Setup checklist for a veterinary AI receptionist

A complete checklist for deploying the 365agents Veterinary Clinic agent — PIMS integration, triage protocols, boarding logistics, and emergency escalation rules.

Written By Rick Garcia

Last updated 14 days ago

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

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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.