What the agent handles
- Checks food and supply stock
- Takes holds and special orders
- Answers basic aquarium care
- Shares hours and adoption events
- Texts when orders arrive
Retail
AI receptionist for pet supply stores
Answers stock and special order questions on food and supplies, takes hold requests, and fields basic aquarium and small animal care questions.
CallerDo you carry the grain-free salmon kibble in the big bag?
CallerCan you hold a bag for me? I'll be there after work.
CallerMy fish tank went cloudy after I cleaned it, is that normal?
Where calls go
Store floorAquaticsSpecial ordersManager
Warm transfer: When a caller is worried about a sick animal they bought from the store, the agent warm-transfers to the store manager.
Why pet supply stores miss calls, and what an AI receptionist changes
A neighbourhood pet store is busiest after work and on weekends, when the same two or three staff are lifting thirty-pound bags of kibble into carts, netting fish for a customer and restocking the frozen raw food. The phone rings with people who want to know if you carry a certain grain-free salmon formula in the large bag before they drive over, someone whose tank went cloudy after a water change, and a regular asking you to set a bag aside. If nobody picks up, the caller often heads to the big-box store on the way home.
A RealVoice AI receptionist for pet stores answers those calls on the first ring. It tells callers which brands, formulas and bag sizes you carry from the product list you give it, takes hold requests with the customer's name and pickup time, and writes up special orders for food you don't stock. For fish keepers it gives the basic aquarium guidance you approve, like what a bacterial bloom after a cleaning usually means and why you test water before adding fish, and it answers questions about live feeder insects, self-serve dog wash hours and your frequent-buyer program.
As part of setup, the team connects it to your store's POS inventory, so it can tell a caller how many of that bag are on the shelf right now. A hold request is sent to the floor, and the caller is told a staff member will set it aside. It never gives veterinary advice. A caller worried about a sick animal they bought from you is warm-transferred to the store manager, and anyone describing an emergency is told to call their vet.
Example call, start to finish
- CallerHi, do you have the grain-free salmon kibble in the big twenty-four pound bag? Can you hold one for me? I'll be there after work.
- AI receptionistThere are three of the twenty-four pound bags of that formula in stock right now. I'll send a hold request to the floor so someone sets one aside. Can I have your name and roughly what time you'll come by?
- CallerSarah Mitchell. Around 5:30. Oh, and the betta fish I bought from you on Saturday is just lying at the bottom of the tank.
- AI receptionistI'm sorry to hear that. What size is the tank, and does it have a heater?
- CallerIt's a small bowl, maybe a gallon. No heater.
- AI receptionistThanks. I'd like you to talk to Jordan, our manager, about the fish. He's free now. One moment, please.
- AI receptionist(privately, to Jordan) Sarah Mitchell, betta bought Saturday is lying at the bottom of a one-gallon bowl with no heater. She also wants the twenty-four pound grain-free salmon held for 5:30 pickup. Connecting.
After the call: Jordan talks to Sarah already knowing about the bowl and the missing heater, and the floor gets the hold request by text with her name, the bag and the 5:30 pickup. The call summary and recording are saved in the RealVoice portal, and Sarah gets a text saying her hold request was passed on.
How it fits your day
- The after-work rush
- Between 5 and 7, callers checking whether a food is in before they drive over get an answer, and their hold requests are sent to the floor.
- Weekend aquatics
- New fish keepers call with cloudy water, cycling and stocking questions. The basics come from your approved guidance, and anything more goes to your aquatics staff.
- Supplier truck day
- When the order comes in, special-order customers are on a tidy list with names and numbers instead of sticky notes, and each one gets a text that their food is ready to pick up.
- Food recalls and holiday hours
- Tell the agent once about a recalled lot or a holiday closure, and every caller hears it until you remove it.
Your software
Today it takes hold requests, special orders and messages, keeps every call, summary and recording in the RealVoice portal, and texts each caller that their request was passed on. If your store runs Lightspeed Retail, Shopify or DaySmart Pet, the team can set up a connection to it; custom integrations are quoted separately.
What a missed call costs
A dog owner who buys a large bag of premium food every month spends $1,000 or more a year in your store, plus treats, toys and the odd harness. The one thing that can break that habit is a day when they call to check if you have it, nobody answers, and they buy it somewhere else. If you miss four calls an evening and one of those is a regular, the losses come from your most loyal customers. The missed-call calculator on our homepage can show it with your own numbers.
Questions pet supply stores ask
Does it know what's on our shelves?
Yes. Once your POS is connected during setup, it checks today's count for the brand, formula and bag size the caller wants, and sends a hold request to the floor if they'd like one set aside.
Will it give pet health advice?
No. It answers basic care questions you approve, such as aquarium water changes or feeder insect storage. Anything about a sick or injured animal goes to your manager, and emergencies are pointed to a vet.
Can it take special orders?
Yes. It takes the product, size and quantity with the customer's name and number, and sends it to whoever does your ordering by text and email.
Can an AI answer my pet store phone after hours?
Yes. Evening and weekend callers get your hours, stock answers and a place for their hold request or special order, ready for the morning shift.
What if someone calls about a food recall?
It tells callers exactly what you've given it about the recall, such as which lots and what to do with the bag. Questions beyond that become a message for the manager.
Hear it as your own pet store's front desk
Request a free demo call and the agent will phone you, set up as a business like yours.