AI Receptionist for domiciliary care agencies
Every home care enquiry answered. Every family given a clear next step.
AI receptionist for domiciliary care agencies — Ava answers every home care enquiry and captures visit requirements for the care co-ordinator.
A two-visit-a-day home care package is worth £12,000–£22,000 per year. Each unanswered evening call — when families ring after discharge — goes to a competitor agency that picked up.
The short answer
- £12,000–£22,000 per year: the value of a two-visit-a-day home care package — the revenue that walks to a competitor when the enquiry call goes unanswered.
- 5pm–8pm: when post-discharge home care enquiries arrive most often — the worst time for agencies, when coordinators are managing active rotas.
- 4 details Ava captures every call: the care need, preferred visit times, postcode, and urgency — giving the care co-ordinator everything needed before the call-back.
- 5 CRM integrations supported — Birdie, Log my Care, CarePlanner, Access PeoplePlanner, and Carefree.
- 0 clinical assessment from Ava — care needs assessment and suitability for domiciliary care are handled by your qualified care co-ordinator.
The problem
A family calls a domiciliary care agency at 6pm. Their mother was discharged from hospital that afternoon and needs morning and evening calls starting this week. They ring two agencies. Whichever one answers first and captures the care need professionally earns the package.
What Ava does
Ava answers every inbound call, captures the nature of the care need, the frequency and timing of visits required, and books a conversation with the care co-ordinator — so no family reaches voicemail at the moment they most need reassurance.
A home care package generating two visits a day at £20–£30 per hour is worth £12,000–£22,000 per year. Losing the first call to a competitor means losing the package — and the annual revenue that goes with it.
How does Ava handle a domiciliary care enquiry call?
Ava picks up on the first ring, greets the caller in your agency's name, and asks about the nature of the care needed. She captures the general requirements — personal care, medication prompts, meal preparation — the postcode, any urgency around hospital discharge, and books a conversation with the care co-ordinator.
Most domiciliary care enquiries arrive with some degree of urgency. Hospital discharge teams are asking families to arrange care within days. Relatives who have been managing alone reach a point where they cannot continue. The tone of the first answer needs to convey that the agency is capable and ready.
Ava captures what matters for the care assessment conversation: the general nature of the care tasks needed, how many times a day visits are required, any specific timing requirements (morning wash before 8am, for example), the postcode, and whether there is an urgent discharge date or current situation driving the call.
She does not assess whether the person is suitable for domiciliary care, whether the agency can meet the needs, or how the care package should be structured. Those are professional judgements for the care co-ordinator. Ava's role is to make the family feel heard and to set the co-ordinator up with everything needed for a productive conversation.
Why do home care agencies lose new packages they never knew were offered?
Domiciliary care coordinators are active with rotas, carer allocation, and quality monitoring throughout the working day. When the phone rings at 5:30pm with a new family enquiry, no one is there to answer it. The family calls the next agency and the package is gone.
A small domiciliary care agency may receive five to fifteen new enquiry calls a week. Each one represents a potential ongoing package worth thousands of pounds per year. The enquiries tend to cluster at exactly the wrong times — lunchtime, end of day, and weekends — when the coordinator is busiest or unavailable.
Families looking for home care are often comparing two or three agencies simultaneously. The one that picks up first and handles the call professionally earns the assessment visit. The others get left a voicemail, if that.
Ava closes the gap between when the family calls and when the coordinator is free to speak. Every enquiry is captured, every caller given a clear next step, and every co-ordinator arrives at their call-back with a full brief.
Does Ava carry out home care needs assessments over the phone?
No. Ava captures the general nature of the care tasks described by the caller and books the care needs assessment with your qualified care co-ordinator. Formal care needs assessment, care planning, and risk assessment are the domain of your qualified staff.
A proper home care needs assessment considers the person's physical abilities, cognitive state, home environment, medication requirements, social situation, and carer preferences. It is a professional undertaking that cannot and should not be conducted over an initial enquiry call.
Ava captures what the family volunteers — the general tasks needed, the frequency, and any urgency — and uses it to brief the co-ordinator. When families ask whether domiciliary care is right for their relative, Ava confirms that the care co-ordinator will go through this properly in the assessment and books the conversation.
