Business phone system for optometry practices in Missouri

How many optometry practices operate in Missouri

The Census Bureau counted 427 optometry practices in Missouri in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 621320). They employed 3,037 people in mid-March and reported $140.9 million in annual payroll. That is the 18th highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Optometry practices make up 0.28% of the 151,475 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Missouri has 6.8 optometry practices, 3.3% above the national rate of 6.6. The average establishment has 7.1 employees against 6.6 nationally. Payroll per employee is $46,384, 5.2% below the U.S. figure of $48,910.

Optometry practices by metro area in Missouri

Census published optometry practice counts for 18 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Missouri. The largest is St. Louis, MO-IL, with 240 establishments (a multi-state area; its count covers every state it spans). Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 21% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at optometry practices in Missouri

39.3% of Missouri's optometry practices with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 47.9% nationally. 81.7% 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 optometry practices in Missouri use the phone for

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.

Calls an optometry practice in Missouri might handle in a typical week include:

• Someone calls about sudden eye irritation and asks whether to come in.
• A patient calls to reorder contact lenses.
• A patient calls to check whether new glasses are ready for pickup.

Texting patients

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

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

What a phone system costs an optometry practice in Missouri

Optometry practices in Missouri average 7.1 employees, so the comparison uses a 7-person team. Priced per seat, 7 users would run $210.00 a month on RingCentral RingEX Core and $174.65 on Ooma Office Pro (month-to-month list prices, checked September 28, 2026). Callata comes to $139.00 a month for 7 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $852 less than RingCentral for an optometry practice in Missouri of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Missouri

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

How Callata works for optometry practices in Missouri

Callata is a business phone system priced at $99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user. Callata Office includes up to 3 local business numbers, unlimited inbound calling, 1,500 pooled outbound US and Canada minutes per user each month, a browser softphone that can also ring your cell, voicemail with transcription, call recording with AI summaries, business-hours routing and E911 on every number.

Porting a number you already use in Missouri 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.