Families call at three in the morning because that is when it happens.
Hospice calls arrive at every hour and none can wait. A hospice answering service that answers calmly, triages by your protocols, and reaches the on-call nurse.
A family caring for someone at end of life calls when something changes, and that is overwhelmingly at night. They need a calm voice, and they need a nurse. A call that waits is a family alone with a crisis, and a referral that waits goes to another agency — both of which matter more than revenue and both of which are decided by whether the phone is answered.
The need is round the clock by definition. Symptom changes, equipment failures and deaths happen at night and at weekends, alongside referral calls from hospitals and physicians that arrive during the day while your staff are with patients.
A call it takes without you.
Hospice line — can I take the patient's name and who I'm speaking with?
It's my mother, Ruth Carney. I'm her daughter. Her breathing has changed.
Thank you. Is she responsive at the moment?
She's not really waking up.
I'm reaching the on-call nurse now and they will call you straight back. Stay with her — you're doing the right thing.
- ✓Answered at any hour, overnight and on holidays
- ✓Patient and caller details captured accurately
- ✓On-call clinical staff reached by your protocols
- ✓Referrals and admissions handled separately
It does not handle it clinically, and it is briefed not to try. It identifies the patient, captures what has changed, applies your triage protocol, and reaches the on-call nurse quickly. What it replaces is a hold queue or an answering machine at 3am, which is the actual alternative.
Hospice & Palliative Care answering service — questions
Will it give clinical advice?+
No. It gathers, triages against your written protocols, and escalates. Clinical judgement stays with your nurses without exception.
How quickly is the on-call nurse reached?+
Immediately, by the route you specify, with the patient and situation already captured so the nurse calls back informed rather than cold.
Does it handle referrals too?+
Yes, as a separate path. A hospital discharge planner calling about an admission is urgent in a different way and is routed accordingly.
How long does setup take?+
Two to four business days, built entirely around your triage protocols and on-call structure.
How does an answering service work?+
Your business line is forwarded to the service, either all the time or only when you don't pick up. From the caller's side nothing changes — they dial your number and somebody answers. Ours answers, asks the questions you've set, and books the appointment into your calendar, then the details reach you.
What is an answering service?+
A service that answers your business phone when you can't. Traditionally that meant an off-site operator taking a message for you to return later. An AI answering service handles the call to a finished outcome instead — qualifying the caller and booking the job rather than passing you a message slip.
How much does an answering service cost?+
Most small businesses pay between $200 and $1,500 a month depending on volume and whether calls are handled by people or AI. Per-minute plans typically run $1.00–$2.00 a minute, per-call plans $1.50–$3.50 a call. Ours are flat: $249/mo with 500 included minutes, or $995/mo with 2,000.
What are the advantages of an answering service?+
Three that matter. Every call is answered, so enquiries stop going to voicemail. Several calls are answered at once, so nobody gets a busy signal on your busiest day. And it covers the hours you can't — nights, weekends and holidays — which is when the most urgent calls tend to arrive.
How do I choose an answering service?+
Call it before you buy it. Published pricing, no long-term contract, and a service built around your trade rather than a generic script all matter — but the only reliable test is hearing how it handles a call. Our demo line is a real number that answers at any hour.
What should I look for in a call answering service?+
Whether it books or only takes messages; what it costs when you exceed the plan; whether hold time and robocalls are billable; how quickly it goes live; and whether it can be briefed on what counts as an emergency in your trade. Ask for the overage rate specifically — it is the number most often left out of a quote.
Stop losing the calls you never hear.
Plans start at $249 a month. Live in two to four business days.