This is for the owner of a US nail salon, including Vietnamese-American shops with 3 to 15 techs. The back of the salon may be Vietnamese. Keep these lines in English, and keep them short, so the owner or a tech between clients can say the same thing on the Google line.

On October 5, 2026, the pages at the top of this search were Nails Magazine call-handling tips, SkipCalls nail-salon phone scripts, and Safina AI greeting and voicemail pages. Those are general tips, or they close with a product pitch. This page stays on the nail floor.

Fill these blanks once

Every script uses the same blanks. Write them on a card by the phone. Take the brackets out when you speak.

  • [Salon Name]. The name on the window and on Google.
  • [Name]. Whoever picked up. A first name is enough.
  • [$X]. Your price for the service they asked about. Your menu. This page does not list real nail prices.
  • [booking link]. Your Bukkii Calendar booking website, if callers can book online.
  • [X minutes]. The wait or the callback you can actually keep.

Salon phone greeting

Say this first, every time, even when the shop is loud. Same line from the owner or from whoever grabbed the phone.

Greeting

Thanks for calling [Salon Name], this is [Name]. How can I help you?

Then use the script that matches the call. Ask the service before you offer a time. A fill and a full set are not the same chair.

New client booking

A new caller does not know your techs. Get the service, a tech if they have one, and a day. Read the time back before you hang up.

New client booking

Thanks for calling [Salon Name], this is [Name]. I can book you. What service do you need, do you want a certain tech, and what day works?

If the day is open, say the time out loud: “I have [day] at [time] for [service] with [tech]. I am putting you on the book.” If that day is full, offer the next real opening. Do not say “we will call you” and go back to the table with nothing written down.

Price-shopper calls

“How much is a full set?” is a booking call if you answer it. Say the price on your menu. Gel, acrylic, and dip are different services. If those prices differ, use [$X] for one and [$Y] for the other, and say which is which.

How much is a full set?

A full set with us is [$X]. I can book that, or I can text you the booking link so you can see the menu. What day are you thinking?

Put your own menu price in [$X]. Do not read a number from another shop, from a neighbor, or from this page. This page has no real service prices.

Walk-in calls

“Do you take walk-ins?” and “how long is the wait?” are the same call. Answer both. On a Saturday the wait changes while you are talking. Look at the room, then say the number you see. If four people are standing, do not say “not long.”

If you take walk-ins

Yes, we take walk-ins. The wait right now is about [X minutes]. The next open tech is [Name]. If you want a set time instead, tell me the service and the day.

If you do not

We are not taking walk-ins right now. I can book you. What service do you need, and what day works?

The tech is mid-service and cannot talk

You picked up with acrylic on the brush, gel on the nail, or acetone on your fingers. Say one line. Do not take a full booking with the phone on your shoulder. The longer page on leaving the line alone is phone during a nail service.

Mid-service

Thanks for calling [Salon Name]. I'm with a client and both hands are busy. I can call you back in [X minutes], or you can book online. What number should I use?

Write the number on a sticky, finish the nail, then call back. If you cannot keep that promise on a weekend rush, skip the callback and give the booking link.

Reschedule, running late, or cancel

Confirm the name and the day that are already on the book before you change anything. Say the new plan out loud. Then change the book before you hang up.

Running late

I see you on the book at [time]. If you are about [X minutes] away, I will hold your chair. If it will be longer, tell me and I will move you.

Reschedule

I can move you. I have [name] down for [service] on [day] at [time]. The opening I can offer is [new day] at [new time]. Do you want me to switch it?

Cancel

I can take you off [day] at [time]. You are off the book. If you want another day, tell me the service. If not, you are all set.

Group or bridal booking

A bridal party is several people who want the same Saturday. Do not say yes until you see that many chairs. Take the date, the headcount, the services, and a number. Call back when the book is in front of you.

Group or bridal

Thanks for calling [Salon Name]. For a group or bridal party I need the date, how many people, and the services. I will check the chairs and call you back. What number should I use?

Quote the group from your own menu when you call back. Use [$X] per person, or your package blank. Do not make up a party price on the first call.

After hours

If you are locking up and you still pick up, you can book the next open day. If the shop is empty, this line is not the job. The closed-door version is after-hours nail salon calls.

