"Prior to SQUIRE, we had not used any AI."
Diana, Paul Mitchell The School, New York
When Diana said that, she wasn't describing a shop behind the curve. She was describing a full-service operation: student appointments, guest services, a live floor, a front desk fielding calls all day. Paul Mitchell The School, New York is one of the busiest barber and cosmetology learning environments in the country, and they went live with SQUIRE's AI Receptionist without any prior AI experience.
That matters. Here's why.
See how SQUIRE's AI Receptionist works
Why Schools End Up at AI Before a Lot of Shops Do
Barber and cosmetology schools don't have simpler operations than independent shops. They have harder ones.
A typical school floor is managing student scheduling, walk-in guest clients, retail and product inventory, and a front desk handling calls across all of it, simultaneously. The phone doesn't stop ringing because someone is mid-demonstration. Clients don't stop booking because the floor is in a teaching session.
Most schools hit a wall with manual call handling before most shops do, not because they're more tech-forward, but because the volume forces the issue sooner. When you're managing three different client flows at once, and the phone is ringing during all of them, you either find a system or you start losing bookings.
That's the environment Diana was running. It's also why her experience is more useful to shop owners than it might seem at first.
The Demo That Changed the Conversation
Diana didn't set out to find an AI tool. She connected with the SQUIRE team at the Be Well show and eventually made it to an event where she got to test the AI Receptionist firsthand.
"I got to test the AI Receptionist. It was the most amazing thing. It was literally exactly what we were looking for."
Diana
Watch Diane describe the moment herself: Full Interview — Diane, Paul Mitchell The School, New York
What made it land wasn't novelty. The AI Receptionist was solving a problem that already existed on her floor every day: calls piling up while staff was tied up with the floor. It didn't ask the team to rework how they operated. It stepped in where they were already stretched.
For any shop owner who's been skeptical of AI demos that look polished in a controlled setting: that's the question Diana was answering. Does this actually hold up when the floor is moving?
What the School's Experience Removes as an Objection
The most common reason shop owners don't move forward on AI tools is some version of: "My operation is complicated. I'm not sure it'll work for how we run."
A Paul Mitchell school floor is more operationally complex. Multiple chair types, mixed client populations, student supervision, and high call volume running at the same time. If the AI Receptionist holds up in that environment, it's a strong signal that it can handle whatever your operation looks like too.
Diana also spoke directly to what the transition felt like for a team with zero prior AI experience.
"The customer service I received with SQUIRE was literally unmatched. Any concern was immediately addressed, literally white-glove service."
Diana
For an organization adopting AI for the first time, that kind of support changes the rollout entirely. The technology is half the decision. How well the launch goes is the other half.
What "Not Being Afraid of New Technology" Actually Means
"Being able to use these features to enhance your success and not be afraid of them is just very important."
Diana
That's not advice to chase every new tool. It's a practical observation about timing.
Shops that adopted online booking early captured clients who weren't going to call. Shops that adopted automated reminders stopped losing appointments to no-shows. The window where "we don't use AI" is a neutral position is narrowing. The schools and shops that work out how to use it well now will have a structural advantage over the ones still handling every call manually.
You don't have to be first. But you do have to get there. And Diana's school proved the hardest part is just deciding to test it.
Is It Right for Your Operation?
For shop owners, it's the right fit if:
- Your phone rings during peak hours when your team is on the floor
- You're losing bookings to missed calls or slow follow-up
- Your front desk spends time on repeat questions (hours, pricing, availability)
- You want to extend availability without adding headcount
For school operators, add these:
- You're managing multiple client flows (student appointments + guest services) simultaneously
- Your call volume spikes during floor hours when staff is least available to answer
- You want a system that handles bookings across different service types without manual coordination
If you want a full breakdown of what to evaluate before buying any AI receptionist, the buyer's guide walks through every capability that separates useful tools from marketing pages.
How SQUIRE's AI Receptionist Works
SQUIRE's AI Receptionist is part of SQUIRE AI, the platform's suite of tools built to automate operational work. It answers calls, handles booking requests, responds to common client questions, and keeps your schedule moving without requiring anyone to pick up the phone.
It automatically connects to your SQUIRE schedule so availability is always up-to-date. It runs 24/7. It answers in English and Spanish. When a call needs a human, it hands off: no mystery voicemails, no dropped threads. For the most practical tool in the SQUIRE AI stack right now, see how an AI receptionist for barbershops actually works.
For school operators managing multiple chair types and client categories, it scales without adding front desk headcount at each level of the operation.
See how the AI Receptionist works for your operation
FAQs
The Bottom Line
Diana's school had never used AI before SQUIRE. Now she describes life before the platform as a distinct era.
If an operation as complex as Paul Mitchell The School can get there, starting from zero, your shop can too.
Ready to try SQUIRE?
