Who it is for / Dog groomers
An AI receptionist for dog groomers.
With a wet dog on the table, the phone has to wait. While You Work answers the calls you miss in your business name, finds out what the owner wants and when, and sends you the details a minute later.
Hear a sample call free, no card needed, and you keep your own number. Ready to put it on your own line? Start a free 7-day trial, no card.
The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month plus VAT for their first 12 months, then £69. Plans start at £39. Your line switches on as soon as you finish the set-up form, with a 7-day free trial first and a 14-day money-back guarantee once you pay.
On every call
What your receptionist asks
- What the dog needs: a full groom, a bath or a nail trim
- Whether they are a new or an existing customer
- When they would like to come in
- The best number to ring back, read back to check it
- Your prices, only if you have set them and they ask
Urgent jobs
Today’s changes go to the top
- An owner who cannot make today’s appointment
- A caller who says it cannot wait
Everything else is sent to you as a booking request within a minute.
An example week
A week of calls to a dog groomer
Grooming calls need the breed, the size and the coat, and the receptionist asks for all three, so your callback is a quick confirm rather than an interview.
- Monday: a new owner with a cockapoo puppy, first groom, nervous. Breed and age taken, told you will advise on the first visit.
- Tuesday, 11.30am: a regular wanting the usual full groom for a spaniel in two weeks. Details taken.
- Wednesday: a caller asking whether you take large breeds and whether the dog can be dropped off early. Questions noted.
- Thursday, 4pm: a matted rescue dog, owner unsure what is possible. Told a look is needed first, details taken.
- Friday: a customer running late for a 2pm drop-off. Message marked as today.
The maths
What a missed call costs dog groomers
Say you miss 3 calls a week and two in five of those callers would have booked a full groom worth about £45.
3 calls × 40% × £45 = £54 a week. × 52 weeks ÷ 12 = £234 a month of work going to someone else. An example: put your own numbers into the missed-call calculator.
A dog is groomed every six to eight weeks for its whole life. The owner who could not get through books with the groomer who answered, and stays.
Timing
When a dog groomer's phone rings
Monday mornings, school holidays, and the weeks before Christmas and summer. The phone rings while you have a wet dog on the table and clippers in hand.
What callers hear
An example call, word for word
The receptionist asks one thing at a time, checks the number back and never makes up a price. The details reach you by email a minute after the call, and by text straight away when it is urgent, on Pro and Business.
Emailed to you a minute later
Mark (new customer), 07700 900813. Full groom for a cockapoo, next week.
Receptionist: Hi, you’re through to Waggy Tails Grooming. Thanks for calling, I’m the automated assistant. Sophie can’t get to the phone right now, but I can take your details so she can get back to you. Calls are recorded so nothing gets missed. What’s your name?
Caller: Hi, it’s Mark. My cockapoo needs a full groom, any chance next week?
Receptionist: Thanks, Mark. Have you brought him to Waggy Tails before?
Caller: No, he’s new.
Receptionist: And what’s the best number for Sophie to ring you on?
Caller: 07700 900 813.
Receptionist: So that’s 07700 900 813. Is that right?
Caller: Yes, that’s right.
Receptionist: Thanks, Mark. Sophie will get back to you about a day next week, and I’m sending you a text now to confirm.
Set up
Three steps, and you keep your number
Tell us about your business
A short form made for dog groomers:
- Your business name and first name
- Opening hours and where you are
- What your business does, in plain words
- Your prices, only if you want callers told
- Your booking or cancellation policy
- Whether customers ever need you urgently
- Anything else callers should know
- Breeds and sizes you take, and any you do not
- Whether you handle nervous or elderly dogs
- Drop-off and collection times
Switch on divert
One code on your mobile sends calls you do not answer within 20 seconds to your While You Work line. Turn it off whenever you like.
Get the details in a minute
Every caller is greeted in your business name. You get the details a minute later, and the caller gets a text saying you will ring back.
Questions
Questions from dog groomers
Can it tell owners how long a groom takes?
Yes. Put it in the anything else box on the set-up form, such as how long a full groom takes or what to bring, and the receptionist tells owners who ask.
Can it book appointments into my diary?
Yes, on the Business plan. It offers the caller your real free times, books the appointment and texts them a confirmation, with your deposit link if you take deposits. On Pro it can text the caller your booking link instead, and on Starter it takes the details and tells the caller you will ring back.
How much does it cost?
Starter is £39, Pro £69 and Business £129 a month + VAT, for 50, 150 or 400 calls a month. The first 50 UK businesses get Pro for £49 a month + VAT for their first 12 months. There is no contract, and if you cancel within 14 days of your line going live you get a full refund.
Does it ask about the dog before booking?
Yes. It asks the breed, the size, the coat condition and whether the dog has been groomed before, and puts all of it in your message.
Can it warn owners that matted coats may need clipping off?
If you put that in set-up, it tells callers gently that badly matted coats sometimes need a short clip and that you will assess on the day.
More detail: how the AI receptionist works, the call answering service behind it, what a virtual receptionist does, what a missed call costs, UK call answering prices and how we compare.
Fill the gaps in your diary without picking up the phone
Free for 7 days, no card. Pupils and clients who ring while you are busy get a proper answer, a text to say you will ring back, and on Pro your booking link. Plans from £39 a month plus VAT after that; Pro is £69, or £49 plus VAT for 12 months for the first 50 UK businesses.
Also set up for personal trainers, estate and letting agents, accountants and bookkeepers, photographers, caterers, hair and beauty salons, and for every other kind of business.