Customer support · Production

Upfirst AI receptionist handles missed calls at Hearthstone Animal Clinic

The problem

Hearthstone Animal Clinic's three-person support team frequently could not answer calls when staff were occupied with patients, surgeries, or in-person clients, causing missed new clients and unaddressed urgent requests.

Workflow diagram · grounded in source

Call rings unanswered

trigger

“Upfirst now answers calls at Hearthstone Animal Clinic whenever the phone rings more than 18 seconds, or after-hours and on half-days”

AI receptionist answers from knowledge base

ai_action

“Dr. Pelton customized the AI receptionist's knowledge base with details about the clinic's hours, pricing, prescription refills, and new client forms”

Empathetic response for sensitive topics

ai_action

“He even programmed empathetic responses for sensitive topics like euthanasia so clients always feel heard”

Callers preferring humans routed out

routing

“for the few callers who prefer a human, Upfirst's gentle messaging sets expectations and directs them to the right place”

Call summary and Slack notification sent

output

“Every call summary gets emailed to Baylee, and Dr. Pelton used Upfirst's Zapier integration to send instant notifications into their Slack channel for quick follow-up”

Staff follow up on urgent items

human_review

“She knows right away if a refill request comes in, or if someone's frustrated and needs a quick call back”

Reported outcome

Hearthstone Animal Clinic no longer misses important calls; routine requests are handled instantly by the AI receptionist, Baylee receives immediate notifications for follow-up, and clients receive a professional experience even when the clinic is at capacity.

Reported metrics

Prescription refill link delivery timeunder 30 seconds

Missed callsno longer missing the calls that matter

Staff interruptionsfewer interruptions and less pressure

Repetitive admin worktakes repetitive admin work off our plate

Reported stack

UpfirstZapierSlack

Source

https://upfirst.ai/customers/hearthstone-animal-clinic

Read source ↗

Frequently asked questions

What did this team achieve with this AI workflow?

Hearthstone Animal Clinic no longer misses important calls; routine requests are handled instantly by the AI receptionist, Baylee receives immediate notifications for follow-up, and clients receive a professional expe…

What tools did this team use?

Upfirst, Zapier, Slack.

What results were reported?

Prescription refill link delivery time: under 30 seconds; Missed calls: no longer missing the calls that matter; Staff interruptions: fewer interruptions and less pressure; Repetitive admin work: takes repetitive admin work off our plate (source-reported, not independently verified).

How is this customer support AI workflow structured?

Call rings unanswered → AI receptionist answers from knowledge base → Empathetic response for sensitive topics → Callers preferring humans routed out → Call summary and Slack notification sent → Staff follow up on urgent items.