Did you know that from 2008 to 2013, pet owner spending on services increased 40.6%? This was partially a result of pet businesses adding new services to their facility. Doing so gave customers more reasons to come back in the time between their pet’s monthly grooming and increased their spend on each visit. Imagine how much more revenue your facility can generate just by adding one or two more services OR by simply enhancing a service! Here are six tips for increasing your incoming revenue without raising the pricing on your base services:

1. Host workshops

Workshops bring your customers in for extra visits and help get new, potential customers in your door. Workshops offer a great opportunity to extend beyond your regular menu of services. Here are a couple ideas to get you started:

Partner up with local trainers and ask them to come in and teach your customers simple cues at home to get their dogs to behave. When customers come in for workshops, they are likely to make a retail purchase or schedule an appointment while they are there.

Partner up with a local pet photographer. Rent out your facility to them for professional photoshoots for interested customers or you can ask them to give customers tips on how to take great pet photos.

Customers love the idea of Do-It-Yourself projects for their pets. Look up tutorial videos, scour Pinterest, and master a few projects that any customer will be able to do and teach a workshop yourself!

2. Make it easy to add on an extra service.

Offering individual extra services or bundling them into activity packages that customers can add-on to their main services is a great way to increase revenue. Get creative and think of fun package names that describe who should be purchasing the packages.

Here are a few individual services you can add to your list:
Fur Brushing and Teeth brushing
Pet Manicures or Pawdicure
2nd and 3rd walks
Frozen Kong
Extra playtime
Bedding upgrade
Tattoos, dyes, and braiding

Now bundle them together with creative names:
The Spaw Package: Pawdicure, Pet massage, Fur dye
The Active Puppy Package: Extra playtime, 15 minute walk, Frozen kong activity
The Senior Canine Package: Pet Massage, Bedding Upgrade, Fur Brushing

3. Have at least one wall for retail items.

Displaying your retail items in an organized and attractive way invites customers to browse while they are waiting to pick up or drop off their pets. Make your retail items visible to customers as they walk through the door.

Stephen Covey, the author of the successful book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People said, "An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success." If an employee feels confident in their role at your business and understands how their actions help your customers, then your employee is more likely to experience a feeling of personal success and want to keep achieving business goals. As a manager, you need to prepare go-to plans for any situation and help each individual employee feel empowered to make decisions that benefit the business. Here are 5 tips to jumpstart your training program!

1. Train your staff to understand whether or not a customer is suited for your business.

It’s important to train your staff members to recognize when a customer is not suited for your business (i.e. a customer who wants services that you do not offer or does not respect pick up and drop off times). Make a list of red-flags and train employees to escalate questionable customers to management. Some businesses create systems where clients get points for negative behaviors and after a set number of negative interactions, the owner will have a conversation with the customer and let them know that their dog may do better at another facility.

A customer that is not a good fit is different from a difficult customer that may be having a bad day but is a regular customer you would like to retain. For customers or pets that may be difficult at times, you can add private internal notes to PawLoyalty kennel software’s customer profile that will only be shared between you and your staff so that when your employee is booking an appointment in-person or over the phone, they will know how to politely decline a customer’s reservation request if they are not a good fit. If you terminating a relationship with a customer, PawLoyalty kennel software allows you to revoke permissions for those customers to request appointment on-line.

2. Train your staff to upsell services and the approach they should take when doing this.

Your staff should have a clear understanding of what services you want them to upsell and when they should be doing so. Whether it’s your newest service, your business’ most popular service, or trending services, keep every employee up to date on your business’ marketing plan.

Front desk staff members may get into the habit of upselling the same service because it is a service that they feel comfortable describing to customers, but if you specifically want your staff to upsell a service that you know is currently trendy or that you are focusing on, then let them know what that service is and how they should demonstrate its value.

