Business phone system for optometry practices in Des Moines, IA

Optometry practices in Des Moines, IA by the numbers

County Business Patterns counts 65 optometry practices (NAICS 621320, Offices of Optometrists) in the Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA metro area for 2023. They employed 397 people in mid-March and paid $19.4 million in annual payroll. By establishment count the area is 58th out of 734 areas with published figures for optometry practices.

Measured against its 754,000 residents (2024 estimate), the area has 8.6 optometry practices per 100,000 people; the U.S. rate is 6.6, so Des Moines, IA is 30.3% above the national figure. The average establishment here has 6.1 employees, compared with 6.6 nationally. Payroll per employee comes to $48,829, in line with the national $48,910.

Establishment size: optometry practices in Des Moines, IA

Of the optometry practices in Des Moines, IA that had employees in March 2023, 49.2% had fewer than five (the U.S. share is 47.9%). 79.4% had fewer than ten. Small teams usually share the phone: the person who answers is often also serving a customer or doing the job, which is when calls get missed.

Calls an optometry practice in Des Moines, IA has to catch

Eye-care offices combine exam scheduling with eyewear and contact-lens orders, so callers want both appointments and order status. Calls about broken glasses or eye irritation also need to reach someone quickly. That holds for optometry practices in Des Moines, IA as much as anywhere.

A few of the calls that come in to optometry practices in Des Moines, IA:

• The office calls patients when an order arrives.
• A patient calls to check whether new glasses are ready for pickup.
• A parent calls to book a child's eye exam before the school year.

Business texting for optometry practices

Optometry offices text patients when an eyewear or contact lens order is ready for pickup, along with appointment reminders.

Team texting on Callata runs from your business number, so replies come from the practice or shop rather than someone's personal phone. It turns on after the one-time $49 carrier registration (10DLC) is approved.

Phone system pricing for a 6-person optometry practice

The average optometry practice in Des Moines, IA has 6.1 employees, so a 6-person team is a reasonable benchmark. Priced per seat, 6 users would run $180.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $149.70 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $119.00 a month for 6 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $732 less than RingCentral for an optometry practice in Des Moines, IA of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Which area code to use in Des Moines, IA

NANPA records place the exchanges of the area's named cities and towns in 3 area codes. 515 has the most, with 342 of 395 exchanges (87%). A local number lets patients in Des Moines, IA call without dialing out of area. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, and which numbers are open in an area code depends on carrier inventory when you choose.

Setting up Callata for an optometry practice in Des Moines, IA

For $99 a month, Callata puts a team of up to 5 on one plan ($20 for each person after that): up to 3 local numbers, unlimited inbound calls, a pooled allowance of 1,500 outbound US and Canada minutes per user, browser and cell calling, voicemail transcription with urgency triage, recorded calls with AI summaries and business-hours routing, with E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Des Moines, IA 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.

Practices that handle protected health information should review their own privacy obligations before recording calls, enabling AI summaries or texting appointment details, and keep clinical conversations out of text messages unless their policies allow it.