A Call Answering Service for Vets
Consults are overrunning, a nurse is in theatre and the desk is checking in a nervous spaniel, so we pick up the phone in your practice name.
- UK-based receptionists
- Real people, not bots
- Answered in your company name
Between the consult room and the waiting room
Morning consults are running ten minutes behind, a nurse is preparing a dog for a dental under anaesthetic, and the front desk is weighing a nervous cat while its owner fills in a form. Meanwhile three lines are flashing: a vaccination booking, a question about flea treatment and someone whose puppy has just eaten a sock. A call answering service for vets takes the calls your team cannot reach during practice hours, so every owner gets a person and the urgent call reaches your clinical team.
Onwards Answering gives you receptionists based in Scotland, working from home, who answer in your practice name and follow the script you agree with us. They book consults and vaccinations, take repeat prescription requests as messages for your vets to approve, and pass any call that sounds urgent straight through to the practice. They never give veterinary advice, never say whether something can wait and never suggest a treatment. The set-up builds on our call handling for healthcare and clinical businesses.
One thing we make clear from the start: our receptionists answer live during business hours, not through the night. Outside those hours an after-hours voicemail is included in your package, but voicemail is not an emergency service, so your night and weekend calls should keep going to your own out-of-hours provider. Where we help is daytime cover and overflow. Try it free for two weeks, then choose a package from £72 per month.
What pet owners ring your practice about
Six kinds of call fill a typical practice day, and each one needs a different response.
Worried owners with a poorly pet
An owner says their dog has been sick all morning or their cat keeps straining in the litter tray. The receptionist does not judge how serious it is. They take the owner's name, number and the pet's details, then transfer the call to the practice or send an urgent message, exactly as your script directs.
Consult and vaccination bookings
Owners want a booster, a nail clip with the nurse or a first check for a new kitten. The receptionist books the right appointment type and length from your rules, confirms the pet's name and species, and asks whether the animal is already registered with your practice.
Repeat prescription requests
Regular clients ring for more of their dog's joint medication or their cat's daily tablets. The receptionist takes the request as a message, with the pet's name, the product as the owner describes it and how they would like to collect it, so a vet can check and authorise it. Nothing is promised until the practice approves.
New client registrations
People who have just moved to the area or bought a puppy ask whether you are taking on new clients and what registering involves. The receptionist explains your process and any pet health plan you offer, takes the details you need and books a first visit.
Test results and post-operative updates
Owners call to ask about blood test results or how their pet is recovering after surgery. The receptionist does not interpret results or pass on clinical information. They take a message for the vet or nurse handling the case, or transfer the call if your team is free to talk.
Questions about night and weekend cover
Owners want to know who to call if something happens after you close. The receptionist gives the details of your out-of-hours arrangement exactly as you supply them, so owners know where to go before an emergency happens rather than searching for a number during one.
How our call answering service for vets covers the working day
- 1
We write your script with you
We agree your greeting, your booking rules, the kinds of call your team wants put straight through, and the exact wording for your out-of-hours arrangement.
- 2
You choose daytime or overflow
Divert during practice hours, or only when your lines are busy or a call goes unanswered. At night, your line keeps going wherever your emergency cover is now.
- 3
Calls answered in your practice name
Owners hear your practice name. Appointments go into your own calendar or onto Onwards' free secure booking platform, and urgent calls go straight to your team.
- 4
A summary after every call
Your team receives a summary by email or SMS, with a copy of each message kept in the Connect app and portal so whoever is covering reception can see it.
Your emergency duty and where we fit
The RCVS Code of Professional Conduct requires veterinary surgeons in practice to take steps to provide 24-hour emergency first aid and pain relief to animals. Practices meet that in different ways, through their own rota or a dedicated out-of-hours provider. We do not replace that arrangement and would not want to: an owner with an injured dog in the small hours needs a vet, not a message taker.
What we take off your hands is the daytime pressure that makes urgent calls harder to handle: routine bookings, prescription requests and general questions that tie up a line while a worried owner is trying to get through. With those answered by our call handling service, your own team has more room for the calls that need a clinician. If you only want help at peak times, our guide to using a call answering service only when you are busy explains overflow cover.
Practice voicemail, an AI receptionist or a person?
Each option has a role, but what matters most for a practice is what happens to an urgent call.
| Practice voicemail or a missed call | AI receptionist | Onwards Answering | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Busy morning consults | Calls ring out or queue | Answers every call automatically | A person answers in your practice name |
| Routine questions about opening days or parking | Wait for a call back | Handled well for simple questions | Answered from your FAQ bank |
| A worried owner with a poorly pet | Leaves a message, or rings another practice | Depends on how it has been set up | Transferred or flagged to your team as your script directs |
| Repeat prescription requests | Left on the answerphone | Can capture details if programmed to | Taken as a message for a vet to authorise |
| Night-time emergencies | Suits routine messages only; emergencies need your out-of-hours provider | Emergencies still need your out-of-hours provider | Not covered live: keep your own out-of-hours provider |
| Cost | No fee, but calls can be lost | Often per minute or per call | From £72 per month, no per-call charges |
ChiroProActive have worked with Onwards for several years now. ... I know that my clients get an expert, friendly service when they call.
Questions from vets
Still unsure? Call the team on 0141 286 4220 and we will talk it through.
Do you provide 24-hour emergency answering for vets?
No. Our receptionists answer live during business hours only. Once you close, callers can leave a voicemail on your number at no extra cost, but that is not suitable for emergencies, so keep your night and weekend calls going to your own out-of-hours provider. We cover daytime calls and overflow alongside that arrangement.
What counts as an emergency for your receptionists?
Whatever your practice says counts. Receptionists do not decide. You give us the situations that should always go straight through, such as an animal that is struggling to breathe or has been hit by a car, plus a rule for anything an owner describes as urgent. Those calls are transferred to your team or sent as urgent messages, with no advice given.
Can you take repeat prescription requests?
Yes, as messages. The receptionist records the owner's details, the pet and what they are asking for, and sends it to your team to check. They never confirm that a prescription will be issued or when it will be ready, because that decision belongs to your vets.
What happens to calls after we close?
If you choose to use the after-hours voicemail included in your package, the greeting can tell owners how to reach your emergency cover before they leave a routine message. You may prefer your evening divert to go straight to your emergency provider instead. Our article on calls outside office hours sets out the options.
Is this the same service you offer other clinics?
The service is the same, but the script is not. A veterinary practice needs urgent calls routed carefully and prescription requests captured accurately, while physiotherapy clinics mostly need assessments booked and insurance details taken. We build your call handling around the calls your practice receives.
Answers for vets
Practical guides to the call questions that come up most in your line of work.
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