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Cautionary: a one-on-one dog grooming salon tried an AI receptionist for calls and messages, then switched back to a person after clients complained
Sunshine Dog Grooming Inc., a one-on-one dog grooming salon in Calgary, Alberta, in two posts on its own Instagram account
In March 2026 the salon launched an AI receptionist, named after its former receptionist, to handle calls, messages and appointment requests, and asked clients for feedback. In November 2026 it removed the AI and routed every call straight to a person, with voicemail (name and phone number) as the fallback. The vendor isn't named.
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AI receptionist (vendor not named)
The problem
Since the salon's receptionist left a few years earlier, the groomers had struggled to balance grooming with admin, and some calls and messages didn't get a timely reply.
What happened
About seven and a half months later the salon wrote: "We know the AI receptionist wasn't making things easier. Sometimes it caused more headaches than help." Calls now go to a human: "No more talking to AI, no more repeating yourself." No call numbers given. Self-reported.
Quoted in the source: Sunshine Dog Grooming Inc. (salon's Instagram posts). Source: Sunshine Dog Grooming Inc. on Instagram: The AI receptionist is gone (Nov 1, 2026; launch post Mar 12, 2026 at instagram.com/p/DVyXFONkmy0/) (2026-11-01) · Added 2026-11-05.
How to set it up yourself
- What Sunshine Dog Grooming did: it launched an AI receptionist for calls, messages and booking requests, collected client feedback, and dropped it after about seven months because clients found it frustrating. The vendor isn't named; the steps below are our suggestions for a safer trial.
- Before you switch anything on, ask a handful of regular clients how they'd feel about an AI answering, and offer an easy way to reach a person (press 0, or a 'call me back' option).
- Run it as a 30-day trial, at first only after hours or when nobody picks up within a few rings, rather than on every call.
- Every week, read the call logs and messages, and ask clients directly with the message below. If people keep repeating themselves or asking for a human, end the trial, as this salon did.
Copy-paste prompt
Write a short, friendly text message to send to {NUMBER} regular clients of {BUSINESS NAME}, a {TYPE OF BUSINESS}. Say that for the last {WEEKS} weeks an AI assistant has been answering some of our calls and messages, and ask them two quick questions: 1) Did it get you what you needed? 2) Would you rather always reach a person? Thank them and say we'll decide based on their answers. Keep it under 300 characters.We set up one AI automation in your tools, live within 48 hours of getting access, for $197. No call needed. Founding price for our first 10 customers (regular $297).
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