.jpg)
“I’m a one-woman show. I wear all the hats and Beside takes a load off.”
About the Business
Khareem Tomlin runs Nuvel Esthetiques Day Spa in Canarsie, Brooklyn. She’s both a licensed massage therapist and an aesthetician, serving a wide range of New Yorkers—professionals, teachers, nurses, and anyone carrying the weight of a high-stress city.
Her work is deeply rooted in the realities of life in New York City, where stress is a constant presence. Through Nuvel Esthetiques, she aims to help clients find moments of relief, restoration, and rejuvenation amid the demands of everyday life.
The Challenge
Khareen’s work requires something many small businesses struggle to protect: full attention.
A typical day begins with cleaning and preparation, welcoming the first client, making tea, and completing intake. From there, she shifts seamlessly between roles—therapist, skincare specialist, operator, and closer—often back-to-back with no breaks. That reality turns phone calls into a problem rather than a channel.
When a client is on the table, the quality of the experience depends entirely on presence. Interruptions break that moment. Choosing not to answer the phone during sessions meant prioritizing the person in front of her—but it also meant missed calls and missed opportunities.
“When my client comes in, you want to give them 100% of your attention. I wouldn’t break a conversation with my present client to take a phone call.”
.jpg)
The cost wasn’t abstract—it was tangible. Missed calls often turned directly into missed revenue. Many callers didn’t leave voicemails, and by the end of the day it was nearly impossible to follow up on unknown numbers with any certainty.
For a solo operator, it’s also difficult to quantify how many opportunities are lost. Calls aren’t scheduled or predictable—they come constantly throughout the day. Some are quick questions, others are about pricing, availability, services, or policies. These are moments when potential clients want immediate answers, not delayed responses.
Without a reliable way to handle those interruptions in real time, valuable opportunities simply disappear before they can be captured.
The Switch
Khareen didn’t discover Beside through a marketing funnel. Instead, it came through a referral from another local business owner—someone dealing with the same reality of missed calls—who strongly recommended it.
Once she tried it, the feeling was immediate:
“Since having Beside, it’s like hallelujah.”
The Transformation and Impact
With Beside handling inbound calls, Khareen no longer feels the background anxiety of “What am I missing?” while she’s with a client. She can stay fully present, then review a clear log afterward.
“I don’t have to worry about a missed call when I’m with my client. I’m 100% with my client.”
.jpg)
Two product moments stood out for her:
1) A voice that felt like her
Khareen initially expected an AI voice to sound cold or generic. Instead, she discovered a tone that closely matched how she naturally speaks—warm, human, and approachable. The experience felt familiar rather than artificial, making interactions with clients feel seamless and authentic.
“It almost sounds like me… it was able to use something close to how I speak to people… that felt awesome.”
2) A call log and end-of-day summary that removes mental load
Rather than a raw call history, Beside provides something operational and actionable: structured notes, clear follow-ups, and a concise end-of-day recap. The result is a receptionist-style workflow without the need to hire an actual receptionist. At a glance, Khareen can see what happened, what matters, and what needs attention.
She describes Beside as a complete receptionist—one she can train using her own information and preferences, and one that behaves safely when uncertain. When the system doesn’t have enough context, it prioritizes clarity and hands the conversation back to the business instead of guessing.
How a day feels now
A client is in session, and Khareen is fully engaged—no phone checking, no internal tension, and no interruptions that break the experience. Her focus stays exactly where it should be.
When a caller reaches out with a quick question, Beside responds when possible. If more context is needed, it captures the caller’s intent and offers a callback, ensuring the opportunity doesn’t disappear. Some callers may still hang up, but those who truly need service stay engaged because they receive an immediate response.
Between clients—or at the end of the day—Khareen reviews the call log and her to-do list, then follows up with clarity and confidence instead of guesswork or stress.
“When I’m on break I could check the call log, the to-do list - it takes a load off.”
What this changed
- Full presence with clients — no interruptions during sessions.
- Fewer lost bookings — interested callers are captured instead of disappearing.
- Lower stress — the phone stops being a constant pressure.
- Clear follow-up — end-of-day summaries highlight what matters.
- A receptionist without the overhead — “inexpensive,” trainable, always on.
“That speaks volumes for booking, for business, for inquiries.”
Working on the Business, Not Only in It
Khareen didn’t start NuVel Esthetiques to run a call center. She built the business to help people leave feeling different than when they arrived—less tense, more confident, and genuinely cared for.
Beside supports that mission by removing one of the biggest pressures in service-based businesses: the sense that you must choose between giving full attention to the person in front of you and responding to new opportunities coming in. With that tension gone, Khareen can stay fully present with her clients without worrying about what she might be missing.
“I don’t have to worry about this one hat—my receptionist hat.”
%20(1).jpg)
Personalizing Beside for a Day Spa Workflow
Khareen uses Beside the way a solo spa owner actually needs:
- Warm tone and voice selection — so the greeting feels human, not robotic.
- Trainable knowledge — she feeds Beside what to say; it reflects her business accurately.
- Fail-safe behavior — when unsure, Beside offers a callback instead of improvising.
- Daily summaries and logs — a built-in workflow for follow-up and prioritization.
“You teach Beside how you would like them to speak to the clients.”
At a Glance
- Business: NuVel Esthetiques Day Spa
- Team: Solo operator
- Challenge: Frequent missed calls, inability to interrupt sessions, and lost potential clients
- Switch: Referred by another local business owner; onboarded Beside and customized messaging and knowledge
- Impact: Reduced stress, improved follow-up, fewer lost bookings, and full attention on clients