At Centratel, we understand the urgency and emotion aspect that often accompanies calls to a veterinary office. When animal owners contact you, whether in moments of panic or simply for clarity, we’re here to provide timely, compassionate responses.
As a trusted partner we’re not just an external solution; consider us an indispensable extension of your veterinary business. In the ultra-competitive market, trust us to manage all your calls 24 hours a day 7 days a week, to meet the ever-growing demands of your clients.
Numbers don’t lie.
39 years of experience.
99.99% Accuracy in message processing.
1300
Clients
10K
Daily calls
2M+
Dispatched calls
Our veterinary answering service covers all 50 States
Our telephone answering service is tailored to cater to a broad spectrum of veterinary and animal care specialties. For each specialty, we customize our approach to guarantee communication that is not only precise and timely but also delivered with the utmost compassion and understanding.
Veterinarian
Pet Clinic
Animal Hospital
Veterinary Emergency Center
Veterinary Surgeon
Veterinary Therapy
Behavioural Medicine
Rehabilitation and Physical Therapy
Exotic Animals Veterinarian
Small and Large Animal Practice
Marine Veterinarian
Avian Veterinarian
Please fill out the form to learn more, as our answering service is not limited to these specialties.
Specialized Industry Training
We’re not just another answering service; we are a dedicated partner equipped with specific knowledge tailored to the veterinary field. With 39 years of experience, we understand the unique challenges and intricacies of veterinary care. Trust us to respond to any query or concern with precision and professionalism.
Business Continuity
When it comes to animal care, there’s no room for downtime. We provide a 24/7 answering service specially designed to ensure your clinic or hospital remains responsive. Whether it’s pet emergencies in the wee hours or scheduling regular check-ups, our trained professionals are always available to deliver top-notch service on your behalf.
Cost Savings
Hiring dedicated in-house staff to manage after-hours calls or during busy times can be costly. Partnering with an answering service can be a more efficient solution, minimizing overhead costs related to salaries, benefits, training, and infrastructure.
Seasonal Scale-Up
The veterinary field experiences varying demands—like increased calls during pet health awareness months or during certain seasons when pets are more prone to illnesses or injuries. When there’s a spike in calls or service requests, it’s not a problem. We’re prepared to amplify the support we provide whenever you need it.
How Phone Calls Are Processed by an Answering Service
Phone Response
The answering service picks up within the first ring. “Good evening, thank you for calling [Your Veterinary Clinic’s Name]. How may we assist you?”
Screening and Prioritizing
The agent quickly qualifies the call as an emergency situation that requires immediate attention.
Text Alert and Callback
The answering service sends an urgent text message or places a direct call to the on-call doctor.
Notification to Management
Because our system recognizes this as an emergency, an automated alert is sent to your management team, ensuring everyone is aware of the situation.
Our Veterinary Answering Service is dedicated to helping you deliver outstanding pet care while enhancing the overall efficiency of your veterinary practice.
24/7 Live Answering Service
Offer uninterrupted client support with our professional 24/7 live answering service, including emergency response, after-hours answering, and overflow support. Our operators are available around the clock to provide you with the assurance that your customers will always have a reliable line of communication.
Call Capture
When you are unavailable to take calls, we step in, ensuring no calls go unanswered. Whether it is appointments, inquiries, or urgent messages, our call capturing service guarantees that your business stays in the loop and never misses a beat. Elevate your customer experience today with our tailored call-capturing approach.
Free Automated Message Delivery
All of our messages can be delivered via email, text message, alpha-pager, or fax at no extra cost. This ensures you receive important updates promptly, streamlining communication and offering a seamless, convenient experience for your Veterinary Clinic.
Online Message Portal
Centratel’s online message access feature allows you to retrieve and manage messages from anywhere, at any time, eliminating the need for phone calls or staff inquiries. Say goodbye to missed messages and hello to a more efficient, responsive, and productive way of managing your Veterinary Clinic.
US – Owned and Operated
For 39 years, Centratel has been proudly owned and operated exclusively within the United States. We stand by this commitment by refraining from outsourcing calls internationally. We steer clear of utilizing AI technology for call handling, thereby guaranteeing authentic human engagement.
Monthly Billing Cycle
Centratel’s billing process encompasses the entire month, resulting in 12 statements per year. In contrast, many competitors employ a 28-day billing cycle, yielding an additional 13th statement each year. Centratel’s monthly billing cycle provides transparency and consistency for your Veterinary Clinic.
Pay-per-Call
We charge for the work we do, not by the time we spend. At Centratel we offer a fixed fee for each call. This ensures clear and predictable costs, leading to efficient communication and dependable billing for your Veterinary Clinic.
No Long-Term Contracts
We are committed to delivering top-notch solutions tailored to your needs by eliminating long-term contracts. We are confident in the service we offer and provide you with the flexibility and freedom to evaluate our services on an ongoing basis.
“We are the face of your clinic when you’re not there. Your non-emergency calls must also be handled quickly, professionally and in a friendly way. Every call counts!”
“Out of all my years providing service, you are far superior to any other telephone answering service I have used.”
Dr. W. veterinarian, Bend, OR
“Thank you. We are very happy with the thoroughness and professionalism you all demonstrate.”
K.W. manager, veterinary office, Franklin, TN
30-Day Free Trial
Experience the difference with our free trial: customize your service, tailor your scripts, and take control of your call forwarding — all with expert guidance and entirely free for 30 days! There’s no limit in regards to the number of calls or requirements you may have, everything is included!
