Treatwell launches AI Receptionist to handle salon calls and bookings

Treatwell has launched an AI Receptionist designed to answer salon phone calls, manage appointments and reduce the amount of time beauty professionals spend on administrative work. The new subscription tool works with a salon’s existing Treatwell calendar and can answer calls during opening hours, overnight or whenever the team is unable to pick up. Salons can forward their existing number permanently or only when the line is busy, at weekends or outside normal working hours. Using information supplied by the salon, including its treatment menu, staff profiles, opening hours and frequently asked questions, the AI Receptionist can respond to common enquiries and check live appointment availability. It can suggest alternative times or team members before adding, rescheduling or cancelling appointments directly in the calendar and sending confirmation to the client by text.

Every conversation is recorded in a searchable transcript, while call analytics allow salon owners to see when the phone is busiest and what clients are asking about. The technology can also manage elements of the salon’s Treatwell profile, including treatment lists, staff biographies and business information. Callers are informed that they are speaking to an AI assistant. If a client has a complaint, complex request or simply wants to speak to someone, the call can be transferred to the salon or recorded as a message. The team then receives an alert through WhatsApp and Treatwell Connect, together with the conversation transcript.

Treatwell estimates that routine administrative work can occupy as much as four hours of a salon professional’s day. Missed calls also risk becoming missed appointments when therapists, stylists and technicians are unable to step away from clients to answer the phone. By handling these enquiries in the background, the platform aims to help salons convert more calls into bookings while giving staff more uninterrupted time with clients. It could also free junior team members from routine reception duties, allowing more time for practical training.

Massimo Chieruzzi, chief AI officer at Treatwell, said: “Alongside the rest of the world, the beauty industry continues to evolve digitally. What we want to achieve is supporting our partners to join this innovation trajectory and further develop their own independent businesses - but this requires thoughtful, practical digital tools that are easily integrated and truly intuitive. We designed the AI Receptionist with this in mind, ensuring it is seamlessly onboarded across partners’ businesses and adds real-time value, while staying true to what matters most in this industry: the human craft, care and connection that technology can support, but never replace.”

Amanda Huynh, owner of Beauty by Amanda Huynh and a Treatwell partner, commented: “The best part of being a salon owner is working with my clients and helping them feel their most beautiful. I love getting creative and fully immersing myself in each treatment. But when I’m focused on a client, it’s not always possible for me or my team to answer every incoming call, which can mean missed enquiries and potential bookings.

“The Treatwell AI Receptionist has helped with this. It gives me confidence that calls are still being answered even when my team and I are busy with clients. After spending some time training the tool and uploading the relevant information, it has significantly reduced the pressure of managing calls and admin, while helping us capture enquiries that we may otherwise have missed.”

Subscriptions start from £69 per month across three tiers. The AI Receptionist cannot currently take payments over the phone, so clients continue to pay at the salon, while the ability to answer customer enquiries through WhatsApp is due to be added in the future.