Pet Business AI Receptionist Setup Checklist

List every bookable service, who can perform it, expected duration, cleanup or travel buffer, resource limits, and any combinations that cannot overlap. Add hours, blackout dates, lead times, cancellation rules, and the source of truth for current availability.

For boarding or daycare, document arrival and pickup windows, capacity rules, required records, and any request that needs staff review. For grooming, include service rules that vary by breed, coat, size, or condition without allowing the assistant to make a safety judgment on its own.

Define the information required before booking: owner contact details, pet name, species, breed, age, service history, relevant handling notes, and the records your policy requires. Mark questions that must route to a person rather than produce an automated decision.

Create a human path for medical questions, bite history, severe anxiety, medication instructions, unusual accommodation requests, complaints, and anything outside the written booking rules. The assistant should capture context and hand off, not diagnose or guarantee acceptance.

Test a normal booking, a reschedule, a cancellation, a new client missing required information, a service with no availability, a multi-pet request, a caller asking for a person, and a request involving a safety flag. Confirm both the conversation and the final calendar record.

Review early conversations with the front desk and adjust the rules from real examples. Keep the first launch narrow enough that every accepted booking path is understood and every exception reaches the right person.