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New in western Wisconsin: a virtual receptionist that helps your customers and follows up with them by text. Try a test call

Better service. More business. Less busywork.

Your customers get their problem handled, or one of your people brought in under rules you set. Virterra Assistant is a virtual receptionist that also follows up afterward, to help you keep your customers, grow your business, and give your staff time back.

Try a test call

Ten minutes. No cost. Try to break it.

Four customers, four made-up examples.Two customers, two made-up examples.

  • Phone call

    Customer"Water is all over my basement floor, and it's getting worse."

    Virtual assistant"I'm connecting you to our on-call plumber now."

    Sent straight to a person

  • Website chat

    Customer"I've never colored my hair. What do I even book?"

    Virtual assistant"Start with a color consultation. I have Saturday at 10:00."

    Booked for the right visit

  • Text

    Customer"My car is in the shop. I can't make my 2:00 tomorrow."

    Virtual assistant"Sorry about the car. Would Monday at 2:00 work instead?"

    Rebooked, and the open slot filled from the waitlist

    TO BE BUILT AND TESTED: cancel by text and waitlist

  • Text from the business

    Automated text from the business"It has been a year since your furnace tune-up. Want it checked before the cold sets in? Reply STOP to opt out."

    Customer"Probably should. It's started rattling. Is that covered?"

    Virtual assistant"The technician checks anything you have noticed. Which morning works?"

    A yearly visit, booked before the cold

Built in Menomonie for small businesses in

  • Menomonie
  • Eau Claire
  • Chippewa Falls
  • River Falls
  • Hudson

and the towns in between

What good service looks like, every way your customers reach you

A worried caller. A first-time customer who does not know what to ask for. Someone who has been left waiting. Each one gets a helpful answer from the facts you approved, and a person when they need one. The examples below are made up, to show how it is set up to work. Examples marked "with our calendar" need your appointments kept in our system. With an outside booking system, customers get your booking link.

  • Reminders, cancellations, and the waitlistOne cancellation. Two customers helped, and the open slot filled.

    When plans change, your customer can say so in their own words and get a new time, and the slot they gave up can be offered to a customer on your waitlist. An open slot that gets filled is revenue you keep. Reminders work the same way: a friendly text your customer can answer in their own words.

    Example: a dog grooming shop, with our calendar TO BE BUILT AND TESTED: cancel by text and waitlist

    1A customer who can't make it

    1. CustomerI can't make my dog's 2:00 groom tomorrow. My car is in the shop until Friday. Sorry for the late notice.
    2. Virtual assistantThis is the grooming shop's virtual assistant. No need to be sorry, car trouble is no fun. I can move you to Saturday at 10:00 or Monday at 2:00. Which is better?
    3. CustomerMonday. I'll have the car back by then.
    4. Virtual assistantDone. I've moved you from tomorrow to Monday at 2:00. See you both then.

    2The open 2:00 goes to the waitlist

    1. Automated text from the businessHi Jo, this is the grooming shop. You asked us to let you know if a grooming time opened up. Tomorrow at 2:00 has come open. Would that work for you?
    2. CustomerYes, please! Can I drop him off a little early, though? I start work at 2.
    3. Virtual assistantThis is the grooming shop's virtual assistant. Yes, drop-off opens at 1:30.
    4. Virtual assistantYou're booked for tomorrow at 2:00.

    Two customers helped, and a 2:00 that could have sat empty is filled.

    More about this
    • Each reminder is a text with their own name, time, and service in it, and it ends with a question, not a keyword.
    • Customers answer in their own words, so you know who is coming and what they need.
    • A customer who can't make it can say so by text and get a new time. TO BE BUILT AND TESTED: cancel by text and waitlist
    • Customers can ask to be on your waitlist. When a time opens with enough notice, it can be offered to them one at a time. TO BE BUILT AND TESTED: cancel by text and waitlist
    • A customer who misses an appointment can get one message offering a new time, sent once the missed appointment is marked, if they agreed to appointment texts when they booked. A missed appointment back on the calendar is revenue you keep.
    • You set the timing and approve the wording.

    Good to know

    Reminders are texts, so they start after carrier registration. Your appointments have to be visible to our system. Reminders are set up to work with appointments on our calendar. A connection to an outside booking system is not built yet. The waitlist holds only customers who asked to be on it and agreed to be texted when a time opens. Moving an appointment by text and the waitlist need our calendar. Your cancellation policy stays yours, and the virtual assistant says only what you approved about it.

