Broken glasses are a same-day problem.
Broken glasses are a same-day problem. An optometry answering service that answers while you are mid-exam and fills tomorrow's open slots.
An eye exam is the front of a relationship that includes frames, lenses and contacts — the exam fee is the smallest part of it. Someone who has broken their only pair of glasses needs an appointment today and will take whichever practice answers, along with the several hundred dollars of eyewear that follows.
Optometry runs on a full appointment book, which means your staff are occupied all day. Calls arrive during exams and at lunch, and the gaps in tomorrow's schedule go unfilled simply because nobody was free to answer the person trying to fill them.
A call it takes without you.
Thanks for calling — are you booking an eye exam?
Yes, and I need it soon, I sat on my glasses.
I can help. Have you been seen here before, and do you have vision insurance?
First time. I've got VSP.
Perfect. I have tomorrow at 11:40 — shall I hold that for you?
- ✓Calls answered while you're mid-exam
- ✓Exam types and insurance captured
- ✓Appointments booked into your schedule
- ✓Frame and contact enquiries qualified
It answers what you brief it on — brands carried, whether you do same-day lenses, roughly what a package costs. Anything that needs the optician's judgement is captured and routed rather than invented, because a wrong answer about lens options costs you the sale at the counter.
Optometry answering service — questions
Does it know which insurers we take?+
Yes. The agent asks the carrier and can tell the caller whether you are in network, which avoids both a wasted visit and a difficult conversation at reception.
Can it book contact lens fittings separately?+
Yes. Fittings need a different slot length from a routine exam, so the agent asks and books the right appointment type.
What about urgent eye problems?+
Scripted as priority. Sudden vision loss, flashes, floaters or injury get your urgent-care instructions rather than the next routine opening.
How soon can it be running?+
Two to four business days, built around your appointment types, insurers and scheduling rules.
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.