{
	"schemaVersion": "1",
	"name": "The Veterinary Phone Line: a 2026 first look — published figures",
	"publisher": "PupPilot Research",
	"license": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
	"url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/data",
	"snapshot": "2026-09-28",
	"dateModified": "2026-09-28",
	"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
	"panel": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
	"entries": [
		{
			"id": "calls-per-weekday",
			"question": "How many calls does a veterinary clinic get per day?",
			"figure": "The median clinic takes 35 inbound calls on a weekday; the middle half of clinic-days fall between 14 and 106, the busiest tenth above 162.",
			"value": 35,
			"unit": "calls per weekday (median clinic-day)",
			"sample": "the subset of panel clinics that route every call through PupPilot (day and after-hours), more than 100,000 calls, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Inbound calls per clinic per clinic-local weekday, percentiles across clinic-days.",
			"cannot_support": "An industry average; calls per veterinarian (clinic size not yet in the mart). Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/call-volume-and-timing",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-calls-per-weekday"
		},
		{
			"id": "peak-hour",
			"question": "When do pet owners call the vet?",
			"figure": "Calls peak at 11 a.m. clinic-local time (13.0% of the day's calls); 85.4% of calls arrive Monday–Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.; Monday carries 21.3% of the week's calls.",
			"value": 13,
			"unit": "% of calls in the peak hour",
			"sample": "the subset of panel clinics that route every call through PupPilot (day and after-hours), more than 100,000 calls, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Share of inbound calls by clinic-local hour and weekday.",
			"cannot_support": "Hour-by-hour figures for one region or clinic size; weekend shares for clinics open on Saturdays. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/call-volume-and-timing",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-peak-hour"
		},
		{
			"id": "after-hours-clock",
			"question": "What share of veterinary calls come after hours?",
			"figure": "8.8% of calls arrive after 6 p.m. or at the weekend; 14.6% arrive outside Monday–Friday 8–5.",
			"value": 8.8,
			"unit": "% of calls after 6 p.m. or weekend",
			"sample": "the subset of panel clinics that route every call through PupPilot (day and after-hours), more than 100,000 calls, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Clinic-local clock time of the call, regardless of who answered.",
			"cannot_support": "Clinics with unusual hours; demand the clinic never received. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/after-hours-calls",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-after-hours-clock"
		},
		{
			"id": "after-hours-assistant",
			"question": "How many calls does a clinic's after-hours line take?",
			"figure": "20.5% of calls reached the after-hours assistant rather than the day flow (19.6% in the median clinic-month, 11.4–30.0% across the middle half).",
			"value": 20.5,
			"unit": "% of calls answered by the after-hours assistant",
			"sample": "the subset of panel clinics that route every call through PupPilot (day and after-hours), more than 100,000 calls, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Calls whose origin is the after-hours assistant; it also takes lunch-hour and unanswered daytime calls.",
			"cannot_support": "'Calls while closed' — use the clock-based figure for that. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/after-hours-calls",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-after-hours-assistant"
		},
		{
			"id": "transfers-unanswered",
			"question": "How many calls transferred to clinic staff go unanswered?",
			"figure": "26.1% of calls the assistant transferred to clinic staff were not picked up by a person within the ring window; the median clinic missed 37.1%; the best-run clinics under 1%. Misses peak at 35.2% in the early afternoon.",
			"value": 26.1,
			"unit": "% of transfers not answered by a person",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Transfer status COMPLETED on a call that did not end in the clinic's voicemail = answered by a person; ring window is the clinic's transfer timeout (about 28 s).",
			"cannot_support": "A classic missed-call rate (callers hearing an unanswered phone); a trend over time (composition changes as clinics join). Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/unanswered-transfers",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-transfers-unanswered"
		},
		{
			"id": "emergency-transfers-voicemail",
			"question": "Do emergency calls get through to a person?",
			"figure": "94.3% of calls described as an emergency were transferred to staff.",
			"value": 94.3,
			"unit": "% of emergency calls transferred to staff",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Business-hours calls linked to an inbox item with a stated urgency.",
			"cannot_support": "Clinical severity; outcomes for the pet. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/unanswered-transfers",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-emergency-transfers-voicemail"
		},
		{
			"id": "call-length",
			"question": "How long is a veterinary phone call?",
			"figure": "A business-hours call the assistant resolves alone: median 70 s (nine in ten within 145 s). With a transfer to staff: median 155 s, a tenth past 538 s. After hours: median 35 s.",