  • Phone callsAn urgent leak, sent straight to a person.

    Callers get an answer right away and help with what they called about: a question answered, an appointment booked, or a complete message passed to the right person.

    Example: a plumbing shop

    1. Virtual assistant "Thanks for calling the plumbing shop. I'm the virtual assistant here. This call may be recorded for quality. How can I help?"
    2. Caller "There's water all over my basement floor by the water heater, and it's getting worse."
    3. Virtual assistant "I'm sorry, that is a rough thing to walk into. Is water still coming out right now?"
    4. Caller "Yes."
    5. Virtual assistant "Then this can't wait for a message. I'm connecting you to our on-call plumber now. Please stay on the line."
    More about this
    • Answers from the facts you approved. When it does not know, it takes a complete message instead of guessing.
    • Books an appointment on the call where your calendar allows it (see Booking).
    • A caller who asks for a person is transferred, under rules you set.
    • Each call it takes is recorded and written out for you. Callers hear a notice first.

    Good to know

    How calls reach your virtual receptionist (call forwarding with your phone company, which lines, which hours) is set up with you before you start. Your number does not change.

  • Text conversationsA first-time customer, booked for the right service.

    A customer who texts a question gets a helpful back-and-forth answer, and can go from "what do I even book?" to booked in the same conversation.

    Example: a hair salon, with our calendar

    1. CustomerI want to go from dark brown to blonde and I've never colored my hair. What do I even book?
    2. Virtual assistantHi, this is the virtual assistant for the salon. For a first big color change, we start with a color consultation, so your stylist can plan it with you. I have Thursday at 4:30 or Saturday at 10:00.
    3. CustomerSaturday.
    4. Virtual assistantYou're booked for a color consultation Saturday at 10:00. Bring a photo of the color you want.
    More about this
    • A customer texts a question and gets an answer from the same approved facts, day or night.
    • By text, customers can book an appointment where your calendar is in our system. Otherwise they get your booking link.
    • If the conversation needs a person, it goes to the person you name and the virtual assistant steps back.
    • A caller who hangs up can get a text back if they have agreed to texts, so they have a way to reach you without calling again.

    Good to know

    Texting starts once your business is registered with the phone carriers. We handle that paperwork, and approval takes time. Texts come from a number we set up for your business, not your landline, unless your landline is set up for texting or you move your number over later.

  • Facebook, Instagram, and web chatA customer left waiting, heard and handed to a person.

    A customer who messages you is heard, and when the message needs one of your people, they reach that person without telling the whole story twice.

    Example: an auto repair shop, on Facebook

    1. CustomerMy truck has been at your shop since Monday and nobody has called me. I need it for work.
    2. Virtual assistantI'm the virtual assistant for the auto shop, and I'm sorry you have been left waiting. I can't see the repair myself, so I'm getting you a person. What name is the truck under?
    3. CustomerDale. The gray pickup.
    4. Virtual assistantThank you, Dale. Our service manager can see this whole conversation, so you won't have to explain it again. A person will answer you here.
    More about this
    • Messages to your Facebook Page and your Instagram account are answered from the same approved facts.
    • A visitor to your website can ask in a chat box and get the same help.
    • A customer who needs a person is handed to the person you name.
    • It answers the messages customers send you. It does not send promotions by direct message.

    Good to know

    You connect your own Facebook Page and Instagram account, with us on a screen share. We never ask for your password. Facebook and Instagram only allow a reply for a limited time after a customer's last message, so it answers and does not start conversations.

  • BookingA visit that kept getting put off, on the calendar.

    A customer who wants to book is guided to the right visit for what they need, not just the next open slot.

    Example: a vet clinic's website chat, with our calendar

    1. CustomerMy dog is scared of the vet. The last clinic was rough on him and I've been putting this off.
    2. Virtual assistantI'm the virtual assistant for the vet clinic, and I'm glad you asked. For a nervous dog we book a longer first visit, so nobody is rushed and he can settle in. Tuesday at 9:00 or Wednesday at 3:30?
    3. CustomerWednesday.
    4. Virtual assistantYou're booked for Wednesday at 3:30. Come a few minutes early and let him sniff around first.
    More about this
    • How it books depends on how you book today: on our calendar it books in the conversation (a full service menu is booked by text or chat), and with your own booking system the customer gets your booking link.
    • It follows your calendar's rules: your hours, how long each appointment takes, the gaps between them, and how much notice you need.

