How Many Calls Are You Missing, And What’s It Costing Your Veterinary Clinic?
The Reality: Pet Parents Don’t Wait
Today’s veterinary clients expect quick answers and frictionless scheduling. Multiple studies show:
- 24%–28% of all calls to the average veterinary clinic go unanswered—that’s as many as 1 out of every 4 potential appointments lost, especially during busy times or after hours.
- 85% of callers will not call back if you miss their call, and most won’t leave a voicemail—they’ll call a competitor instead.
- Most clinics rely heavily on phone calls: over 90% of appointments are still scheduled over the phone in many practices.
“Even two missed calls a day can mean 40 lost opportunities a month—and most are gone for good.”
The Hidden Cost of Missed Calls
The cost of even a single missed call adds up fast. Here’s what the numbers look like across real clinics:
- The average small business loses about $126,000 annually due to missed calls—not a small number.
- For each new client lost, the potential value can exceed $10,000 over the pet's lifetime, considering long-term and preventive care.
- Up to 60% of calls go unanswered during the busiest hours if staff are stretched thin.
- Clinics with inefficient phone systems miss out on over $100,000 of recoverable revenue every year—often a conservative estimate.
Pressure on Staff and Practice Reputation
- Staff shortage and multitasking make it almost impossible to answer every call—causing stress and missed connections.
- Missed calls undermine trust and satisfaction: Negative client experiences can damage reputation and result in poor online reviews.
- Nearly 80% of veterinary negligence cases have a communication element—a missed call or message can become a risk factor.
AI-Powered Call Recovery: A Fast Fix
Hiring more people isn’t always feasible, and traditional answering services can be costly and inconsistent. That’s why a growing number of clinics are turning to AI call recovery tools.
How AI Solutions Like “Aimee” Help
- Answer every call, 24/7—including lunch breaks, after hours, or staff busy moments.
- Follow up automatically: Proactively return missed calls and even convert voicemails into bookings, no staff action needed.
- Book in real time: AI assistants can access your scheduling software and confirm appointments on the spot, reducing the phone tag cycle.
- Improve efficiency: One clinic cut missed calls from 25% to under 2% and reduced admin training time by 80%, thanks to AI.
- High ROI: Many practices see an additional $100,000+ in recovered revenue per year, per location.
Results You Can Measure
- 60% reduction in missed calls after system upgrades or implementing AI.
- AI-driven clinics typically recover 20% more appointments and boost client satisfaction by 15%.
- Fewer no-shows: AI receptionists can minimize the “no-show” rate, preventing $50,000+ per year in wasted slots for an average veterinarian.
- Transparent data: Call analytics reveal when, why, and how calls are being missed, so practices can act quickly.
The Bottom Line
Your phones are still the #1 gateway to more appointments, happier clients, and a thriving business. But the cost of missed calls is steeper than most realize, impacting revenue, reputation, and staff wellbeing. AI-assisted solutions now give clinics a simple way to make sure every call is answered, every opportunity is captured, and every pet parent is cared for.
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This ebook aims to help DSOs navigate portfolio expansion in 2025/2026 with confidence and data-driven insights. The global dental services market reached $457.5 billion in 2023 and is forecast to exceed $788.8 billion by 2033, growing at a 5.6% CAGR.
U.S. dental spend alone rose to $174 billion in 2023, up 2.5% from theprevious year.Cosmetic, preventive, and tech-enabled care are now essential growth drivers—not fringe services.Meanwhile, DSOs are absorbing more practices than ever. With scale comes complexity, and expectations of operational maturity.
Consolidation is up, but so is competition. Patients are acting more like empowered consumers than passive recipients. They have options, tools, and review platforms at their fingertips. They are not loyal by default.
DSOs must evolve from acquisition engines to experience-driven organizations.
Revenue growth will increasingly depend on your ability to:
- Deliver consistent patient journeys across every location
- Enable performance from the front desk to the executive suite
- Use automation to drive both efficiency and personalization
- Build a brand that earns loyalty, beyond price or proximity
Where will growth come from in 2025 and 2026? Download our e-book to find out.
The dental industry is consolidating, but market shifts are changing the rules for those rolling up practices looking to package and exit.
Consolidation now requires integration across a portfolio to drive the enterprise value needed to move that portfolio to a private equity sponsor.
Five years ago, an operator could get away with packaging up 25–50 practices and turning them over to PE to integrate and optimize. As is typically the case, PE learns that EBITDA growth is in the operations, and operations is hard, therefore shifting the onus to the operator to create value in the portfolio before entertaining the transaction.
Now, dental operators must be adept at integration across people, process, and technology. No small feat—but to make investors whole, it’s the only way.
As an institutional investor in B2B vertical SaaS, I see the dental industry going through a common tech consolidation cycle.
