How do you answer the phone when you're with a client?

The five options, pros and cons

• Voicemail. Free and simple. But callers have to wait for you to get back to them, and some hang up without leaving a message. A useful greeting (when you'll call back, where to book online) softens the downside.
• A call-back routine. Set times between clients to call everyone back. It costs nothing, but it eats into your breaks, and a call-back that waits until the next day may come too late.
• An answering service. Someone answers in your name, takes a message and, depending on the service, books in your calendar. Reassuring for callers; on the other hand, it's a monthly or per-call cost, and the person may not know your treatments or your real-time availability.
• A part-time receptionist. The best human welcome, and someone who can also handle payments and the waiting room. It's also the most expensive option, and it only covers their working hours: evenings and weekends go unanswered.
• An AI receptionist. It answers at any hour, can check your calendar and book directly. But it doesn't replace a person for everything: check what it does, what it doesn't (transferring a call, for example) and what it does with a request outside its scope.

How to choose

1. 1
   Count your missed callsFor two weeks, note the calls you miss and what they wanted: to book, to reschedule, to ask a question. Your call log gives you the answer without guessing.
2. 2
   Look at when they come inDuring treatments, in the evening, on weekends? A receptionist covers your business hours; voicemail or an AI receptionist covers the rest too.
3. 3
   Decide what callers should be able to doJust leave a message, or book right away? The more callers can do without waiting, the fewer call-backs you have to make.
4. 4
   Compare the real costWeigh each option's monthly cost against the value of an appointment and the time you spend calling people back.

What an AI receptionist should be able to do

• Read your actual calendar. It offers only times that are really open, rather than taking a message to confirm later.
• Book, reschedule, cancel. And confirm with the client in writing, so they have the time at hand.
• Recognize your clients. By their phone number, so it doesn't ask for their details on every call.
• Know when to hand off. A request outside its scope (a clinical question, a complaint) should become a message for your team, never an improvised answer.
• Be easy to turn off. You should be able to switch it off at any time, for example during a period when you'd rather answer yourself.

Whatever you choose: good habits

• A clear greeting. The clinic's name, when you'll call back, and where to book online. Keep it short.
• Online booking around the clock. If many calls are appointment requests, a booking link on your website, your Google Business Profile and your voicemail greeting takes some of them off your plate.
• Emergencies go elsewhere. Mention in your greeting that in an emergency, callers should dial 911: a massage therapy clinic isn't an emergency service.
• Call back quickly. The same day, ideally between clients. A caller who's left waiting may turn to another clinic.
• Language. Answer in French, and plan for English if part of your clientele speaks it.