Operating your pet sitting home business

During my 19 years of managing a pet sitting business, I have learned many ways to serve my clients needs and ensure that there are no problems. Believe me when I say that there are many things that can go wrong in the hectic pace of running a pet sitting business. One thing I learned is that you can protect your pet sitting business and your clients by the way you organize your operating procedures and the organization of your day to day tasks. I cannot cover everything I have learned in this short article, so I hope you will take an opportunity to read this entire section of my book, Pet Sitting Success.

Make sure clients can reach you

When you are in your pet sitting business office, answer the phone promptly. If you use paper-based systems to track your clients and their needs, be sure you always have a tablet handy to make notes during the call and then file that information in their binder. If you use a computer system to manage your client’s information, then bring up the file in the beginning of your call so you are prepared to take notes.

Having voice mail is essential when no one is available to answer the phone. Be sure that your voice mail message identifies your pet sitting business by name and solicits the minimum information necessary to respond to your client or potential client’s needs. Other advice about communication with your pet sitting business clients:

• Always return calls promptly
• Before you leave the office, make sure your voice mail is working
• Always answer the phone with the name of your business and an inquisitive greeting, “how can we help you?”
• With potential or new clients, be patient. A new client of your pet sitting home business may not know what questions to ask.
• Smile while you are talking on the phone, it really does sound better.
• A caution about email – although email is easy to use and many clients may choose that form of communication, there can be issues. I do not rely on email and I absolutely do not use email to schedule or confirm appointments. Something as important as scheduling a visit must be done with voice or face contact.

Scheduling home visits

Visiting your pet sitting business clients is your business. That is where you provide your services. I have found that it works best to schedule visits in periods of the day rather than exact times – so I schedule morning, mid-day, and afternoon appointment in basically three to four hour blocks of time. I have also learned from experience that appointments should be scheduled by date, not day of the week which can sometimes be confusing. Tracking your scheduled appointments is essential to meeting the expectations of your pet sitting business clients. I use a three ring binder for each client that includes a copy of the service agreement, release forms, and scheduled visits within the next few days. For new clients, I contact them two days ahead of a scheduled appointment to confirm our arrangements.

As your pet sitting business grows and you hire additional pet sitters, I recommend keeping a master schedule that is updated and posted every morning.

Additional tips:

• Keep customer’s key in a secure location and only get them when you need them
• Make sure the key your pet sitting business customer gives you works – try it
• Leave the customer’s home neat and clean
• Make notes in your binder about your activities and observations during your visit
• Always carry your cell phone both for communication and protection
• Lock the client’s door behind you after you enter and BE SURE to lock up when you leave
• Remember to keep your car locked when you have sensitive client information inside

Keeping your pet sitting business organized is worth the effort. Your clients will appreciate how you stay on top of things, they will trust you, and you will benefit from their continued patronage and their referrals.