Setup checklist for a veterinary AI receptionist

Deploying an AI receptionist in a veterinary clinic takes about a week of elapsed time for most general practices. This checklist walks through what to prepare, what decisions to make, and what typically takes the longest.

Before the kickoff call

• Practice information management system (PIMS) — which one (AVImark, Cornerstone, eVetPractice, ezyVet, Shepherd, Covetrus Pulse, Provet Cloud) and admin credentials

• Hours and holiday schedule — including any variation by provider or service (surgery days vs. wellness-only days)

• Provider roster — DVMs, technicians, their specialties and availability

• Service list — wellness visits, vaccination packages, sick appointments, dental cleanings, surgeries, specialty consultations, boarding, grooming (if offered)

• Boarding policies — availability, rates, vaccination requirements, feeding instructions collection, check-in times, deposit requirements

• Emergency protocol — what gets routed to on-call DVM, what gets routed to the emergency hospital, and your preferred emergency hospital referral list

• Triage questions — species-specific questions your team currently asks to determine urgency

• Vaccine schedules — what's current, common expiration windows, and any state-specific requirements

• Pricing ranges — for routine services; you don't need exact codes, just what you tell callers

• Top 20–30 FAQs — what your front desk answers most often

Decisions you'll need to make

• Voice — Aria (default, caring) works well; other voices available from the library

• Disclosure — we recommend proactive disclosure; confirm wording

• After-hours handling — AI all hours, or only after hours? Does the AI handle overnight emergency triage or should those go directly to a hospital referral?

• Euthanasia flow — every practice handles this differently; we recommend the AI capture context and route to a specific clinician rather than attempt to book

• Boarding flow — is boarding booked by the AI directly, or captured as a request for a human to confirm?

• Multi-pet households — how your PIMS models these and how the AI should ask about which pet the call is about

• Species scope — small-animal only, exotic, equine, large-animal, mixed

PIMS integration

• AVImark, Cornerstone — typically read-only initially, write-back validated after testing

• eVetPractice, ezyVet, Shepherd, Covetrus Pulse — API-based integration for scheduling and patient lookup

• Proprietary or smaller systems — we work with most; ask during kickoff if your system isn't listed

Triage protocol configuration

• True emergency triggers — what symptoms route the caller to emergency vet hospitals vs. on-call DVM

• Urgent-but-not-emergency — sick-pet calls that should be seen today, handled by same-day appointment slots

• Species-specific questions — dogs vs. cats vs. exotics require different triage questions

• Age-specific considerations — puppies, kittens, seniors, pregnant/nursing animals

• Toxicity triage — ingested substances, chocolate/grapes/xylitol/medications protocols

Call forwarding and routing

• Your current phone provider — setup instructions in our Call forwarding collection

• Forwarding rules: always, after-hours, or overflow

• On-call DVM routing — phone, SMS, or both

• Emergency hospital referral numbers on file

Optional integrations

• SMS / email for appointment confirmations (most PIMS handle this; you may want a separate system)

• Boarding check-in / check-out scheduling system

• Pharmacy refill workflow integration

Go-live sequence

• Day 1: kickoff call, requirements, PIMS integration starts, draft instructions

• Day 2–3: knowledge base loaded, triage protocols configured, internal test calls

• Day 4–5: your team test-calls with realistic scenarios

• Day 5–7: soft launch (after-hours or overflow), then full rollout

• Weeks 2–4: daily transcript review, especially for any emergency-triage calls, to tune the protocols

What to measure after go-live

• Call containment rate

• Triage accuracy (did the AI route emergencies correctly?)

• Appointment capture (are boarding and wellness calls converting?)

• Euthanasia-call handling (reviewed manually; these are the most sensitive calls)

• Team satisfaction with escalation context

Related articles

• How 365agents works for veterinary clinics

• Common calls a veterinary AI handles

• How long to set up an AI receptionist?

Start the process

Book a demo and our team will walk through this checklist and configure a live Veterinary Clinic agent you can call directly. Most general practices are live within a week.