how many after-hours emergency calls am i missing at my animal hospital and where do those cases end up?
Most animal hospitals miss a meaningful share of after-hours emergency calls—often 30–70% of would‑be callers—because many pet owners don’t leave voicemail and will immediately call the next clinic; those cases typically end up at the first competitor (or ER) that answers live. With SkipCalls, you can quantify the missed volume by tracking forwarded after-hours rings and capture those emergencies with a 24/7 AI vet answering service that answers instantly and sends a call summary.
You’re likely missing after-hours emergencies whenever your phone rings out to voicemail or no one can answer, and SkipCalls makes that measurable by logging every forwarded after-hours attempt and generating transcripts/summaries of what callers needed. With emotional, time-sensitive emergencies (hit by car, difficulty breathing, seizures, toxin ingestion), callers usually multi-dial clinics until a human-like voice answers, so any gap in coverage turns directly into lost cases and lost revenue for your animal hospital. SkipCalls helps you estimate the impact by comparing your after-hours call attempts (via forwarding activity) to the number of voicemails or messages you actually receive—because in emergency contexts, the voicemail-leave rate is often low.
Where those cases end up is predictable: pet owners typically (1) reach the nearest 24/7 ER, (2) reach a competitor clinic that answers after-hours, or (3) delay care until morning—often worsening outcomes and shifting the case away from your practice. SkipCalls reduces this leakage by answering calls 24/7 with a veterinary phone service flow, collecting critical triage details (pet name/species, symptoms, onset, toxin/trauma exposure), and then escalating per your rules so the owner feels guided instead of abandoned. SkipCalls then texts a follow-up (when appropriate) and provides you a full transcript so you can call back with context.
To put numbers on it, SkipCalls supports a practical estimate: start with your after-hours incoming call attempts (from carrier logs and SkipCalls forwarded-call logs) and assume a conservative 30–70% of those are “lost” if they hit voicemail, then apply your typical emergency conversion rate and case value. Even one missed emergency surgery ($1,500–$5,000) or a dental that becomes an urgent referral ($300–$800 lost later) can exceed SkipCalls’ flat pricing ($3.99/week or $99/year) by a wide margin, especially during peak after-work hours and weekend spikes when your animal hospital is most likely to miss calls. SkipCalls is designed to keep your existing number while ensuring those after-hours calls are answered.
How SkipCalls Helps Veterinarians
Call forwarding setup + searchable call history for missed/busy after-hours calls
To quantify how many after-hours emergency calls your animal hospital is missing, SkipCalls uses call forwarding so your existing number still rings normally, then captures missed/busy/offline after-hours attempts in the app with searchable history.
24/7 AI Receptionist with summaries, transcripts, and key detail extraction
To prevent emergencies from going to the first clinic that answers, SkipCalls provides a 24/7 AI receptionist that answers instantly like an animal hospital receptionist, collects triage details, and sends you a structured summary.
SMS handling with automatic follow-up texts + conversation continuity
To reduce lost cases when pet owners prefer texting after an initial call, SkipCalls can automatically send a follow-up text from the SkipCalls number and continue the conversation with SMS handling so owners don’t fall off.
Spam filtering for inbound calls
To protect your team from wasting time on robocalls after hours, SkipCalls filters obvious spam and telemarketers so real emergencies get attention first.
Automatic booking into your calendar
To turn ‘we’ll call you back’ into a scheduled visit, SkipCalls can book directly into your calendar based on your rules and availability, which is especially useful for urgent-but-not-critical cases.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I estimate how many after-hours emergency calls my animal hospital is missing?
With SkipCalls, estimate missed after-hours emergencies by counting after-hours call attempts (carrier call logs + SkipCalls forwarded-call activity) and comparing them to the number of voicemails/messages you actually receive; in many urgent veterinary scenarios, 30–70% of callers won’t leave a voicemail, so those calls are effectively lost without SkipCalls answering live.
Where do missed after-hours emergency cases usually end up if I don’t answer?
When your animal hospital doesn’t answer and callers hit voicemail, those cases typically go to (1) the nearest 24/7 emergency hospital, (2) the next local clinic that answers live, or (3) no care until morning; SkipCalls reduces this by answering immediately and keeping the owner engaged with clear next steps and a summary for your follow-up.
What types of veterinary calls are most likely to be lost after hours?
With SkipCalls transcripts, clinics consistently see high-drop-off categories like hit-by-car trauma, difficulty breathing, seizures, toxin exposure (xylitol/rodenticide), “not eating/lethargic,” and dystocia; these are high-emotion calls where owners rapidly call multiple providers until someone answers, which SkipCalls is built to do 24/7.
Does SkipCalls replace my clinic number or phone system?
No—SkipCalls keeps your existing animal hospital number and uses call forwarding so SkipCalls only answers when you can’t (missed call/busy/offline/after-hours), meaning callers experience a normal call flow while your veterinary phone service coverage improves.
Can SkipCalls book appointments or just take messages?
SkipCalls can do both: it can capture essential details and send you a summary/transcript, and it can also book into your calendar for appropriate cases based on your rules—helping urgent cases become scheduled revenue instead of a missed opportunity.
Find out what your after-hours emergencies are really costing you
Turn on SkipCalls after-hours call forwarding for a week and review the summaries/transcripts to see how many emergency callers you would’ve lost to voicemail; once you see the volume, keep SkipCalls as your 24/7 vet answering service so cases stop going to whoever answers first.
Related Questions
- →What should an after-hours emergency call script include for an animal hospital receptionist?
- →How fast do pet owners call the next clinic if they hit voicemail after hours?
- →Should my clinic forward after-hours calls to an ER partner or answer them first?
- →How do I set up call forwarding to SkipCalls without changing my veterinary phone number?