Rachel Duke’s business is thriving—even in the face of disaster. 

Rachel, a certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist, worked as an emergency room nurse for 17 years when burnout started creeping in, so she decided to try something new. After taking a job in a dermatology practice, Rachel remembers, “I found a love for aesthetics that I didn’t realize I had.” She decided helping people achieve their skincare goals was how she wanted to spend the next chapter of her career. 

In September 2020, Rachel opened what became the area’s first independently owned, private injectables boutique. At the time, she served her clients out of a co-working space, which had a visitor management system at the front desk. “It was a great concept,” Rachel says, adding that she liked how she didn’t have to repeatedly check the lobby when she was expecting a client. 

Because of her rapid growth, she decided to join forces with a colleague and open a larger practice. Unfortunately, in January 2024, they lost their office in a fire. Fortunately, Rachel fund a new location for her and her expanding team. 

Rebuilding the Business

When she reopened her doors, Rachel began taking steps to make her practice run more efficiently. As a private injectables boutique with a small staff, they needed a way to know if people had arrived for their appointment to cut down on time spent checking the waiting room.

Additionally, as the waiting room is too small to accommodate a front desk employee, Rachel believed a visitor management system like the one she had used at the coworking space would be a great fit for her new practice. 

“I thought, how can we manage this?” Rachel says. “We didn’t have space for anyone to sit up front and greet people.”

She began researching different options for visitor management, weighing a few but ultimately deciding to go with The Receptionist for iPad. 

“What I found with The Receptionist is, it’s a small company and you guys are based in the U.S.,” Rachel explains. “The pricing is very fair.” She also likes that it integrates with Slack and other methods of communication—like email and text message—and that she can brand it to her practice easily. 

Customer Feedback

The response she’s gotten from clients about The Receptionist for iPad has been overwhelmingly positive. 

“Patients really like it,” Rachel says. “As a cash practice, you get nervous that you need that extra touch and fluff, but being able to brand it gives a very high-end feel and says that you’re on the up-and-up with technology.” 

“For me as a small business owner,” Rachel summarizes, “I would say to other small business owners, it’s user-friendly, cost-effective for the practice…it’s been huge for me. It’s really a game changer.”