    Good to know

    We tell you which of these fits your business before you start. Sending a link by text needs texting turned on (see Text conversations). It does not book directly into an outside booking system, and it does not take payment in a conversation.

  • Campaigns to bring customers backA yearly visit, booked before the cold.

    Customers who agreed to hear from you are thanked after a visit and reminded when they are due back, so they hear from you before they go looking somewhere else. A yearly visit that gets booked is revenue that might have slipped by.

    Example: a heating and cooling company, with our calendar

    1. Automated text from the businessHi Pat, this is the heating and cooling company. It has been a year since your furnace tune-up. Want it checked before the cold sets in? Reply STOP to opt out.
    2. CustomerProbably should. It's started rattling when it kicks on. Does the tune-up cover that, or is that a separate visit?
    3. Virtual assistantThis is the virtual assistant for the heating and cooling company. The tune-up includes a full check, and the technician looks into anything you have noticed. I can't tell you from here what the rattle is, and I won't guess. Is there a morning that works for you?
    4. CustomerTuesday at 9?
    5. Virtual assistantTuesday at 9:00 is open, so you're booked. I've passed your note about the rattle to our service team, so they know about it before the visit.
    More about this
    • A request for a Google review after a visit, sent to every customer who agreed to get follow-up texts like this one, not only the happy ones. New customers often read reviews before they choose a business, so it is worth asking. What a customer writes is up to them.
    • A note when a customer is due back, based on their last visit.
    • Seasonal and birthday offers, written with you, each using the customer's own name and details.

    Good to know

    These go only to customers who have agreed to get them. We build that list the right way from your first day, so it starts small and grows. We do not text an old customer list that never agreed. Review requests need your Google review link and a visit marked as done.

A customer with a question gets help. A customer with a problem gets one of your people.

Your people stay right where they are. The virtual receptionist handles the routine and brings them in when a customer needs one of them, under rules you set.

Try a test call

It doesn't just wait for the phone to ring.

Plenty of systems can send a reminder and wait for a YES. This one has the conversation.

Good service includes the reminder nobody had time to send. Your virtual receptionist reaches out for you by text, to help customers come back and to help keep your calendar full. You approve the wording and set the timing.

Example: one customer's year at an auto shop, with our calendar

Chris and the shop are made up, to show how it is set up to work.

  1. 1

    The day beforeA reminder

    1. Automated text from the businessHi Chris, this is the auto shop. Your oil change is tomorrow, Thursday, at 8:00. Does that time still work for you?
    2. CustomerYes, but I'm running the truck in early. Is 7:45 okay?
    3. Virtual assistantThis is the auto shop's virtual assistant. 7:45 is fine. We open at 7:30, and early drop-offs are welcome.
    4. Virtual assistantYou're confirmed for 8:00.

    The 8:00 is confirmed, and Chris has an answer without calling the shop.

  2. 2

    After the visitA thank-you and a review request

    1. Automated text from the businessThanks for coming in to the auto shop today, Chris. How did everything go? If you have a minute, you can tell others here: (your Google review link) Reply STOP to opt out.
    2. CustomerAll good, thanks. One thing: the service light on the dash is still on. Should I bring it back?
    3. Virtual assistantThis is the auto shop's virtual assistant. I can't tell from here, and I won't guess, so I've passed your note to our service manager. That way a person can text you back here.

    A small worry reaches a person instead of going unsaid.

When a customer replies, the conversation is set up to pick up from there: a question answered, a time booked, or one of your people brought in.

Appointment reminders go to customers who agreed to reminder texts when they booked; review requests, due-back notes, offers, and texts about an open time go only to customers who separately agreed to those, so that list starts small.

What is one missed appointment worth to you? What about one a week?

Good service does two things for you as the owner: it saves time and money you are already spending, and it helps bring in work. This is what the service is set up to do, not a result we have measured.

How it can save you money

  • Your staff stay with the customer in front of themRoutine questions, like which visit to book or what a service includes, can be answered from the facts you approved, so fewer of them pull someone off the job.
  • Fewer missed appointmentsA reminder goes out before each visit, and a missed one can get a follow-up offering a new time.
  • The callback you don't have to makeWhen a question is answered or a visit is booked in the conversation, that customer is not left waiting on a call back at the end of the day.
  • You know who is comingA customer can answer a reminder in their own words, whether that is a yes or a question, so you can see tomorrow's schedule without anyone calling down the list.

