Your clinic closed at six.
The phone didn't.
Willa answers the calls your front desk can't — after hours, at weekends, and when your team is already in with a patient. She takes the caller's details, answers the routine questions, and books the appointment.
813-590-5183 — she answers this line herself.
Incoming call
Willa
Good evening, Brookside Animal Hospital. This is Willa.
Caller
Hi — my dog's been throwing up since dinner. Are you open?
Willa
We closed at six, and we're back at seven-thirty tomorrow morning. If this feels urgent tonight, Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency is open twenty-four hours — I can give you their number now. Otherwise I can hold you the first slot in the morning.
Caller
Morning's fine, I think he's alright.
Willa
Then you're booked for 7:45 with Dr. Ramos. Can I take your name and a contact number?
An example call. Willa answers 813-590-5183 the same way — try her.
Four things happened on that call.
- She picked up. First ring, every time. No voicemail, no hold music, no “we're closed” recording.
- She knew your hours. And your services, your prices, your parking, and which vet is in on Thursdays — whatever you tell her.
- She knew when to step back. Willa never gives medical advice. Anything urgent goes straight to your emergency protocol, in your words.
- She wrote it down. A summary of every call lands in your inbox, with the caller's number and what they wanted.
An appointment you'd have lost.
Most people who reach voicemail don't leave one. They call the next clinic on the list. Willa is for the hours when nobody's at the desk — evenings, weekends, lunch, and the stretch of the afternoon when your one receptionist is checking someone out.
Built for independent small animal practices.
WillaPhone is for one-to-three-vet companion animal clinics — the practices where the front desk is one or two people, and the phone rings while they're doing everything else. Not corporate groups, not emergency hospitals that are already staffed overnight.
Three things to set up.
- Keep your number. You forward your line to Willa when you're closed or busy. Nothing changes for your clients.
- Tell her about the clinic. Hours, services, your emergency protocol, how you want callers greeted. This takes about an hour.
- Check your inbox. Call summaries arrive after every call. You adjust what she says as you go.
Common questions
Can we start with after-hours only?
That's all this is. Willa answers when your front desk can't — evenings, weekends, and the stretches when your team is with a patient. She doesn't replace anyone during opening hours, and she isn't meant to.
What if she gets something wrong?
She's built so the expensive mistakes aren't available to her. She never gives medical advice, never estimates whether something can wait, and never quotes a price. Anything that sounds urgent goes straight to your emergency partner, in your wording, without her assessing it first. Everything else — hours, parking, which vet sees cats, booking a wellness exam — she handles, and you get a written summary of every call so you can see exactly what was said.
Can we control what she says?
Entirely. You give her your hours, services, emergency protocol, and how you want callers greeted. She says what you've told her and nothing else. If she doesn't know something, she says so and takes a message rather than guessing.
Does she connect to our practice management system?
Not yet. Willa books into a calendar — Google Calendar or Cal.com — rather than writing directly to ezyVet, Covetrus or similar. If deep PMS integration is what you need, this isn't the right fit yet, and I'd rather say that now than on the third call.
What do clients think about talking to an assistant?
If someone asks whether they're speaking to a person, Willa tells them straight away that she isn't. She never pretends otherwise. Most callers care far more that someone picked up at nine at night than about what picked up.
What about privacy?
Veterinary records aren't protected health information, so HIPAA doesn't apply the way it would in human healthcare. Calls are transcribed so you have a record of what was said. Those transcripts are yours.
Call her yourself.
It takes about thirty seconds. Ask about hours, try to book something, or tell her your dog seems unwell and see what she does.
She answers as Brookside Animal Hospital — the clinic in the call above.