Why the reflex to help makes it worse
A doctor who answers a symptom question in a DM has just created a clinical relationship with no examination, no history, no record and no follow-up. The patient, meanwhile, now believes they have been assessed and may not book at all — so the instinct to be helpful produces both the liability and the lost appointment.
The script solves both at once. It is more helpful than a partial answer, because it tells the patient exactly what to do next and when.
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The three scripts
The symptom question. "Thank you for writing. I can't assess symptoms properly over messages — it wouldn't be safe or fair to you. I have Tuesday 4pm or Wednesday 11am; which suits?" The price question. The band, what changes it, then two times. The photo. "I've received it and I won't comment on an image without examining you. Here is what the assessment involves and how long it takes."
Save all three as quick replies in Arabic and English. The rule for everyone with inbox access is that these are used verbatim — consistency here is what stops one tired staff member creating a problem at 11pm.
Automate the first sixty seconds
The scripts only work if they go out immediately. Set the first reply to fire automatically, day and night, so the patient gets a real answer while they are still deciding — and so nobody feels obliged to answer clinically at midnight to avoid seeming rude.
Then measure one number: median time to first human reply during working hours. If it is over an hour, that is where your enquiries are going, and no script will fix it on its own.