Are you terrified of technology even though you know it would drastically improve so many dimensions of your business? Break the chain and let technology cut the time wasters and monotonous tasks that take all your valuable work time.
Technology can open up a whole new word in three distinct ways:
1. Customer Perception – How your customer feels before, during and after the service.
- 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 – Images and notes to the client. It takes a few easy minutes to send a pic 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 beginning obedience class starting soon!” 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-productive tasks.
- Automation – 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 you 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 statistics of your center.
- Why suffer through trying to figure out profitability margins, revenues and other accounting by using receipts, spreadsheets and bank statements when 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 is performing by viewing statistic reports. What once was a very difficult and cumbersome task, is now a few keystrokes away.
Give Technology a Sniff!
You went into the pet business to showcase your creativity, 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?
A Few More Tips to help you pick the right system:
- Make sure the system is ‘responsive design’ to work seamlessly on tablets, smart phones and web browsers.
- Get references from your peers. Don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions such as: How good is the support?; Is the system fast and reliable?; How credible is the company (Is the support and development done in-house or outsourced overseas)?
- Take the time to set up the program to work for you. It might take a little more effort in the beginning but the end results will pay off with less surprises and a smoother transition.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for help. A good system should have support, documents and training to get your paws pointed in the right direction.
- Have patience with yourself. It takes a bit of learning and maybe a bit of letting go of old habits. Persist, learn and grow. Enjoy the adventure of riding the wave.
~Paula Mosteller
PetExec
Paula’s dream has always been to bridge the disconnect between technology and the pet care community. She enjoys helping her ‘packmates’ discover the countless ways that working in tandem with a system improves efficiency, stress, and gives them more time to focus on nurturing their pet guests.