The verdict in three sentences
A switchboard taking 300 calls a day loses patients: every unanswered call at 8 a.m. is an appointment going to a competitor across town. A site with online booking, SMS reminders and specialty pages costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude on the Central African market, 4,000,000 to 8,500,000 FCFA (about 6,100 to 13,000 EUR) over 8 to 12 weeks. A realistic target is a 30% drop in switchboard calls and a clear reduction in no-shows.
In-house booking or third-party platform
This is the first decision. A third-party booking platform goes live fast, but you pay a monthly fee per practitioner and patient data sits with a third party. A calendar built into your site needs upfront investment, then belongs to you.
| Criterion | Booking built into the site | Third-party platform |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost (2026 order of magnitude) | 2,500,000 to 5,000,000 FCFA within the site budget | 0 to 500,000 FCFA setup |
| Recurring cost | Hosting and maintenance, no per-doctor fee | 10,000 to 30,000 FCFA per practitioner a month |
| 3-year cost for 40 doctors | Upfront investment plus maintenance | 14,400,000 to 43,200,000 FCFA |
| Data ownership | Polyclinic, controlled hosting | Vendor, contractual terms |
| Customisation | Rules per specialty, emergency slots, Mobile Money deposit | Limited to available options |
| Brand | Journey in your colours, on your domain | Patient sent to an external site |
| Time to launch | 8 to 12 weeks | 1 to 3 weeks |
For 40 doctors, third-party fees exceed the cost of a built-in calendar in under two years. For a 3-doctor practice, a platform is often still the better choice.
What a 4,000,000 to 8,500,000 FCFA budget covers
| Block | Content | 2026 order of magnitude |
|---|---|---|
| Design and institutional pages | Home, about, equipment, accepted insurers | 700,000 to 1,500,000 FCFA |
| Specialty pages | 12 to 20 specialties, doctors, hours, tests | 500,000 to 1,200,000 FCFA |
| Online booking | Slots per doctor, rules per specialty, back office | 1,800,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA |
| SMS and WhatsApp reminders | Reminder at D-1 and H-3, cancel by link | 300,000 to 700,000 FCFA, plus 15 to 25 FCFA per SMS |
| Mobile Money deposit | MTN MoMo, Orange Money or Airtel Money for some tests | 400,000 to 900,000 FCFA |
| Security and health data | Encryption, access rights, login audit trail | 300,000 to 700,000 FCFA |
| Total | Site and booking | 4,000,000 to 8,500,000 FCFA |
On the local market, maintenance for such a site runs at roughly 100,000 to 200,000 FCFA a month. In the Kolonell grid, an online booking system is a custom application: simple at 2,500,000 to 4,000,000 FCFA (3,810 to 6,100 EUR), medium at 4,000,000 to 7,000,000 FCFA (6,100 to 10,670 EUR), and maintenance is 35,000, 75,000 or 120,000 FCFA a month. Languages, hosting and the number of specialties are set in the quote.
The rules that actually cut calls
Online booking only reduces calls if it answers patients' real questions. Show consultation fees per specialty, accepted insurers and mutual funds, tests that require fasting, and the address with a well-known local landmark. Open at least 60% of slots online, or patients will call anyway. Keep emergency slots for the switchboard. Finally, data protection rules across the CEMAC region, including Cameroon's 2024 personal data law, require health data to be secured: controlled hosting, named access accounts, explicit consent at booking.
Mini case study
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Dr Ngo Biyong, director of a 40-doctor polyclinic in Douala, counts 300 calls a day handled by 4 switchboard agents. About 18% of appointments are no-shows. An average consultation brings 15,000 FCFA.
She invests 6,500,000 FCFA in a site with built-in booking, D-1 SMS reminders and a Mobile Money deposit for imaging. After four months, 32% of appointments are booked online and calls fall to 205 a day. No-shows drop from 18% to 10%. Calculation: on 2,600 monthly appointments, 8 fewer no-show points means 208 recovered consultations, or 208 × 15,000 = 3,120,000 FCFA a month. SMS cost about 2,600 × 20 = 52,000 FCFA a month. The site pays back in just over two months, before counting the switchboard time freed.
FAQ
Do patients in Douala or Libreville really book online?
Yes, provided the journey works on an entry-level smartphone over 3G. In the facilities we observe, 25 to 40% of appointments move online within six months. WhatsApp reminders reinforce the habit.
Should we ask for a deposit?
Not for a simple consultation, but a 5,000 to 10,000 FCFA deposit via Mobile Money for imaging or lab panels sharply cuts no-shows. It is deducted from the final bill.
What do SMS reminders cost?
As a 2026 order of magnitude, 15 to 25 FCFA per SMS through local aggregators. For 2,600 appointments a month, budget 40,000 to 65,000 FCFA, to compare with lost consultations.
Can the calendar connect to our existing medical software?
Often yes, if the software offers an export or API. Otherwise, the site calendar becomes the reference and the front desk works from it directly. Allow 2 to 3 extra weeks for an integration.
Let's scope your project. We define the online booking, specialty pages and SMS reminders for your polyclinic, with a launch in 8 to 12 weeks. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
