Business phone system for pet and pet supplies stores in Montana

Pet and pet supplies stores in Montana by the numbers

County Business Patterns counts 39 establishments in Montana classified as Pet and Pet Supplies Stores (NAICS 453910) for 2023. They employed 411 people in mid-March and reported $12.8 million in annual payroll. That is the 43rd highest count among the 51 states and DC with published figures. Pet and pet supplies stores make up 0.09% of the 42,566 business establishments in the state.

Per 100,000 residents (2024 estimate) Montana has 3.4 pet and pet supplies stores, 17.6% above the national rate of 2.9. The average establishment has 10.5 employees against 12.3 nationally. Payroll per employee is $31,158, 2.7% above the U.S. figure of $30,339.

Montana's largest markets for pet and pet supplies stores

Census published pet store counts for 6 metro or micropolitan areas that include part of Montana. The largest is Billings, MT, with 11 establishments. Single-state metro and micropolitan areas account for 87% of the statewide total; the rest are outside any published area or in areas Census suppressed.

Team sizes at pet and pet supplies stores in Montana

30.8% of Montana's pet and pet supplies stores with employees had fewer than five people in March 2023, compared with 26.6% nationally. 48.7% 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 pet and pet supplies stores in Montana use the phone for

Pet stores answer questions about food, supplies and services like grooming. Regular customers call to check stock and place orders.

Calls a pet store in Montana might handle in a typical week include:

• A customer calls to check whether a food brand is in stock.
• A customer calls about grooming appointments.
• The store calls a customer about a special order.

Texting customers

Stores text special-order and grooming notices.

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

Phone system pricing for an 11-person pet store

Pet and pet supplies stores in Montana average 10.5 employees, so the comparison uses an 11-person team. Per-seat business phone plans bill every one of those people. At month-to-month list prices checked September 28, 2026, 11 users on RingCentral RingEX Core cost $330.00 a month and 11 on Ooma Office Pro cost $274.45. Callata comes to $219.00 a month for 11 users ($99 a month with 5 users included, then $20 per additional user), below both.

Over a year, that is $1,332 less than RingCentral for a pet store in Montana of that size. Annual contracts lower some competitors' prices, so compare the plan you would actually sign.

Area codes in Montana

Montana has 1 geographic area code in service according to NANPA. Callata includes up to 3 local numbers, so a pet store can hold a number in more than one of them.

How Callata works for pet and pet supplies stores in Montana

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 Montana 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.