By Paula Mosteller
Technology can open up a whole new world in three distinct ways:
1. Customer Perception
How your customer feels before, during, and after the groom.
- Check in. Can you quickly check in a client and have all notes and histories ready and up to date? Sorting through paper index cards can be slow and hard to keep track. Readily available pet and owner profiles create a positive impression to the client.
- Report Cards. It takes a few easy minutes to send a picture of Fluffy, after being freshly groomed and looking amazing along with a few comments. If it is easy, fast and fun, you and your staff will enjoy these important tasks.
- Follow up. Do you have a way to quickly track your recent customers or send a quick notice such as: “We miss you” or “We have a new groomer on staff” email to selected customers on your list? How many of your valuable customers fall through the cracks because they feel neglected when the solution is so doggone easy?
2. Time Management
Limit time spent doing non-grooming tasks.
- Automated Appointment Reminders. Manually calling takes a lot of time and no one really likes this task. Why not cross that duty off your list and let your system do the work of sending appointment reminders? Not only is this automatic, but also in writing! Additionally, you can include policies (for instance, any late fees or other important information they may need to know) in the body of the message.
- Customer Involvement. Imagine putting your customers to work (and they actually like it)! Customers enjoy the flexibility of hoping online to schedule/request appointments. Send them a text or email from your screen in a jiffy. Customers crave attention and your system can make that fast and easy.
- Communication. Technology allows groomers to make announcements to many clients at a time through email blasts or targeted messages. Texts, report cards, email blasts, pet birthdays, and other messages are great ways of keeping the line of communication flowing. Let your system help you reach out to your important clients.
3. Organization
Ways to quickly and easily track your receipts, revenues, taxes, employee activity, reports, trends, and statics of your shop. Why suffer through trying to figure out profitability margins, revenues, and other accounting by using receipts, spreadsheets, and bank statements? There is an easier and more efficient way!
- Gather reports in minutes, segmenting by date range, product types, payment types and other data points. Quickly use the data to evaluate how your earnings stack up against your expenses.
- Client and pet profiles can change minute by minute. Technology keeps everything clean, organized, and up to date.
- Gauge how well each product, service, or groomer is performing by viewing statistic reports. What once was a very difficult and cumbersome task, is now a few keystrokes away.
You became a groomer to showcase your artistic talent and love of pets. The right system can greatly improve your workflow, record keeping, and save you hours of stressful paperwork. You work so hard already – why not let a system that is built for the unique needs of pet related business cut your work in half? ✂