How to Choose a Business Management & Scheduling App for Your Pet Business
4 Features to Look for in an App
If you’re a pet business owner searching for a business management and scheduling app, you should look for one that has appointment scheduling, customer communication, bookkeeping, and administrative tools. These key aspects will help your business run smoothly and grow to wherever you want to take it next. Appointment scheduling enables pet parents to book services such as grooming, daycare, and boarding. Customer communication encompasses being able to text, call, and email pet parents about any updates or concerns, or even enabling a webcam for them to watch their pets while they’re at your facility. Bookkeeping is an often-dreaded part of owning a pet business, if finances aren’t your core competency, so you should have business management software that tracks profits and losses. Bookkeeping software can also help with recording information about your customers and your employees. And lastly, administrative tools aid with anything from HR to checking in pets to managing inventory. PetExec has all of these features and so many more that will make tails wag with joy.
Appointment Scheduling
Pet businesses are often high-volume, with tons of customers checking in or checking out for the day. Instead of recording your customers in a spreadsheet or calendar, try using a scheduling app. PetExec’s calendar gives you the ability to see your bookings and employees’ schedules all in one place. You can color code appointments and schedule new ones, all in one place. Another way you can empower customers and get more business is to permit them to book and request their own appointments on a scheduling app. PetExec has an Owner Portal for doing just that. It also lets owners create pet profiles, sign forms, and even view their pets on integrated webcams.
Customer Communication
Running a dog daycare, grooming, or boarding business requires a lot of trust from pet owners. They have to be confident that you’ll take care of their pet, giving them attention and love, while also providing top quality services. You’re taking owners’ best furry friends into your facility while owners are at work, or have their own appointments to attend to. One of the best ways to show owners they’ve left their pets in the best of care is by communicating with them using various methods. PetExec keeps communication between businesses and pet owners easy and fun. Their pet webcam integrates with iDogCam, the pet industry’s leading webcam provider. The webcams ensure you can get reliable live video feeds that give the owners every possible opportunity to check in on their pet and see how much fun they’re having with you!
If you have an announcement to blast out to every owner, or just want to tell one that their pup is ready to be picked up at the groomer’s, you’ll want a business management system with a texting feature. With PetExec’s add on feature, you can enjoy unlimited texting with owners for just $19.99 a month, which can include photos as well. Snap a picture of their pet getting shampooed, or remind them to submit Fidos’ health records. You can even set up automated texts to remind owners of upcoming appointments. The best part? The owners can text you back, ensuring you keep an open line of communication, and pet photos.
Sending beautiful pet facility emails with photos of smiling dogs that are compatible across mobile and desktop devices can be a full time job. And you’re probably busy keeping your actual business running. You’ll want a business management system that can help you create automated branded emails that you can send out with ease. PetExec’s email features help you send a variety of communications, from pet report cards to e-blasts to push notifications to vaccination reminders to boarding confirmation emails. You’ll love the ease of setting those emails up once, and having them go out to all of your new customers.
Bookkeeping
If you’re not a professional accountant or administrator, keeping records, whether they’re of employees, pets, or finances, can be tedious and cumbersome. It’s helpful to find bookkeeping software that can simplify and automate parts of your record-keeping process. Rather than enter each pet and all of their details into a software, let the owners take care of that administrative heavy lifting by entering their pets’ names, health records, and more via PetExec’s Owner Portal. And if your business sells dog toys or grooming supplies, you can enter and customize as many retail products as you’d like.
On the financial side of things, PetExec has developed rich reporting for revenue, projections, and statistics, including reports on employees, pets, owners, retail inventory, and much more. Once you’re done generating and viewing reports, PetExec lets you export financial reports to QuickBooks, the nation’s leading accounting software.
Admin Tools
Administrative tools are the bread and butter of any dog daycare software, and PetExec’s features are top notch for all your administrative tasks. Managing your employees and their busy schedules in a snap with PetExec’s Time Clock Module. It encompasses the lifecycle of an employee at your facility from them clocking into work, receiving and completing tasks, taking breaks, and clocking out at the end of the day. Speaking of employees, your front desk staff will thank you when they see their new administrative features from PetExec. They can check in pets with the scan of a barcode, and process transactions quickly with PetExec’s Stripe Integration
PetExec Reviews
PetExec has gotten two paws up on many software review sites, including SoftwareAdvice.com, G2.com, Capterra.com, GetApp.com, and SourceForge.net. Here are some of our favorite reviews on Capterra, from business owners just like you.
“PetExec is a thorough and flexible platform that assists pet care businesses in streamlining and automating their daily operations. With sophisticated scheduling, billing, and analytics tools, the platform may boost corporate productivity and profitability while giving customers a better user experience.” - Jose Matteo
“Love the ability to keep all the information stored in one place. Love the online access as I can generate reports and check client info from my computer, phone or even a tablet. Once the clients are in the system, re-booking them is a breeze.” - Brittany
“PetExec is super user friendly. When training my employees it takes less than an hour to show them the system. With so many options to customize I feel like it was made for our business. The customer service is unmatched! If I have an issue they are right there to walk me through it.” - Nikki
“It keeps track of who comes & goes, who owes, who pays, time clock makes my life SOOOOOO much easier. Payroll is now a snap. Used to take me at least an hour a week to sort out. I love how it ties together with First Data merchant services (optional). I'm tickled pink, screaming from the rooftops how much i love this product!” - Laurie
“We have been using PetExec since I opened my door almost 8 years ago. We have since added a second location. I would recommend this software to anyone looking for this type of system for their business.” - Jessica
“Overall experience with PetExec is great. They offer superior customer service and are always accessible for questions and troubleshooting. They listen to their customers about what we would like to have available in the software and work hard to provide our requests. It has been a joy to work with PetExec.” - Sherry
“I've tried other software trials and worked from good old fashioned pen and paper and honestly could not imagine changing to another software. Everything from the customer support to the functionality is simple and hassle free. I love it!” - Beverley