<h1>What if you could hire a front desk employee who responds to every lead instantly—even at 2am—and never drops the ball?</h1> <p>What if your next best hire wasn’t a person—but an AI employee that never misses a lead? In this episode of Worth Your Salt, host Jennifer Orechwa sits down with Shannon Blake of Podium. Together, they explore how AI is transforming the way med spas manage patient communication, lead follow-up, scheduling, reviews, and retention. Shannon shares how Podium evolved from a reputation management platform into what she calls the first “AI operating system” for aesthetics. She shares how Podium brings together EMR, CRM, phones, payments, marketing, and AI-powered patient coordination into one streamlined platform.&#160;</p> <p>We&#8217;re unpacking the real cost of missed calls, slow response times, and disconnected systems. Plus, Shannon talks about why practices that embrace AI now may have a major competitive advantage in the years ahead. Shannon explains how &#8220;Avery&#8221; &#8211; Podium’s AI Patient Coordinator &#8211; engages leads in under two minutes. Plus, how Avery books appointments, sends reminders, manages forms, and helps practices improve conversion rates by an average of 40%. From text marketing and Google reviews to operational efficiency and burnout prevention, this conversation offers a practical look at what an “AI employee for med spas” actually looks like in action.</p> <h2 data-slate-type="heading-two">🎧 You&#8217;ll Learn:</h2> <ul> <li data-slate-type="list-item">How AI employees are helping med spas respond to leads faster, reduce missed opportunities, and increase conversion rates</li> <li data-slate-type="list-item">Why disconnected systems and slow follow-up are costing practices patients and revenue</li> <li data-slate-type="list-item">What an AI Patient Coordinator can actually do—from scheduling and reminders to reviews and text marketing</li> <li data-slate-type="list-item">How med spas of all sizes can use AI to reduce burnout, improve the patient journey, and create a more scalable business model</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Resources:</strong></h3> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-blake-754b1254/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Connect With Shannon on LinkedIn</a></li> <li><a href="https://aesthetics.podium.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Learn More About Podium</a></li> </ul> <p><span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Get-Found-Booked-No-Nonsense-Marketing-ebook/dp/B0GTFCN4Z2" target="_blank" data-tcb-href="https://www.amazon.com/Get-Found-Booked-No-Nonsense-Marketing-ebook/dp/B0GTFCN4Z2" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img decoding="async" alt="Get Found Get Booked Banner" data-id="9764" width="788" data-init-width="1200" height="197" data-init-height="300" title="GFGB Banner" loading="lazy" src="https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GFGB-Banner.png" data-width="788" data-height="197" style="aspect-ratio: auto 1200 / 300;" data-link-wrap="true"></a></span><span style=""><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" alt="" data-id="388" width="697" data-init-width="1359" height="34" data-init-height="66" title="Band of Colors" src="https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Band-of-Colors.png" data-src="https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Band-of-Colors.png" data-width="697" data-height="34" style="aspect-ratio: auto 1359 / 66;" mt-d="-25.015680000000003" ml-d="0" data-srcset="https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Band-of-Colors.png 1359w, https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Band-of-Colors-300x15.png 300w, https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Band-of-Colors-1024x50.png 1024w, https://saltmarketing.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Band-of-Colors-768x37.png 768w" data-sizes="auto, (max-width: 697px) 100vw, 697px" data-ll-status="loaded"></span></p>