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Getting a Price Quote
For a price quote, fill out the form below (or, alternatively, call us at 800-664-7159, or email us at sales@centratel.com).
Working with Us
1.MORE REGARDING THE 30-DAY FREE TRIAL OF SERVICE
Your first month of service is at no charge. Whether you ultimately decide to engage Centratel or not, you will not pay for this first month of service.
During the free trial, you may choose to keep your current answering service account active, simply forwarding your phone lines to us for the duration of the trial. In the unlikely event that Centratel service is not satisfactory, returning to your original answering service would be just a matter of forwarding your phone lines back to that service.
After the trial, if you choose to switch permanently to Centratel, we will credit your new Centratel account the monthly base-rate charge billed by your former answering service during the trial.
2.STATISTICALLY, “THE BEST IN THE U.S.”
Answering service quality is 100% dependent on human action and, in the course of a day, a multitude of human decisions are made by the people who handle the calls: our Telephone Service Representatives (TSRs).
Like any other answering service, because we’re dealing with real, live human beings, occasionally errors can occur.
But note that Centratel’s error rate is light-years ahead of industry standards. Our most recent Customer Reported Error Rate (July through September, 2023) was 1 customer-reported error for every 12,307 message transactions processed.
Here’s a testimonial from a new medical client that just finished their 30-day trial:
Hi Angie,
Of course, I love the “per month” amount as it is pretty close to the amount I was allowed by the president of the company. I did tell him that if we did not continue with Centratel, I would resign as the Director of Customer Service and I meant it. I never make those types of statements unless I am ready to be accountable for both options. It’s a great fit, we have had NOT ONE complaint from a client which, as you know, we received daily (with our former answering service). I love how the reports are being generated by first name. Everyone here is just so happy and I don’t know how you do it, but that daily report is in at exactly 9 am; not 9:01 and not 8:59. I keep each one in my Simple Nursing Centratel folder, and it’s a great review for me to make sure all the calls are going to the correct person, and they always are. That part is certainly difficult because the calls can be vague and could easily be sent to the wrong person.
I love you, Centratel and the price. I’m ready to sign whatever documents you require.
Thanks for the great service, the free month, your reliable calls and your willingness to find easier ways to make me happy.
To a great partnership,
-KB, Phoenix
3.GETTING STARTED: SIMPLE AND FAST
Getting your new Centratel answering service up-and-running is simple and fast, often accomplished within a 24-hour period.
From the start, know that your Centratel customer service representative will be with you every step of the way, listening carefully to your concerns, answering questions, and offering suggestions.
4.NEW TO USING AN ANSWERING SERVICE?
A majority of our current answering service accounts switched to us from another service because of quality problems they were experiencing.
However, if you have not used a service before, you are probably unfamiliar with the options and benefits. For you, it’s uncharted territory.
Our unique-in-the-industry 30-day free trial gives both sides of the equation, you and us, plenty of time to precisely refine your message-taking and delivery protocols — to get things exactly the way you want them to be without any financial risk, undue pressure or obligation.
5.PRICING
Starting at $75 per month, our rates are in the mid-range of answering service industry pricing.
We’ll bill your account based on the number of calls we handle per month, not on total minutes/seconds expended like many other billing-by-time answering services (that, knowingly or unknowingly, allow caller and client conversations to drag out, thus increasing cost).
6.COMPARING ANSWERING SERVICE PRICING
Apples and oranges: comparing pricing from one answering service to another is difficult. There isn’t an industry standard for billing, and each service has its own formula. Also, some services charge by “time,” others by “work units,” while others might combine the two. At Centratel, we charge for the work we do, not by the time we spend.
This is important: at no risk to you, the 30 day free trial will not only give you an idea of the quality of our service, but will provide you an accurate estimate of ongoing monthly costs. But note that, after all is said-and-done, our pricing is mid-range within the industry.
7.ESTIMATING YOUR COST
In order to provide you with an initial cost estimate for service, it’s helpful for you to provide us the average number of calls you expect Centratel to process in a month.
Please consider that even with this information, the quote will still be “ball park.”
We won’t have a truly accurate estimate of your new account’s monthly costs until we have actually handled your call traffic for at least one month. (And remember, this first trial month is free, with no obligation).
8.BEWARE: MONTHLY OR 28-DAY BILLING?
Important! At Centratel, we use a “monthly” billing cycle in which invoices are compiled from the first day of a month to the last day of that month. When soliciting quotes from other telephone answering services, be sure to ask if the base-rate charges are billed monthly or on a “28-day billing cycle.”
28-day billing cycles have become popular with many answering services because some customers, without careful consideration, assume 28 days is equal to a month. Customers billed on a 28 day cycle actually receive 13 billings per year and therefore overall costs for service are higher.
9.NO CONTRACT, SIMPLE TERMS OF SERVICE, FIRST 30 DAYS ARE FREE
We do not ask for a contract for service because we want you to have the opportunity to evaluate us real-time, without contractual restraint.
Our terms of service are simple and straight-forward: You will be billed on a month to month basis. Your first month is free, without obligation.
10.FREE GIFT FOR CONTACTING US
If you discuss answering service with us, we will send you a hardcover copy of Sam Carpenter’s bestselling book, Work The System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less.
Sam is the founder and, for the last 39 years, the President of Centratel
First published in May 2008 and now just released in its 4th Edition (February 9, 2021), the book is available in all popular formats (hardcover, Kindle and Audible) via Amazon and other booksellers.
There’s more information regarding the book at workthesystem.com.