---
title: "AI receptionist for vets"
description: "Over 2,400 practices averaging 2.5 vets, with emergencies arriving between consultations. An AI receptionist separates the two."
url: https://vanborg.com/en/sectors/dierenartsen
locale: en
type: page
updated: 2026-08-28
author: "Nicolaas Sterenborg"
---

# An AI receptionist for a veterinary practice

A veterinary practice gets emergencies and routine on the same number while the nurse is in the treatment room. An AI receptionist answers, transfers emergencies straight through and books the rest: vaccinations, check-ups, dentals. It also runs the vaccination reminders, and in this trade that is the difference between a half-full and a full diary.

## The figures

| What | How much | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| In the Netherlands | 2,400+ practices, averaging 2.5 vets | KNMvD, Diergeneeskunde in cijfers |
| What this work costs today | ±€2,600 per month | Indeed Salarissen Nederland 2026 |
| Missed calls at Dutch SMEs | 23% of all incoming calls | Voxori, onderzoek gemiste oproepen MKB |

## An animal emergency is an emotional emergency

Someone calling because their dog has eaten something or their cat has been hit by a car is beside themselves. That needs different handling from a question about a vaccination: no queue, no menu, someone immediately. So the agent asks one short question and, on anything leaning towards acute, transfers at once without asking for details first. That the agent voices no assessment of severity is not a limitation but the point: that judgement belongs to the vet, and to nobody else.

## Vaccination recalls are the steady revenue here

Like the MOT at a garage, the annual vaccination is an appointment with a fixed date that nobody remembers. Practices that work that list consistently have a noticeably fuller diary than those leaving it to the owner, and the difference is not in the quality of care but in whether anyone had time to call. The Reminder agent works the list weekly, offers slots that are genuinely free and books the reply. Anyone who does not respond gets one follow-up, no more.

## When you should send nothing at all

There is one thing that can genuinely go wrong with automation in this trade: sending a cheerful review request or a vaccination reminder to someone whose animal has just died. So we always connect the Review agent and the Reminder agent to an exclusion list the practice maintains, and switch everything off by default around euthanasia appointments. That is not a technical detail: it is the reason some practices are wary of this, and it is solved with one properly configured rule.

## What an AI employee takes over here

- **AI receptionist** — Answers during consultations and transfers emergencies straight to the vet on duty.
- **Reminder agent** — Runs the vaccination and check-up recalls that otherwise get left.
- **Review agent** — Asks for a review after a successful treatment, never after a loss.

## Where we would start

- **AI receptionist** — €795 setup + €495/mo: The entire front of your business in one rental: the phone is answered 24/7, the chat on your website answers questions and on WhatsApp the same agent picks up the conversation. It knows your rates and service area, records every enquiry's name, number and question, books appointments straight into your calendar and transfers urgent calls immediately. Miss a call yourself and the caller gets a message within a minute.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can it say anything about symptoms?

No. Anything leaning towards a symptom or an acute situation goes straight to the practice without the agent saying a word about it. What it can do is administrative: opening hours, prices for standard treatments, when a vaccination is due, and whether there is room that day.

### Does this work with Animana or Viva?

We build the connection per practice. If your software has an API or a syncing calendar, the agent books straight into it and can read the vaccination dates. If not, we work from an export and the agent queues appointments for confirmation. We check what is possible during the free scan.

## Sources

- [KNMvD, Diergeneeskunde in cijfers](https://www.knmvd.nl)
- [Indeed Salarissen Nederland 2026](https://nl.indeed.com/career/salarissen)
- [Voxori, onderzoek gemiste oproepen MKB](https://www.voxori.nl)

## See also

- [GP practices](https://vanborg.com/en/sectors/huisartsen)
- [Dental practices](https://vanborg.com/en/sectors/tandartsen)
- [Physiotherapy](https://vanborg.com/en/sectors/fysiotherapie)