Business phone system for barber shops in Massachusetts

Barber shops in Massachusetts by the numbers

County Business Patterns counts 164 establishments in Massachusetts classified as Barber Shops (NAICS 812111) for 2023. They employed 398 people in mid-March and reported $14.4 million in annual payroll. That is the 15th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Barber shops make up 0.09% of the 183,767 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Massachusetts has 2.3 barber shops, in line with the national rate of 2.3. The average establishment has 2.4 employees against 3.7 nationally. Payroll per employee is $36,307, 7.8% above the U.S. figure of $33,667.

Massachusetts's largest markets for barber shops

Census published barber shop counts for 4 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Massachusetts. The largest is Boston, MA-NH, with 142 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 15% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at barber shops in Massachusetts

87.2% of Massachusetts's barber shops with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 75.5% nationally. 96.3% had fewer than ten. At that size the phone is shared, so routing (who rings, when, and what happens after hours) matters more than the number of desk phones.

What barber shops in Massachusetts use the phone for

Barbers are busy with clients all day, and calls for appointments and wait times often go unanswered. Capturing calls and texting back helps fill chairs.

Calls a barber shop in Massachusetts might handle in a typical week include:

• A client calls about hours.
• A client calls to book a haircut.
• A client calls to ask about walk-in wait.

What barber shops text about

Shops text appointment reminders.

Texting from a local number in Massachusetts requires carrier registration (10DLC), a one-time $49 fee on Callata.

Callata vs. per-seat pricing for barber shops in Massachusetts

Barber shops in Massachusetts average 2.4 employees, so the comparison uses a 2-person team. Priced per seat, 2 users would run $60.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $49.90 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata costs $99.00 a month ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), so at this team size both per-seat plans are cheaper; Callata drops below them from 4 users.

At this team size the per-seat plans cost less than Callata's $99 base price, which already covers 5 users; Callata becomes the lower price from 4 users.

Area codes in Massachusetts

Massachusetts has 9 geographic area codes in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a barber shop can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for barber shops in Massachusetts

Callata Office costs $99 per month for up to 5 people, and each additional user is $20 a month. That covers up to 3 local numbers, calling from a browser or your cell, transcribed voicemail, recorded calls with AI summaries, after-hours routing and E911 on each number.

Porting a number you already use in Massachusetts is free, and business texting is available once the carrier registration (10DLC) is approved; the registration carries a one-time $49 fee. Which specific numbers are open in a given area code depends on carrier inventory at the time you sign up.

AI agents are optional: an AI receptionist or scheduler can pick up when the team is busy or closed, take a message, send a text or email, or transfer the call. They draw on prepaid AI minutes ($0.25/minute), disclose that they are AI, and outbound AI calls require prior consent and are limited to 8am–9pm.