			"value": 70,
			"unit": "seconds (median, assistant-resolved)",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Call duration in seconds by origin and transfer; medians and percentiles.",
			"cannot_support": "Length of a human-answered call at a clinic without an assistant. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/call-volume-and-timing",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-call-length"
		},
		{
			"id": "call-reasons",
			"question": "Why do pet owners call the vet?",
			"figure": "During business hours scheduling is on 35.6% of calls, prescriptions 12.2%, basic questions 10.0%, a sick or injured pet 9.6%, billing 4.5%, a pet emergency 2.6%. After hours: scheduling 22.3%, basic questions 20.8%, prescriptions 7.3%, pet emergency 6.3%.",
			"value": 35.6,
			"unit": "% of business-hours calls involving scheduling",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Share of phone items carrying each categorizer label, selected categories; items can carry several labels, so shares do not sum to 100 and the categories shown are not a complete breakdown of calls.",
			"cannot_support": "A single reason per call; reasons at clinics without an assistant. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/why-pet-owners-call",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-call-reasons"
		},
		{
			"id": "urgency",
			"question": "How urgent are calls to a vet clinic, and when?",
			"figure": "Where the caller stated urgency, 3.9% of business-hours calls were emergencies and 17.9% urgent; after hours 13.8% were emergencies (3.5× the daytime rate), 20.6% at weekends and 29.5% between midnight and 6 a.m.",
			"value": 13.8,
			"unit": "% of after-hours calls that are emergencies",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Urgency stated by the caller as classified (routine / urgent / emergency), on items where it was stated.",
			"cannot_support": "Clinical severity; the share of pets that needed emergency care. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/why-pet-owners-call",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-urgency"
		},
		{
			"id": "ai-acceptance",
			"question": "Do pet owners talk to an AI receptionist?",
			"figure": "98.9% of business-hours callers spoke to the assistant; 1.06% hung up without a word (1.35% after hours). 12.0% of silent hang-ups reply to a text-back.",
			"value": 98.94,
			"unit": "% of callers who spoke to the assistant",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Caller spoke at all during the call, on the eligible clinic panel, client calls only; text-back replies as a share of sends.",
			"cannot_support": "Satisfaction (no survey); the share who would have preferred a person. Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/talking-to-an-ai-receptionist",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-ai-acceptance"
		},
		{
			"id": "species",
			"question": "What pets are veterinary calls about?",
			"figure": "Two of every three pets mentioned are dogs (66.8% of dog-or-cat mentions). Cat owners are more likely to call after hours (16.4% vs 11.8%) and to schedule more than one pet (7.5% vs 4.4%); 12.1% of calls that mention a pet mention two or more.",
			"value": 66.8,
			"unit": "% of dog-or-cat mentions that are dogs",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Species extracted from the conversation, in mention order.",
			"cannot_support": "Pet ownership shares (a call is not a household). Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/why-pet-owners-call",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-species"
		},
		{
			"id": "language",
			"question": "How often do vet clinic calls involve a language other than English?",
			"figure": "Spanish was detected on 3.73% of calls with language detection, followed by Portuguese, French, German and Tagalog; in parts of the panel one call in ten involves Spanish.",
			"value": 3.73,
			"unit": "% of calls with Spanish detected",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Languages detected on the call, first-seen order.",
			"cannot_support": "Regional figures (too few clinics per state). Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/field-notes/language",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-language"
		},
		{
			"id": "repeat-callers",
			"question": "How often do the same pet owners call again?",
			"figure": "49.4% of client numbers called the same clinic again within the window; repeat calls make up 61.9% of volume, 2.6 calls per caller.",
			"value": 49.4,
			"unit": "% of callers who called again",
			"sample": "a panel of veterinary clinics on PupPilot, more than 100,000 inbound calls and hundreds of thousands of minutes of conversation, 2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"construct": "Per-clinic caller pseudonym; numbers with more than 30 calls (clinic lines, PBXs) excluded.",
			"cannot_support": "Client retention (a caller is not a client record). Clinics with an AI assistant answering first; not an industry baseline. Demo, internal and shelter organizations excluded; panel eligibility per the methodology page (caller-behavior figures count client calls only: clinic-side lines and calls ended by a line fault are excluded). Classifier-generated fields (categories, urgency, species, language) are model outputs.",
			"window": "2026-03-01 to 2026-09-27",
			"page_url": "https://www.puppilot.co/research/veterinary-phone-line/field-notes/repeat-callers",
			"statistics_anchor": "https://www.puppilot.co/resources/statistics#puppilot-repeat-callers"
		}
	]
}