intent through natural conversation, and books appointments directly into the clinic's Practice Management System before the call ends. It consolidates patient calls, SMS, WhatsApp, email and follow-ups into a single unified inbox for clinic staff, with native PMS integrations (Medtech Evolution, Best Practice, Elixir, Gensolve) and configurable workflows. The platform is offered as a subscription SaaS product to clinics in Australia and New Zealand.
Product overview
Heron is a unified cloud-based patient communication platform for healthcare clinics, consisting of the core Heron platform and multiple subscription tiers (Solo, Essential, Plus, Premier). The platform integrates AI-powered call handling, multi-channel messaging (phone, email, WhatsApp, SMS), automated appointment booking, and a unified staff inbox into a single workflow. Optional add-ons include Voice Recording and Premier Support. The platform is offered in Australia and New Zealand with market-specific Terms and Privacy Policies. A partner programme enables resellers and consultants to refer clinics. The Security Portal provides access to compliance documentation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Heron AI-powered cloud-based patient communications platform for healthcare clinics. Answers inbound calls 24/7, understands patient intent, books appointments directly into the clinic's Practice Management System, and consolidates calls, SMS, WhatsApp, email and follow-ups into a unified staff inbox. Includes configurable clinic workflows, multi-language support, SOC 2 Type I certified security and SIP-based phone integration. Sold as a SaaS subscription to GP and specialty clinics in Australia and New Zealand.
Quantifiable outcome
- Average patient phone wait time reduced from 16–20 minutes to under 3 minutes at Tamatea Medical Centre within nine months
- +6 more outcomes
Companies that use Heron
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Heron technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability5 records
Feature9 records
Heron partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Medtech EvolutioncoreHeron integrates with Medtech Evolution PMS via the Medtech ALEX API, enabling real-time patient identification, schedule availability checking, and direct appointment booking within the PMS during live calls. The integration was demonstrated in a joint webinar (April 2026) and is highlighted as a flagship use case on Heron's website and blog. Supports multiple clinic locations managed from a single dashboard.
- Best Practice (PMS)coreHeron integrates with Best Practice PMS, one of the major GP practice management systems in Australia, enabling appointment booking and patient data synchronisation.
- Elixir (PMS)coreHeron integrates with Elixir PMS for appointment management and patient data synchronisation, listed as one of the major PMS integrations on the product website.
- Gensolve (PMS)coreHeron integrates with Gensolve PMS for appointment management and patient data synchronisation, listed as one of the major PMS integrations on the product website.
- Clinic Technology Consultants & Resellers (Partner Programme)coreHeron operates a formal partner programme for technology consultants and resellers who serve healthcare clinic clients. Partners earn monthly referral fees for successful customer introductions and additional billable revenue for integration and onboarding work (phone extensions, PMS setup). The programme is promoted via heyheron.ai/partners with a dedicated 'Become a Partner' form.
- Google Cloud PlatformcoreHeron's entire cloud infrastructure is hosted on Google Cloud Platform. GCP maintains SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and PCI DSS certifications. Data is encrypted at rest using Google Cloud KMS and in transit via TLS 1.2+. RTO under 24 hours, RPO under 24 hours. Primary database and core data storage reside in Australia.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Heron competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Twilio: Underlying communications platform provider whose APIs power many healthcare engagement tools. Adjacent infrastructure competitor that Heron depends on for telephony, and could move upmarket into clinical AI workflows.
- Doximity: Large physician-facing communication platform with patient communication adjacencies (Doximity Dialer, etc.). Competes indirectly as a communications incumbent that could expand into clinic patient workflows.
- TigerConnect: Larger clinical communication and collaboration platform spanning secure messaging, scheduling, and alarms. Broader and more enterprise-focused than Heron, but overlapping in clinic communication.
Direct peers
- Notable: AI-powered healthcare automation platform for patient outreach, scheduling, and intake. Overlaps with Heron's automation of administrative patient workflows across clinic channels.
- OhMD: Patient texting and communication platform for medical practices, with secure messaging, appointment requests, and broadcast messaging. Comparable clinic-communication feature surface to Heron's unified inbox.
- Klara: Healthcare patient communication and messaging platform used by clinics for phone, text, and web-based patient interactions. Directly comparable to Heron's unified-inbox, multi-channel clinic workflow model.
- Hyro AI: Conversational AI platform purpose-built for healthcare, automating patient interactions across phone, web, and messaging. Direct competitor to Heron's AI-call-handling and patient-assistant positioning.
- Luma Health: Patient engagement platform that automates scheduling, reminders, and two-way communication for clinics and health systems. Comparable to Heron's automated appointment booking and patient messaging use cases.
- Relatient: Patient engagement and scheduling platform used by medical groups for messaging, reminders, and self-service booking. Comparable target customer (clinics) and workflow automation as Heron.
- Artera (formerly WELL Health): Patient communication platform for healthcare providers offering two-way SMS, voice, email, and automated workflows. Closely aligned with Heron's clinic-facing communications and automation value proposition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Heron social profiles
Digital presenceHeron compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
Heron financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Heron leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Heron funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Heron M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Heron
What does Heron do?
Heron is an AI-powered cloud-based patient communications platform for healthcare clinics that answers inbound calls 24/7, understands patient intent through natural conversation, and books appointments directly into the clinic's Practice Management System before the call ends. It consolidates patient calls, SMS, WhatsApp, email and follow-ups into a single unified inbox for clinic staff, with native PMS integrations (Medtech Evolution, Best Practice, Elixir, Gensolve) and configurable workflows. The platform is offered as a subscription SaaS product to clinics in Australia and New Zealand.
Is Heron a public or private company?
Heron is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Heron founded?
Heron was founded in 2024. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Heron based?
Heron is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Heron make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription (Per Plan Tier) is the primary driver. The others are usage-Based Overage Fees and partner Referral Fees.
Who are Heron's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Twilio, Doximity and TigerConnect. Direct peers are Notable, OhMD, Klara, Hyro AI, Luma Health, Relatient and Artera (formerly WELL Health).
Does Heron have an API?
No public API is recorded for Heron.
What industry is Heron in?
Heron's product category is Patient Communication Software (Healthcare / Practice Automation). Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAC, Voice Calling (VoIP) Apps, with a secondary code of BPAEAAAJ, AI/ML Solution Integration & MLOps Enablement. Its NAICS code is 56142 and its SIC code is 7372.