The clinic phone, answered while your team is in the exam room
With a dog on the table and a cat in the carrier, nobody can reach the phone. Reception picks up in your clinic's greeting, tells the caller it is an automated assistant, and books vaccines and wellness exams. At night it can put poisonings and injuries through to the on-call vet, or read out the emergency hospital's number you wrote.
From $149 a month. One number, answered at any hour. Stop any month.
The calls you get
"My dog got into the antifreeze"
Write an emergency route on words like 'antifreeze', 'chocolate' and 'hit by a car', and the line rings your on-call vet at any hour. It matches the words. It does not judge how sick the animal is.
"She's due for her rabies shot"
It finds the shot on your services list, offers three free times, reads the choice back and texts the owner.
"Can I give him something from my medicine cabinet?"
No answer from the line. Questions about medicines, prescriptions and allergies are stopped before anything is generated, and it takes a message for your team.
"Do you see rabbits?"
It reads out the answer you wrote about the animals you see and where to send the rest.
"Can I pick up Max after his surgery?"
It cannot see your treatment board. A route on 'pick up' and 'discharge' puts the owner through to the treatment room, or the call becomes a message.
What you would write down
Start with the emergency routes, because those are the ones that matter at night. Then write the answers your front desk gives over and over.
Routes: the words that reach a phone or an answer
| Route | When the caller says | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency |
| Rings the on-call vet's cell at any hour. |
| Emergency hospital |
| Reads out the name and number of the emergency hospital you send clients to. |
| Refills |
| Puts the caller through to the pharmacy desk. |
| Discharge |
| Puts the caller through to the treatment room phone. |
Answers in your own words
- Which emergency hospital should I go to at night?
- Go to Northside Animal Emergency on Route 9, phone 555-0190. It is open all night. Call them on the way so they are ready for you.
- Do you see exotic pets?
- We see cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs. For birds and reptiles, call Riverside Exotic Vet.
- Do I need to bring vaccine records?
- Yes, for a first visit. Bring the records or ask your old clinic to email them to us before you come.
- Do you board pets?
- We do not board. Ask at your visit and we can suggest kennels near the clinic.
Services it can book
- Wellness exam30 min
- Rabies or booster shot15 min
- New puppy or kitten visit45 min
- Nail trim15 min
Nights and weekends
After closing the line says the clinic is closed right now, then keeps helping. A routine caller can book a wellness exam for next week or leave a message.
The calls that cannot wait are the ones you route. Pick the words that mean trouble and the phone they ring, or a route that reads out the emergency hospital you use. A transfer route rings whether the clinic is open or not.
If the on-call phone is not picked up, the line says it could not reach anyone and takes a message. Put the emergency hospital's number on your website too, for owners who cannot get through.
What to book by phone, and what not
Book the visits with a length you can predict: wellness exams, vaccines and boosters, nail trims, a first puppy or kitten visit.
Sick visits are harder. The line cannot tell a mild limp from something worse, so leave same-day sick visits as a transfer to the front desk or a message, and let your team decide who comes in.
Refills and the word 'prescription'
Medicines, prescriptions and allergies are on the list the line will not discuss, and it checks for them before it looks at your routes. A refill request that says 'prescription' or 'medication' goes to a message for your team, even with a refill route in place.
Callers who just say 'refill' reach your pharmacy desk through the route. Either way, no dose is ever given by a machine.
Pet details come in the owner's words
The line does not ask for the pet's name, species or weight one question at a time. A message is one answer in the caller's own words. Each call is in the console a few minutes later with a short summary: who called and why, what was agreed, what to do next and how urgent.
An example call
An example call at 11 at night. Cedar Hollow Animal Clinic and the caller are made up. The clinic has an 'Emergency hospital' route and an 'Emergency' route to the on-call vet.
- AssistantYou have reached Cedar Hollow Animal Clinic. You are speaking with an automated assistant. Thanks for calling. The office is closed right now. How can I help you today?
- CallerHi. My cat is limping badly. Which emergency hospital do you send people to?
- AssistantGo to Northside Animal Emergency on Route 9, phone 555-0190. It is open all night. Call them on the way so they are ready for you. Is there anything else I can help with?
- CallerShe might have licked antifreeze in the garage too.
- AssistantOne moment, I am putting you through.
- CallerThank you.
Where it stops
- It is not an emergency service and does not assess symptoms. It rings the phone you chose or reads out the number you wrote.
- Calls that mention a prescription, medication or allergy always become messages, whatever routes you write.
- It does not see your practice software, patient records or lab results. 'Are Max's results back?' becomes a message.
- It does not take payment or surgery deposits.
Questions owners ask
- Can an AI receptionist handle after-hours vet emergencies?
- It can route them. You write the words, like 'antifreeze' or 'hit by a car', and the phone to ring, and it puts those callers through at any hour. It does not assess the animal.
- Will it give pet owners medical advice?
- No. Questions about medicines, prescriptions or allergies are refused before any reply is written, and it takes a message for your team.
- Can it book vaccine appointments?
- Yes. List the shot with its length and the line offers three free times, reads the choice back and texts a confirmation.
- How is this different from a veterinary answering service?
- There is no person on the line. It is software that tells callers it is an automated assistant, follows the routes and answers you wrote, and takes a message for everything else.
- Does it record calls?
- No audio is recorded. What was said is kept as text in the console, next to a short summary of the call.
Tonight's calls, answered.
From $149 a month.
Set up your line