This is time your staff get back, not a job taken away.

How it can help bring in revenue

  • A cancelled slot that doesn't have to sit empty TO BE BUILT AND TESTED: cancel by text and waitlistWhen a customer can't make it, the open time can be offered to a customer who asked to be on your waitlist.
  • Bookings you might have missedA customer who calls, texts, or messages can get help and a way to book in the same conversation, including after you close.
  • Customers back when they are dueCustomers who agreed to these notes get one when it is time for their next visit, with an easy way to book it.
  • A way to fill the calendar before the season turnsA seasonal note, written with you, goes to customers who agreed to get offers, and a reply is set up to lead to a booking.
  • A chance for your good work to be seenAfter a visit, customers who agreed to get review requests are asked for a Google review.

What is one customer who comes back every year worth?

Try a test call

Run your own numbers: DRAFT: link to the savings calculator goes here when it is built and approved. Until then this line is left off the published page

No customer stories yet. So try it on your own business.

We are new, so we start every business with phone calls, the part you can hear working first, and you and Casey decide how you use it and what to add from there.

  1. 10 minutes

    Call it and try to break it

    We set up a test version from what your business already posts publicly. You call it, ask the hard questions, and hear what your customers would hear.

  2. 45 minutes

    Fix what it got wrong

    If you like what you hear, we sit down once and you correct the facts, choose who gets messages, and decide when a customer is passed to a person.

  3. 30 days free

    Run it with your real customers

    Free for 30 days, up to 500 call minutes. Real callers, real answers, and each call it takes there for you to check.

  4. Every week

    Read the results yourself

    A short report each week of the free 30 days: what callers wanted, how each call went, what we got wrong, and what we fixed. Then you decide what to add.

You will know the price of the plan you choose before the 30 days start, not at the end.

It works from what you have approved

Learn more

  • Built from your own facts

    Your hours, services, policies, and how to book, taken from your real documents and approved by you. No guessed prices: it is set up to quote a price only if you have approved it. Otherwise it takes a message.

  • Says what it is

    In each conversation it answers, on a call, in a text, or in a message, it is set up to introduce itself as your business's virtual assistant, not as a person.

  • A person when a customer needs one

    A caller who asks for a person is transferred. A text or message is handed to the person you name, and the virtual assistant steps back. Urgent situations are flagged to the person you name, under rules set with you.

  • Every conversation on record

    Each call it takes is recorded and written out for you, and callers hear a recording notice first. Text and message conversations are kept in writing. You and your staff get a login to see conversations in one place.

  • A report you can read in two minutes

    What customers wanted and how each conversation went, in plain counts. Weekly during the free 30 days. Mistakes included: every wrong answer we find is listed with the fix.

  • Stop any day

    Your number stays yours. Turn call forwarding off and your calls are back the way they were.

Straight answers

Is this a person or a computer?

It is AI. In every conversation it answers, by call, text, or message, it is set up to say it is your business's virtual assistant, not a person. A customer who wants a person can ask for one.

Will it replace my front desk?

No. It handles the routine questions and bookings, and it brings in one of your people when a customer needs one, under rules you set. You and your staff decide how much it handles.

What happens when a customer is upset, or it is urgent?

It is set up to bring in one of your people. Urgent situations are flagged to the person you name. A caller who asks for a person is transferred, and a text or message is handed to that person while the virtual assistant steps back. What counts as urgent, and who gets it, are rules set with you before you start.

What if it gets something wrong?

It can. That is why it is set up to answer only from what you approved and to take a message when unsure, and why each call it takes is recorded for you to check. We list every wrong answer we find in your report, with the fix.

Do I have to change my phone number?

No. You keep your number. Calls reach your virtual receptionist through call forwarding that you turn on with your phone company, and turning it off stops it. Texts come from a separate number we set up for your business, unless you choose to move your number over later.

Can it text my customer list?

Only customers who have agreed to that kind of text from your business. Agreeing to appointment reminders is not agreeing to offers. We do not text an old list that never agreed. We help you collect that agreement the right way from your first day, so the list starts small and grows.

What does it cost?

A setup fee and one flat monthly price for the plan you choose, both told to you before the free 30 days begin. DRAFT: link to the pricing page goes here when that page is approved

Hear how your customers would be helped.

It starts with ten minutes on the phone. If it is not for you, the test version is deleted and that is the end of it.

Try a test call