Get into the habit of making announcements during a staff meeting or post an eye-catching note on the break room bulletin board that identifies what services should regularly be on an employee’s radar, and what new services they should be bringing to the attention of customers. Make a list of the services you want to upsell, when your employees should upsell them, and how these services will benefit your customers, so that your employees can provide a clear explanation to whomever asks. Periodically run contests for your employees to have them hit a goal (it can be total service revenue sold or the number of times they sold a specific service in a certain period of time). Vary the contests between having 1 winner and having contests where everyone can win something if they meet the goal. Make the goals achievable with the goal that everyone can get there. Prizes don’t have to be big to be motivating -- even a $5 coffee gift card works. It is enjoyable for employees to have something to focus on and to get a small token of appreciation at the end.

3. Train your staff to keep the front area tidy.

Even a friendly face can’t detract the eye from a messy front area. It should be the front desk staff member’s job to keep the waiting room in order and the front desk clutter-free. You want to make an amazing first impression on your new customers and turn them into regular customers. If they love your facility the minute they walk in, this initial impression will stick with them.

Give your staff examples of what the front desk should like. Everyone has their own definition of “clean”, but providing a visual for your employee will guide them in seeing how the desk will look from a customer’s point of view, knowing where things belong (so that other staff members can easily find that stapler!), and set the same standard for each staff person in maintaining a tidy workspace.

4. Train your staff how to solve customer problems professionally and in a way that is in line with company policy.

Every staff member should be trained to smile and ask “How can I help you?” so that each customer feels that their presence is acknowledged. This also helps your employees give your customers their full attention, especially when in the middle of trying to multi-task. After your front desk person hears the problem, they can decipher if they can provide a quick answer or if they will need more time/help in providing a solution.

Sometimes a customer will already know how to solve their problem, and staff should be trained to know whether or not they have the authority to provide the solution or escalate the situation to get your guidance. They should also have a standard protocol --- Your staff member can follow up with a response such as “I understand your concern. I do not have the authority to authorize that, but I am happy to put you in touch with my manager who will be able to help you.” They should also know how to mitigate other possible issues by being able to prioritize the customer’s need. If there is a line while the customer is complaining, it may be best for your staff person to say “I definitely want to discuss this you. Could you please wait until I finish ringing up these customers so I can give you more time?” Your staff should understand when you will be available to help so they can manage the client’s expectations and also know when they will have to do their best to provide answers without you.

Brainstorm a list of common scenarios and write out a few scripted responses to train your employees with best action steps to take. A staff member will know better how to handle impromptu situations if they know what their options and limitations are based on the way your company works.

5. Train your staff to use PawLoyalty kennel software efficiently.

Front desk staff members should be trained in using PawLoyalty kennel software efficiently. Knowing how to expertly use your dog daycare software to check dogs in and out, book appointments, and manage the customer’s profile will make the check in/check out process smooth for your customers and make them feel like you have a well-run business. PawLoyalty kennel software offers video tutorials within the software that you can use to provide on-going training to your staff. Staff members should also know how to contact customer support if they need additional training and support.

Throw Us A Bone!

What are your best tips for ensuring that your front desk desk staff are well-trained to represent your business?

Dog-safe toys are fun to have at facilities because they keep the dogs occupied and give them activities so that they can interact. But some business owners will argue that toys are either too much of a risk and just an extra chore. Here are a few reasons why I might be better to keep the toys at home.

One way to increase your business’ revenue is to look for ways to increase the spend of your current customers. A common way of doing this is to host a “Yappy Hour”! The perfect recipe for a doggie happy hour does not mean stirring up canine cocktails in between playtime and bedtime. A “Yappy Hour” is an extra service that your customers pay for where their dog will be taken to a separate area with other dogs who are participating for a group play and a special treat. The most common treat is a kong. The classic Kong is a three layered, beehive-shaped rubber toy for dogs. It is a cognitive toy, non-toxic and helps with a dog’s natural instinct to chew on objects. Because kongs are made for chewing, they do not harm a dog’s teeth or gums. Just keep in mind that there are special kongs made for puppies to seniors!

