Frontdesk is the best answering service for group therapy practices because it answers every call 24/7, routes each caller to the right clinician or intake queue, and books appointments without charging per seat as your group grows.
A group practice multiplies the front-desk problem. More clinicians means more inquiries, more schedules to coordinate, and more chances a caller lands in the wrong voicemail. This guide compares eight answering options for groups, weighing routing, scheduling, and how the price behaves as you add clinicians.
How we picked#
- Handles many clinicians. Routing, separate calendars, and intake queues, not one-size answering.
- 24/7 coverage. Inquiries arrive around the clock and across time zones.
- Predictable pricing as you grow. Per-clinician or per-minute models punish growth.
- Books and schedules. Message taking alone leaves the work on your admin.
- Confidentiality handled responsibly. Confirm safeguards and agreements before sharing client information.
Comparison at a glance#
| Tool | Pricing model | Channels | 24/7 | Setup | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontdesk | Free | Calls, texts, email | Yes | <30 min | Coordinating multiple clinicians and calendars |
| Ruby | Per-minute | Calls | Add-on | Quick | Live human answering with scripts |
| Smith.ai | Per-call | Calls | Yes | Quick | Qualified, routed calls via a service |
| PATLive | Per-usage | Calls | Yes | Quick | 24/7 human coverage and on-call routing |
| SimplePractice | Per-seat | Portal, scheduling | No | Moderate | Management software, paired with answering |
| Dedicated front-desk team | Salary | Calls | No | Slow | Large groups with steady daytime volume |
| AnswerConnect | Per-usage | Calls | Yes | Quick | 24/7 live answering with routing |
| VoIP auto-attendant | Per-seat | Calls (routing) | Yes | Moderate | Basic extension routing on existing phones |
1. Frontdesk#
Frontdesk gives a group practice a single front desk that never closes. The AI receptionist answers every call and text, identifies what the caller needs, and routes them to the right clinician's calendar or to a shared intake queue. It books appointments during the conversation and logs every interaction to a unified inbox the whole team can see.
The classic group problem is the caller who lands in the wrong clinician's voicemail and is never heard again. Frontdesk routes by what the caller actually needs, so a new-client inquiry goes to the intake queue while an existing client reaches the right calendar. Reminder replies and reschedules are handled in the same threads, so no-show recovery does not depend on a free admin. The free to start with unlimited seats matters most for groups, because adding your sixth or tenth clinician costs nothing extra. A human on your team can jump into any conversation instantly. Frontdesk provides a business associate agreement for groups that require one, so confirm it is signed before routing client information.
Best for: Group practices coordinating multiple clinicians and calendars.
Pros: 24/7 answering, smart routing, unified inbox, unlimited seats at flat price. Cons: Pairs with, rather than replaces, clinical documentation software.
2. Ruby#
Ruby provides live human receptionists who answer for your practice, take messages, and can route calls. For a group that values a consistent human voice, Ruby delivers. Its per-minute model means cost climbs with the higher call volume a group generates.
For a group that wants every caller to hear a consistent human voice, Ruby delivers, and its receptionists can route from your script. The catch is that a group generates far more minutes than a solo, and per-minute billing scales with that volume, so the bill climbs as the practice grows. After-hours coverage is an add-on rather than the default.
Best for: Groups that want live human answering with custom scripts.
Pros: Real receptionists, warm tone, message handling. Cons: Per-minute pricing scales up with group volume.
3. Smith.ai#
Smith.ai combines human and AI receptionists to answer, qualify, and route calls, with intake scripting and CRM integrations useful for a multi-clinician setup. Billing is per call, which stays clear but grows with volume.
Best for: Groups wanting qualified, routed calls handled by a service.
Pros: Intake scripts, routing, integrations. Cons: Per-call cost increases with group size.
4. PATLive#
PATLive offers 24/7 US-based live agents working from your script. It can route to on-call clinicians and relay messages around the clock, billed by usage. It is a dependable human option without deep scheduling automation.
Best for: Groups needing 24/7 human coverage and on-call routing.
Pros: Around-the-clock humans, custom scripts. Cons: Usage billing, limited self-service booking.
5. SimplePractice#
SimplePractice is practice management software that many groups already run for scheduling, records, and billing. It includes a client portal and reminders, but it does not answer your phone. Pair it with an answering solution to cover live calls.
Best for: Groups wanting management software, paired with an answering tool.
Pros: Group scheduling, client portal, established platform. Cons: Per-clinician pricing, no phone answering.
6. A dedicated front-desk team#
A staffed front desk can answer, route, and book during business hours with human judgment. For a large group it can make sense, but salaries scale with headcount, and after-hours calls still need a backup plan.
Best for: Large established groups with steady daytime volume.
Pros: Human judgment, in-house control. Cons: Costly, no after-hours coverage, scheduling gaps.
7. AnswerConnect#
AnswerConnect is a live answering service offering 24/7 receptionists, call routing, and appointment scheduling for businesses. It can serve a group's after-hours and overflow needs with custom call handling, billed by plan and usage.
Best for: Groups wanting 24/7 live answering with routing.
Pros: 24/7 humans, routing, scheduling support. Cons: Usage-based plans, general-purpose rather than therapy-specific.
8. VoIP auto-attendant#
A business VoIP system with an auto-attendant can route callers by extension to the right clinician. It is inexpensive and integrated, but it presents callers with a menu rather than a conversation and does not book intake.
Best for: Groups that want basic routing on their existing phone system.
Pros: Integrated, low cost, extension routing. Cons: Menu trees, no live conversation, no booking.
How to choose#
For a group, weigh three things: routing, coverage, and how price behaves as you add clinicians. Routing decides whether callers reach the right person or a dead end. Coverage decides whether nights and weekends are answered or sent to voicemail. Pricing decides whether growth is rewarded or penalized, since per-seat and per-minute models tax the practices that scale. Confirm a business associate agreement with any service before client details pass through it, and decide up front how acute-risk callers are handled with your clinical team.
Frequently asked questions#
How is answering for a group practice different from a solo? Groups need routing to the correct clinician, shared visibility, and pricing that does not punish growth. Frontdesk routes calls and includes unlimited seats so adding clinicians costs nothing extra.
Can an answering service route callers to the right therapist? Yes. Frontdesk identifies what the caller needs and routes to the right clinician's calendar or a shared intake queue, and human services like Ruby and PATLive route from a script.
Does flat pricing really matter for a group? For a growing group, yes. Per-clinician and per-minute models raise costs as you add staff and volume, while Frontdesk stays at free to start regardless of seat count.
Will every clinician see the inquiry history? With Frontdesk, calls, texts, and emails land in a unified inbox the team can view, so any clinician or admin can see a client's history.
Get started with Frontdesk#
Frontdesk gives your group practice one front desk that answers 24/7, routes callers to the right clinician, and books intake automatically. It is free to start with unlimited seats and sets up in under 30 minutes. Give every clinician coverage without adding a single per-seat fee.