Core systems lead the charge, in this case, Practice Management Software (PMS) becomes the technology backbone of the practice. Then smaller tech solutions flood the market to fill the gaps in the core solution. The stack starts to bloat, raising costs and complexity.
As in other industries, the tech leaders in the space do a great job of influencing process in the form of “best practices.” The best of them build armies of raving fans (power users) who become the mouthpiece in the practice for the adoption of new solutions. That’s great for the software company—but not always for the business. When an operator decides to roll up practices, this problem compounds, as you now have conflicting opinions about the right solution moving forward.
The next phase is tech consolidation, which typically looks like a series of M&A transactions led by the system-of-record tech (PMS), trying to roll up smaller solutions into their platform to acquire customers, transition them to their core, and generate the perception of a fully integrated solution. There are varying degrees of success here. But the reality is, most companies are not going to acquire the best-of-breed solutions—those are expensive transactions. And just like the DSOs rolling up practices, tech companies are building enterprise value for their investors. The result is often a half-baked solution that isn’t much more than a customer grab.
So, what’s the solution?
First, look at best-of-breed solutions focused on delivering tangible ROI for your portfolio, those that facilitate the consolidation of people and process through a seamless technology experience.
Second, examine their partner ecosystem. The best companies create deep partnerships that bring together the best of the best across specialized use cases. These partnerships go beyond tech integration. They extend into go-to-market strategy, deploying a value-based model that highlights the levers they can pull in your portfolio, the outcomes of pulling them, and the roadmap to get there. These partnerships often lead to M&A transactions that create outsized outcomes for both stakeholders and customers.
DSOs are at a crossroads when it comes to delivering enterprise value to their investment partners. The only path forward is an integrated portfolio, built on solutions that drive revenue, production, and efficiency across the enterprise—setting the standard for people, process, and technology.
As an investor and operator in Peerlogic, our charge is to serve 1 million patients through our AI-first solutions and deliver $1 billion in incremental revenue for dental practices. We do this through a truly integrated, value-first solution—one focused on meeting the DSO market where they are: building integrated portfolios that deliver enterprise value at the next turn.
Having a superior patient experience isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s the difference between a booked appointment and a missed opportunity.
Today’s patients expect clarity, and convenience, and they expect immediately. They want answers fast, reminders that don’t interrupt their day, and the freedom to communicate on their terms.
The takeaway: the best way meet the myriad of (expanding) patient needs is to do so through text.
The data back it up: patients overwhelmingly prefer text-based communication for everything from scheduling to follow-ups. It’s faster, easier, and puts them in control.
The best front-office systems are meeting that need. Not with voice bots or ticketing systems, but with conversational AI built around how people actually behave, supported by real humans.
Here's what else patients are looking for, according to the data.
1. AI That Listens and Learns, Not Just Talks at People
The power of good conversational AI isn't in replacing your front office. It’s in capturing what patients say, why they say it, and what needs to happen next.
Up to 30% of new patient inquiries go unanswered because of missed or mishandled calls.
One in three patients will not call back. That’s lost revenue that never hits your schedule.
AI built to understand, not just react, helps teams:
- Recognize common questions and concerns
- Follow up with the right patients at the right time
- Turn more calls into booked appointments
2. Voice AI Is Failing the Patient Experience
Most voice bots aren’t designed for empathy. They’re designed to deflect.
Seventy-nine percent of consumers prefer a human for healthcare questions.
Voice bots consistently score lowest in patient satisfaction across all channels.
Healthcare is personal. Patients want to be heard. And that starts with real conversation.
3. Texting Isn’t Just Easier. It’s What Patients Prefer
Here’s where AI can actually enhance the experience. When used correctly, it supports fast, frictionless communication.
Eighty percent of patients say they prefer texting for appointment reminders and updates.
Practices that use intelligent SMS workflows report over 25 percent higher confirmation rates.
Texting isn't impersonal. Poor automation is. When integrated into the right workflow, text becomes a natural extension of your practice.
4. Insights That Drive Real Action
The best conversational AI doesn't just automate. It informs.
With the right platform, teams gain visibility into:
- Call trends and communication breakdowns
- No-show patterns and missed opportunities
- Patient behavior and follow-up needs
Practices using conversation-level insights are reducing no-shows by up to 20 percent and recovering revenue without adding staff.
When AI helps your team connect, follow up, and improve communication in ways patients actually value, everyone benefits. It's not about replacing your people. It's about giving them the tools to do their jobs better.
If you're ready to stop automating for automation’s sake and start connecting in ways that matter, it's time to rethink what AI can do.
Close the Loop. Reopen the Conversation.
Texting isn’t just for reminders. It’s your biggest re-engagement channel hiding in plain sight.
In today’s patient journey, text is the gateway, not the destination. It opens the door for appointment confirmations, reschedules, follow-ups, and most importantly: revenue recovery.
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