The short answer
An AI receptionist for veterinarians built on HighLevel Voice AI costs about $0.20 per answered call, or $102 a month for 500 calls averaging 2.5 minutes, phone line included. Roughly 150 of those calls (30%) would come outside office hours, which is where an AI answering service earns its keep. Emergencies, complaints and anything needing judgment should go to a person.
What the AI should handle
Book wellness and vaccine visits
Collect the owner's name, the pet's name, species, breed and age, and whether the pet is new to the clinic, then book the right visit length and text a confirmation.
Take refill requests
Record the medication as written on the label, the pet's name and the pickup preference, and create a task for veterinary approval. The agent never approves a refill itself.
Route sick and injured pet calls
When an owner describes a sick or injured animal, transfer to a technician during hours, or give the emergency hospital's name and address after hours. No home care advice.
Answer boarding and grooming questions
Give availability, the vaccine records required for boarding and prices from the knowledge base, then book the stay or add the pet to a waitlist.
What to send to a person
- Any sick, injured or possibly poisoned pet
- Refill approvals and dosing questions
- Euthanasia and end-of-life conversations
- Estimates for surgery or dental procedures
HighLevel's voice agents can transfer a live call, create a task, or trigger a workflow that texts the owner. Set the handoff rules before the agent goes live.
Cost per call and per month
Assumptions for a typical veterinary clinic: 500 calls a month answered by the AI, averaging 2.5 minutes. Phone minutes are billed per call and rounded up, so each call bills 3 phone minutes at $0.01165.
| Setup | AI cost | Phone line | Per month | Per call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay per use, Standard voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $85.00 | $17.48 | $102 | $0.20 |
| Pay per use, ElevenLabs voice, GPT-4.1 Mini | $110.00 | $17.48 | $127 | $0.25 |
| Pay per use, speech-to-speech (OpenAI) | $250.00 | $17.48 | $267 | $0.53 |
| AI Employee Unlimited, $97 flat | $97.00 | $17.48 | $114 | $0.23 |
The breakdown of every Voice AI charge is in our Voice AI pricing guide. Agencies can price this as a monthly service with the calculator's Price a client tab, preloaded for a veterinary clinic.
Compared with staff time
Those 500 calls take about 21 hours of talk time a month. At the US median receptionist wage of $18.27 an hour (May 2025, Bureau of Labor Statistics), that talk time alone is worth about $381, before hold time, breaks, benefits and the calls that come in after hours. An AI receptionist does not replace a good front desk; it catches the overflow and the evenings, and frees staff for the people in front of them.
Sample call
AI AGENTThanks for calling Willow Creek Animal Hospital. I'm the clinic's AI assistant. Is this about a pet that is sick or hurt right now?
CALLERNo, I just need to book Bella's shots.
AI AGENTHappy to help. Is Bella a dog or a cat, and has she been seen here before?
CALLERShe's a two-year-old lab, and yes, we've been coming for a while.
AI AGENTThanks. Dr. Osei has Saturday at 9:40 a.m. or Monday at 5:10 p.m. Which works best?
CALLERSaturday.
AI AGENTBella is booked for Saturday at 9:40. Does she need any medication or food refilled before then?
CALLERNo, we're good. Thanks!
Prompt tips
- Tip 1Ask the sick-or-injured question first on every call, and give the agent a transfer number for clinic hours and the emergency hospital's details for nights and weekends.
- Tip 2Store pets under the owner with species, name and due dates for each, so the agent books the right animal on multi-pet accounts.
- Tip 3Tell the agent it never suggests home remedies, doses or whether something counts as an emergency; those calls go to a person every time.
Rules to watch
HIPAA does not cover pet records. HIPAA protects health information about people held by covered entities such as doctors, dentists and pharmacies. Animal medical records are not protected health information, so a clinic does not need HighLevel's $297 HIPAA package. Check your state veterinary practice act for its own rules on record confidentiality.
Consent for texts. FCC rules require written consent for commercial texts, while informational texts such as vaccine reminders may rely on oral consent. Record how each client opted in at intake, and send promotions, like grooming specials, only to clients who gave written consent.
Reviews. Google's review policy bars incentives for reviews and requests aimed only at happy clients. When a review criticizes care, reply briefly and take the conversation to a phone call instead of discussing the case in public.
General information, not legal advice.
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Questions
Can an AI receptionist handle a pet emergency call?
What does an AI receptionist cost a vet clinic?
Can the AI take medication refill requests for pets?
Can the AI book boarding and grooming?
Sources
- Covered Entities and Business Associates (HHS)
- Stop unwanted robocalls and texts (FCC consumer guide)
- Google Maps user contributed content policy on reviews
- HighLevel pricing page
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- HighLevel LC Email pricing
- HighLevel AI product pricing (help center)
- AI Voice Agents overview
- HighLevel Phone System pricing and billing guide
- BLS Occupational Outlook: Receptionists (May 2025 pay)