What You Need for a Basic Kong

Kong
Half Banana
Biscuit, Kibble, or Canned Food
Peanut Butter or Cream Cheese

Directions for Filling and Sealing a Kong

Filling: You can fill a kong several ways using the banana and dog food.

Here are three different ideas to try:

1. Freeze a half banana beforehand so that it doesn’t get mushed as you insert it into the kong. Take the kong and squeeze it in order to change the shape and fit the banana all the way inside. Fill in the rest of the space with wet canned food and sprinkle a few kibble pieces for some crunch.

2. Put two whole dog biscuits inside the kong. Mash a banana and scoop it into the kong to fill up the rest of the space. 

Preparing for a natural disaster probably was not at the top of your to-do list today but it is something that you should urgently consider if you do not already have a disaster plan in place. Here in the Bay Area, scientists predict a 99% chance of having a major earthquake in the next 30 years, as soon as tomorrow! Every geographic area has it’s own risks and threats.

The American Humane Association reported that during Hurricane Sandy, 30 million pets were killed or greatly impacted by the natural disaster. The ASPCA and Humane Society do an amazing part to rescue pets from all forms of emergency. But you as a pet care provider have your role to play as well. Pet parents entrust their furry loved ones to you because they know that you care about their pets’ well beings. A part of being entrusted with pet care is taking precautions for events that you can’t control.

This article will tell you what you can control. When you are prepared you will feel more equipped to focus on leading and executing your action plans, as well as making good judgments along the way to get both employees and animals to safety.

The Precautionary Plan that you can work on now should include the following:

Liability waivers

Customers can digitally sign a waiver that entrusts their dog to your care in the event of a natural disaster, which you can store in their Pet Health Record on your kennel management software. Since the software is cloud-based, you will not have to worry about saving hard copies or importing the waivers onto a USB. Everything will be readily available for you to return the pets back to their owners.

Emergency response animal shelters

Know where your nearest shelters are. List them by location and ease of transportation. Also check to see how many other pet businesses, especially boarding and daycare facilities, are in the area. Use your best judgment in prioritizing shelters that other pet businesses are likely to occupy first. Prepare several routes to get to the shelters in case roads are blocked by fallen trees.

Disaster Preparedness Courses

Studies have shown that animals can detect infrasonic sound pulses that are precursors to storms and earthquakes, which can cause them to panic. This could make it difficult to transport dogs, especially those in the large, active playgroups. Take a proactive step alongside your staff to learn how to anticipate pets’ strange behaviours and handle these stressful situations. Arrange a training session for employees that are not trained in first aid and CPR if you haven’t already.

Prepared Emergency Kits

You should have several kits in mind. There is of course the First Aid Kit and the (dry) Pet Food & Water Kit. But also consider other pet essentials, especially when you will be transporting and caring for dozens of dogs at a time. You will need harnesses to separate aggressive pets, garbage bags for pet waste, and dog bowls for water. Your emergency response animal shelter should have all of these items, but it is always best to have your own at hand! Shelters can easily get crowded and resources can be exhausted. Plan to be harbored in these shelters for 5 days.

Complete Pet Health Record

When the natural disaster is over, you will still have all your Pet Health Records stored on easily accessible dog trainer software. Encourage your customers to upload photos of their dogs, to note distinguishable markings on their pet profiles, and to fill out their Emergency Contacts. PawLoyalty will store and backup your data frequently, and be a reliable, disaster-tolerant source for information should you need it.

Take it a Few Steps Further...

Write out a Step-by-Step Action Plan

Take into consideration the average amount of dogs you have daily and make several plans of action to accommodate different circumstances. Drill these plans into your employees to make sure they are in control during the actual event and comfortable in their supporting roles.

Here are steps that you should include in your Action Plan:

Assign your employees roles and duties so that each action step is covered.