does SkipCalls work for vet clinics when we’re in surgery/exam rooms and can’t answer the phone (can it text back missed calls)?
Yes—SkipCalls works well for vet clinics when you’re in surgery or exam rooms by answering missed/busy calls via call forwarding, capturing the pet’s situation, and sending you a summary and transcript. SkipCalls can also text back missed callers automatically after the call, and it can fully handle two-way SMS when clients text your SkipCalls number.
SkipCalls fits vet clinic reality because you can keep your existing clinic number and simply forward “busy” and “no answer” calls to SkipCalls while you’re gloved up, restraining an animal, or in surgery, so you don’t lose high-intent pet owners to the next animal hospital receptionist who picks up first. SkipCalls answers 24/7 like a professional vet answering service, gathers critical triage-style details (pet species/breed, symptoms, onset, toxin exposure, breathing status), and immediately sends you a summary so you can decide: book, escalate, or call back.
SkipCalls also helps with after-hours and peak-time call spikes (mornings, after-work, puppy/kitten season) because forwarding can be scheduled so SkipCalls covers nights/weekends without hiring another veterinary phone service. For revenue protection, SkipCalls helps you capture calls tied to common clinic revenue events—wellness exams ($50–$100), vaccinations ($75–$200), dental cleanings ($300–$800), and emergencies like surgery ($1,500–$5,000)—so a single saved urgent case can pay for months of SkipCalls.
SkipCalls can text back missed calls, but it’s important to understand the mechanics: carriers forward calls, not SMS, so SkipCalls can’t “take over” texts sent to your existing clinic number via forwarding. Instead, SkipCalls can automatically send a follow-up text to the caller right after the answered/handled call (e.g., “Reply here with your pet’s weight, symptoms, and availability”), and if the client replies, they’re now messaging the SkipCalls number, where SkipCalls can continue the two-way SMS conversation and you can jump in anytime from iOS, Android, or the web dashboard.
How SkipCalls Helps Veterinarians
AI Receptionist + call forwarding on busy/no-answer (keep your number)
During surgery or an exam, SkipCalls uses call forwarding to answer only when your line is busy or you don’t pick up, so you keep your existing clinic number while SkipCalls acts like an animal hospital receptionist.
Instant summaries + full transcripts + action items
For time-sensitive cases like hit-by-car, poisoning, difficulty breathing, or seizures, SkipCalls collects structured details and sends you a readable recap so you can make a fast clinical decision without stopping a procedure.
Automatic post-call SMS + ongoing SMS handling on SkipCalls number
To reduce back-and-forth when you’re hands-on, SkipCalls can send an automatic text after the call and then continue two-way SMS on the SkipCalls number, so clients can share photos, symptoms, and availability in writing.
Automatic Booking into your calendar
If you want appointments captured while you’re in rooms, SkipCalls can book into your calendar based on your rules (services, hours, buffers), cutting receptionist load and preventing lost leads.
Spam filtering + searchable call history
To avoid wasting staff time on robocalls and “price-check” spam, SkipCalls filters obvious spam and forwards only real pet-owner requests into your workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we set up SkipCalls for a vet clinic when we’re in surgery or an exam room?
SkipCalls setup for a vet clinic is typically under 60 seconds: you keep your clinic number and enable call forwarding for “busy” and “no answer” so SkipCalls answers only when you can’t. SkipCalls then greets callers like a veterinary phone service, collects details, and sends summaries/transcripts to your phone.
Can SkipCalls text back missed calls to our existing clinic number?
SkipCalls can’t receive SMS sent to your existing clinic number through call forwarding because carriers only forward calls, not texts. SkipCalls can, however, automatically send a follow-up text to the caller after it handles the call, and once the caller replies they’re texting the SkipCalls number, where SkipCalls can continue the SMS conversation.
Will clients know they’re talking to SkipCalls instead of our animal hospital receptionist?
With SkipCalls call forwarding, clients dial your normal clinic number and the forwarding happens in the background, so it feels like your clinic answered as usual. SkipCalls can also use natural voice (and optional voice cloning) so the experience is close to a human veterinary receptionist.
Can SkipCalls handle emergencies vs. routine appointment requests differently?
Yes—SkipCalls can be configured with vet-specific rules so it asks emergency screening questions (breathing difficulty, active bleeding, toxin exposure, seizures, not eating) and escalates with an urgent notification, while routine requests (vaccines, wellness exams, dental cleaning estimates) can be booked or queued with clear summaries.
What does SkipCalls cost compared to hiring coverage?
SkipCalls is $3.99/week or $99/year with one fixed price, no per-minute billing, and unlimited summaries/transcripts for normal use. For a vet clinic, capturing even one missed dental cleaning ($300–$800) or one emergency surgery consult ($1,500–$5,000) can justify SkipCalls versus missing the call and losing the case to a competitor.
Stop losing urgent pet-owner calls while you’re hands-on—turn on SkipCalls in minutes
Use SkipCalls to answer busy/no-answer calls during exams and surgery, capture emergency details, and auto-text callers so they can reply by SMS while you stay focused. Start with call forwarding on missed/busy calls, then add a dedicated SkipCalls number if you want full two-way texting coverage.
Related Questions
- →Can SkipCalls book vet appointments automatically and follow our clinic hours and buffers?
- →How does SkipCalls handle after-hours calls for an animal hospital receptionist workflow?
- →Can SkipCalls screen for true emergencies (poisoning, breathing issues) and escalate immediately?
- →Can SkipCalls integrate with our CRM or send call summaries to our team?