Veterinary AI Receptionist
An AI receptionist for veterinary clinics answers calls 24/7, books appointments, handles emergency triage questions, and costs 70% less than hiring staff - starting at $29/month.
Veterinary practices face unique phone challenges. Pet emergencies don't follow business hours. Anxious pet owners want immediate answers. And your front desk team is already juggling check-ins, medication pickups, and the chaos of a waiting room full of nervous animals. An AI receptionist handles the phone while your team handles the pets.
Which Trillet product is right for you?
Single clinic: Trillet AI Receptionist - 24/7 call answering starting at $29/month
Multi-location or franchise: Trillet White-Label - Manage multiple clinics from $99/month
Why Do Veterinary Clinics Miss So Many Calls?
The average veterinary practice misses 30-40% of incoming calls during business hours, according to industry surveys. After hours, that number climbs to 100% unless you're paying for an emergency answering service.
The reasons are predictable:
Front desk staff handling check-ins can't answer phones
Lunch breaks and bathroom breaks create coverage gaps
High call volume during morning rush overwhelms single-line systems
After-hours emergencies go to voicemail (or competitors)
Each missed call represents a potential new client, a medication refill, or an anxious pet owner who needed reassurance. At an average client lifetime value of $1,200-2,500 for veterinary practices, even a few missed new client calls per week adds up to significant lost revenue.
What Can an AI Receptionist Do for a Vet Clinic?
A veterinary AI receptionist handles the same tasks as a human receptionist, without the limitations of breaks, sick days, or being tied up with in-person clients.
Appointment scheduling: Books wellness exams, vaccinations, dental cleanings, and follow-up visits directly into your practice management calendar. Integration works with most major veterinary software including Cornerstone, AVImark, and eVetPractice.
Emergency triage questions: Asks standardized questions to help pet owners determine if they need emergency care or can wait for a regular appointment. The AI follows your clinic's protocols for common scenarios like vomiting, lethargy, or potential toxin ingestion.
New client intake: Collects pet information, owner contact details, and reason for visit before the appointment. Reduces paperwork time when clients arrive.
Medication refill requests: Takes refill requests and forwards them to your team for approval. No more voicemail tag for heartworm prevention refills.
After-hours coverage: Answers calls at 2am when Mrs. Johnson's cat won't stop vomiting. Provides your emergency protocols, collects information, and can transfer true emergencies to your on-call vet's mobile.
How Does Emergency Call Handling Work?
Veterinary emergencies require careful handling. An AI receptionist doesn't replace veterinary medical judgment - it follows your protocols and routes calls appropriately.
Here's how a typical emergency flow works:
Caller describes situation: "My dog ate chocolate an hour ago"
AI asks triage questions: "How much chocolate? What type? How big is your dog? Any symptoms?"
AI follows your decision tree: Based on answers, either provides reassurance with monitoring instructions, recommends calling poison control, or flags as urgent
Urgent calls get escalated: True emergencies transfer to your on-call vet or emergency hospital partner
All calls documented: Full transcript and summary sent to your team for follow-up
You define the protocols. The AI executes them consistently at 3pm or 3am.
How Much Does a Veterinary AI Receptionist Cost?
Solution | Monthly Cost | After-Hours Coverage | Setup Time |
Trillet AI Receptionist | $29-99/month | Included | 5 minutes |
Human receptionist (part-time) | $2,000-3,000/month | Not included | 2-4 weeks training |
Traditional answering service | $200-500/month | Extra charge | 1-2 weeks |
After-hours emergency service | $300-800/month | Yes | 1-2 weeks |
Trillet's $29/month plan includes 150 minutes of call time, which covers approximately 50-75 calls depending on length. Most single-vet practices stay within this plan. Busier clinics typically use the $99/month plan with additional minutes at $0.20/minute - still 70% cheaper than human alternatives.
What About HIPAA and Veterinary Records?
Veterinary practices aren't subject to HIPAA (that's human healthcare), but you still have privacy obligations to clients. Trillet's platform includes data security features that exceed typical veterinary requirements:
Call recordings stored with encryption
Client data isolated per practice
Configurable data retention policies
Compliant with Australian Privacy Act and GDPR for international clients
Comparison: AI vs Traditional Veterinary Answering Services
Feature | Trillet AI | Traditional Service | In-House Staff |
24/7 coverage | Included | Extra $200-400/month | Requires 3+ FTEs |
Appointment booking | Direct to calendar | Message only | Direct |
Emergency triage | Custom protocols | Generic scripts | Trained judgment |
New client intake | Automated | Basic info only | Full intake |
Cost per call | ~$0.40-0.60 | $1.50-3.00 | $8-15 |
Setup time | 5 minutes | 1-2 weeks | 2-4 weeks |
Consistent quality | Always | Varies by operator | Varies by person |
Traditional answering services take messages. They don't book appointments, answer questions about your services, or follow your specific emergency protocols. An AI receptionist does all of this because it's trained on your clinic's specific information.
How to Set Up AI Reception for Your Veterinary Practice
Setup takes about 5 minutes:
Enter your clinic URL: The AI scrapes your website and aggregates your business reviews to learn your services, hours, team bios, common procedures, and what pet owners say about you
Connect your calendar: Link Google Calendar, Outlook, or your practice management system
Configure emergency protocols: Define your triage questions and escalation rules
Set your forwarding: Forward your main line to Trillet when you can't answer (or 24/7)
Test with sample calls: Make a few test calls to verify the AI handles scenarios correctly
The AI learns from your website content, so if your site lists "dental cleanings, vaccinations, spay/neuter, and senior wellness exams," it can discuss all of these with callers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can AI handle anxious pet owners calling about emergencies?
Yes. The AI is trained to be calm, ask structured triage questions, and follow your emergency protocols. It won't panic, won't get flustered by emotional callers, and will consistently gather the information your team needs. True emergencies get escalated immediately based on your rules.
Will callers know they're talking to AI?
Most callers report they can't tell, especially on routine calls. For practices that prefer transparency, you can configure the AI to disclose it's an automated assistant. Either approach works - what matters is that callers get their questions answered and appointments booked.
Can it integrate with veterinary practice management software?
Trillet integrates with major calendar systems. For deep integration with veterinary-specific software like Cornerstone or AVImark, the AI can send appointment details via email or SMS for manual entry, or connect through Zapier for automated workflows.
Which Trillet product should I choose?
If you're a single veterinary clinic looking for AI call answering, start with Trillet AI Receptionist at $29/month. If you're managing multiple clinic locations or a veterinary franchise, explore Trillet White-Label—Studio at $99/month (up to 3 sub-accounts) or Agency at $299/month (unlimited sub-accounts).
What happens if the AI can't answer a question?
The AI transfers to your team during business hours or takes a detailed message after hours. It's trained to recognize when it doesn't have enough information and escalates rather than guessing.
How does pricing compare to hiring another receptionist?
A part-time receptionist costs $2,000-3,000/month in wages alone, plus benefits, training, and coverage for sick days. Trillet handles unlimited calls 24/7 for $29-99/month. Even busy practices using 500+ minutes rarely exceed $200/month total.
Conclusion
Veterinary practices lose thousands in revenue annually from missed calls - new client inquiries that go to voicemail, medication refill requests that get lost, and emergency calls that bounce to competitors. An AI receptionist answers every call, books appointments directly, and follows your emergency protocols consistently.
For most veterinary clinics, Trillet AI Receptionist at $29/month replaces the need for expensive answering services while providing better functionality. Your front desk team can focus on the pets and people in front of them while the AI handles the phones.
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