> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getrivet.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Why Rivet has a practice phone > The case for an inbox-style voicemail line — and what it gives you over the carrier's blinking light. Most therapy practices have one of two phone setups: a personal cell that clients call directly, or a separate business line whose voicemail nobody checks. Both leak. The cell line erases the boundary between work and home. The business line erases the messages — three voicemails pile up on a black box and the most urgent one is buried under the spam call from the credit-card processor. If you are still weighing the setups themselves, [every way to get a practice number in Canada](https://getrivet.ca/practice-phone-canada) goes through them one by one — including the cases where a second line from your carrier is the better buy. Rivet replaces the second half of that loop. You keep your carrier, your cell, and the number on your business card. Calls that don't get answered land in an inbox — transcribed, tagged, with audio attached — instead of disappearing into a voicemail system you avoid checking. ## What an inbox-style voicemail gives you When a client leaves you a voicemail, three things happen in under a minute: 1. The audio is captured. 2. It's transcribed locally in Canada. The transcript text shows up on the inbox row. 3. The call is categorized — new client, booking, reschedule, urgent, insurance question, and so on — and the caller receives a text reply tailored to that category. You open the app to a list, not a queue. The newest voicemail is on top. You see who called, you see the first two lines of what they said, you see a tag for what kind of call it is, and you tap into a thread that has the audio, the full transcript, and a reply box. No 1-2-3 keypad menu. No "you have three new messages." No writing things down on a sticky note. ## What it gives your client A reply, immediately. Without a human typing it. When a client hangs up after leaving a voicemail, Rivet sends them a short text. The text is appropriate to the kind of call they left — a new client gets a different message than someone calling to reschedule. It tells them you got the message and what happens next. This is the single thing every client comments on when a practitioner starts using Rivet. The silence after leaving a voicemail is gone. Their phone buzzes before they've put it back in their pocket. The reply text comes from a template you can edit. It is not AI-generated to your client. See [How auto-reply works](/practice-phone/auto-response). ## What stays the same Your number doesn't change. Your phone doesn't change. Your cell carrier doesn't change. When you sign up, Rivet provisions a new local phone number — your *practice number*. You forward your existing business line to that number, or you publish the practice number directly. Either way, calls that go unanswered route to Rivet's voicemail instead of your carrier's. The voicemail audio is recorded, transcribed on Canadian infrastructure, and stored in your account. You can also dial out and send SMS from the practice number directly inside the app. Your client sees your practice number; they never see your cell. ## What the inbox is not It is not an AI receptionist. Rivet never picks up a live call. The caller hears your greeting, in your voice, exactly the way they would on any other voicemail system. It is not a CRM. The threads are conversations with clients, not a sales pipeline. It is not an EHR replacement. Charting, scheduling, and billing stay where they live — Jane, Owl, or whatever you use. Rivet handles the communication layer those tools were never built for. ## Related articles What a voicemail looks like inside the app, and how transcription + tagging work. The eleven categories and what they say to clients. Second line, second SIM, answering service or Rivet — the options side by side.