This approach also helps families. Many are unsure whether home care, residential care, or live-in care is the right answer. Ava does not attempt to steer them. That guidance comes from a qualified professional who can explore the full picture.
£18–£30/hr
Typical domiciliary care visit rate in England
UK care sector estimate; Skills for Care workforce data
£12,000–£22,000/yr
Estimated annual value of a two-visit-a-day home care package
UK care sector estimate
Evening
When most post-discharge home care enquiries arrive — when coordinators are off the phones
UK care sector estimate
The difference
Voicemail takes a message. Ava books the appointment.
What callers ring about
Every domiciliary (home) care call, handled.
- Post-discharge care package enquiries
- Morning and evening call bookings
- Medication prompt visit requests
- Carer availability questions
Hear it in action
This is what your callers hear.
- Good evening, Sunrise Home Care — how can I help you?
- Hello. Mum was discharged from hospital this afternoon and we need someone to come in morning and evening. She needs help washing and getting dressed.
- Of course — I'm glad you've called. Can I take your mum's postcode and your name, and I'll book a conversation with our care co-ordinator for tomorrow to go through exactly what we can arrange?
- Yes — it's SW16, and I'm her daughter, Helen.
- Thank you, Helen. We do cover that area. Our care co-ordinator will call you tomorrow morning — does 9am suit you?
Before you choose
What to look for in an AI receptionist for domiciliary (home) care.
Post-discharge urgency handling
Domiciliary care enquiries often carry a hospital discharge deadline. Confirm the AI can capture urgency accurately and flag time-sensitive enquiries to the coordinator immediately.
Postcode capture for routing
Home care agencies cover specific geographic areas. Confirm the AI captures the postcode early in the call so out-of-area enquiries can be handled sensitively rather than left without any guidance.
Natural, professional tone
Families arranging home care for a parent are under stress. The AI should feel calm and capable, not robotic. Ask to hear an example call before committing.
CRM write-back
Insist that the captured enquiry lands in Birdie, CarePlanner, or your preferred system immediately — not as an email your co-ordinator has to process manually.
Common questions
Everything you’re wondering.
Does Ava give advice about which type of care is right for my relative?
No. Ava captures the nature of the enquiry and books a conversation with your care co-ordinator. All questions about whether domiciliary care, residential care, or live-in care is most appropriate are answered by your qualified staff.
Can Ava handle a call where there is an urgent hospital discharge?
Yes. Ava captures the discharge date, the care tasks needed, and the postcode, and flags the urgency clearly in the summary sent to your care co-ordinator. The co-ordinator then calls back with the priority the situation requires.
What does Ava capture from a home care enquiry call?
The general nature of the care tasks (personal care, medication, meals), visit frequency and preferred timing, the postcode, any discharge deadline or urgency, and the caller's name and contact number.
Can Ava tell a caller whether your agency covers their area?
Yes, if you provide your coverage postcodes. Ava can confirm coverage and progress the enquiry, or handle an out-of-area call sensitively and suggest the caller contacts their local authority for a list of registered providers.
Will Ava work when coordinators are out managing the rota?
Yes — that is exactly the scenario Ava is designed for. When the coordinator is in the field or on another call, Ava answers, captures the full enquiry, and ensures no family is left without a response.
Is the service compliant with UK GDPR for home care data?
Yes. Ava is UK GDPR compliant, ICO registered, and we provide a Data Processing Agreement before any personal data is handled.
How quickly can Ava be set up for our home care agency?
Typically 48 hours. We brief Ava on your agency name, coverage area, typical care packages, and co-ordinator booking process, then test before going live on your number.
Pricing
Ava pays for herself on call one.
A home care package generating two visits a day at £20–£30 per hour is worth £12,000–£22,000 per year. Losing the first call to a competitor means losing the package — and the annual revenue that goes with it. Plans from £397/mo. One recovered job a month covers it — everything else is pure upside.
More Care Homes & Home Care sectors
Book a 15-minute demo. See Ava handle a real domiciliary (home) care call — live.
No slides. No pitch. We dial in, run the scenario, and you see exactly what your customers will hear.
Start Ava →