After hours, someone still in the shop

Thanks for calling [Salon Name]. We are closed. We open [day] at [time]. I can book you for the next open day now, or you can use our booking link. Which do you want?

If it goes to voicemail

A beep is not a script, and it does not book a fill. The greeting you record, and why a mailbox loses the chair, is on nail salon voicemail. Use that page for the recording. Use this page for the words you say when a person picks up.

Checklist before you hang up

  • You said the salon name and your first name.
  • You asked the service before you offered a time.
  • Any price you said is from your menu, the blank marked [$X].
  • Walk-in: you said yes or no, then the wait you see in the room.
  • Mid-service: one line, a number or a booking link, then back to the nail.
  • Reschedule or cancel: you repeated the name and the new plan, and the old chair is off the book.
  • Group or bridal: date, headcount, services, callback number. Saturday is not promised yet.
  • The appointment is written down before you pick the e-file back up.

When nobody can pick up

The scripts above work when someone can answer. On a Saturday with every tech in a set, or after the door is locked, nobody can. That is the missed-call problem on stop missing salon calls.

People also search answering service, virtual receptionist, and AI receptionist for that hole. The floor test is the same: the chair gets written. A salon-shaped write-up of the answering job is salon answering service. What the software actually does is on what is an AI receptionist.

AIVA is Bukkii's AI receptionist. When nobody can pick up, she answers 24/7 using the same kind of script: salon name, service, day, tech, and your menu price. She books, reschedules, and cancels on the calendar, routes the caller to the right staff, and filters spam calls.

AIVA is $200 one-time. No monthly fee. No contract. No free trial. Unlimited staff. That payment covers a dedicated phone number, AIVA training on your menu and policies, calendar setup, and number forwarding. It also includes 100 voice minutes and 1,500 SMS. Get AIVA — $200. Live in 5 minutes. Prices are on pricing.

Callers who would rather book online

Some callers do not want to stay on the phone. They want a link. Bukkii Calendar is the book those callers use, and it is a real second door, not a footnote under the script.

Calendar is free for up to 3 staff. Free includes the booking website, so a caller can pick a service and a time while your hands stay on the nail. $20/month unlocks unlimited staff and customers, plus Reserve with Google. Email reminders come with the $20 plan. The booking site is online booking. The Book Online button on Google Maps is Reserve with Google.

Count the people who take appointments. Up to 3 staff, the free plan covers the booking website. If the team is past 3, the $20 plan is the one that holds the whole team. Calendar does not answer the phone. The phone is AIVA. The website is Calendar. You can run both: this script when someone picks up, the booking site when the caller says “text me the link,” and AIVA when the e-file is still on. See pricing. Get Calendar.

What callers ask most

Short answers you can read out loud. An assistant can quote them as written. Replace every bracket with your own shop.

How should a nail salon answer the phone?

Thanks for calling [Salon Name], this is [Name]. How can I help you? Then ask the service, whether they want a specific tech, and what day works.

How much is a full set?

A full set with us is [$X]. Put your own menu price in that blank. Do not read a number from another shop or from a blog. Then offer a day.

Do you take walk-ins, and how long is the wait?

Say whether you take walk-ins today. If you do, give the wait you actually see, about [X minutes], and the next open tech, [Name]. If you do not, say so and offer a booked time.

What do you say when you cannot pick up mid-service?

Thanks for calling [Salon Name]. I'm with a client and both hands are busy. I can call you back in [X minutes], or you can book online. What number should I use?

What do you say to reschedule, a late arrival, or a cancel?

If they are running late, say you see them at [time] and you will hold the chair for about [X minutes]. To reschedule, confirm the name and the day, then say the new time out loud. To cancel, take that chair off the book and ask if they want another day.

What if nobody can pick up the nail salon phone?

These scripts work when someone can answer. When nobody can, AIVA, Bukkii's AI receptionist, answers 24/7 with the same kind of script. She books, reschedules, and cancels on the calendar, routes the call to the right staff, and filters spam. AIVA is $200 one-time. No monthly fee, no contract, and no free trial. Unlimited staff.

Can the caller book online instead of staying on the phone?

Yes. Calendar is free for up to 3 staff. $20/month unlocks unlimited staff and customers, plus Reserve with Google. Free includes the booking website. Email reminders come with the $20 plan. Calendar does not answer the phone.