If you’re a Pet Sitter who offers daytime services, rejoice! We’ve now launched our Repeat Weekly Bookings feature. From now on, you can book all Dog Walking, House Visits, and Pet Day Care sessions on a recurring basis. In other words, you’ll no longer need manually enter an ongoing booking week after week. That means less time on admin, and more time with furry clients! Beyond that, your client will no longer need to confirm End of Stay, so the payment process will be smoother.
‘Repeat bookings’ is a relatively straightforward term, right? Whether you already have repeat clients or are looking to acquire them, we’d like to share some simple tips & tricks to help encourage more of your existing clients to re-book with YOU.
Why are they of value?
‘Why’ is always a good question to ask. And we’re happy to confirm there are quite a few reasons why repeat bookings are the way to go 👌
- You get to hang out with your fave pet/s on a regular basis (what’s not to love about that?!)
- You build trust with the Owner, and come to know what to expect from the pet’s behaviour & needs.
- It’s convenient! RWBs cut out all the back-and-forth messaging & questions between you and a new client.
- Earn a regular (consistent) income, and fill your calendar with ease!
- Save time by removing the need for a Meet & Greet.
- Your profile is strengthened. New clients to the platform see that you’re a trusted Sitter and shortlist you. Your reviews and repeat customers are a good indicator that many Owners trust you to look after their pets.
“I’m probably more particular when looking for Pet Sitters, I want to see how many reviews they have, how good the reviews are, and the fact that they’ve had repeated guests. That kind of thing makes me trust them a lot more.”
Owner – Liz D.
You might be thinking, “OK great, but how do I secure repeat bookings?”
Pet Owners are looking for convenience, and someone they can trust with their beloved pet. Here are some of the ways you can demonstrate you’re keen to establish a regular booking with an Owner’s pet:
- Throughout the first booking, keep in touch with the Owner via photos and SMS updates to show them how much fun their pet is having.
- After you’ve completed one booking, reach out to let them know you had a great time and would love to look after their pet again.
- In the lead-up to peak seasons – ie. Christmas, Easter, and School holidays – offering your services to existing customers first is a really great way of showing that you value their relationship and would love to care for their pets again.
- If you haven’t heard from them in a while. It’s not unusual to want to see a pet again if really liked them and you haven’t seen them recently. Many Owners appreciate hearing from their Pet Sitters and Dog Walkers. It shows that you care and puts you at the top of their mind when they need care again.
If something reminds you of their pet. Photos of a pet may pop up as a memory on your phone, or you may see something that reminds you of their furry friend. Share this memory with the Owner 😻 They’ll feel the genuine care you have for their pet.
All of these actions and conversations don’t cost you anything. They simply help strengthen your relationship with existing clients and improve your chance of being booked again in the future.
Like most humans, we can fear rejection so won’t often do any of the above. However, all members of our Community are pet lovers and will often reply because they love that you love their pet!
What next…
Why not reach out to one or two of your previous clients and start the conversation? Take advantage of the opportunity of upcoming holidays and the festive season.
We want to make your Mad Paws life as easy as possible. As they say, work smarter, not harder, right? We think repeat bookings are a puuuuurfect example in our world.
Click the image below to see some of the tools you have to help build your repeat business and build your client base.
FAQs:
“How do I offer Repeat Weekly Bookings to my clients?”
Good question, amazing Sitter – and one you can solve with a touch. In the Services and Rates section of your profile, toggle the switch that aligns with the “Offer Repeat Weekly Bookings” option under your preferred service. For example, to offer it for Dog Walking, toggle the “Offer Repeat Weekly Bookings” switch under Dog Walking. Once you’ve toggled the switch, hit “Save” to make it live.
“Great! I’m ready to approve my first Repeat Weekly Booking Request. What happens now?”
Pawsome! Before you do, though, we advise that you double-check every detail in your booking.
By opting into Repeat Weekly Bookings, you agree to:
- The Repeat Weekly Booking Flexible Cancellation Policy Under this policy, a full refund (excluding any booking fee that may have already been paid) will only be available if the booking is cancelled before 12pm AEST, 24 hours prior to when the service is set to begin. If this cut-off time has passed, the Owner will be charged 50% of the full amount for the relevant service.
- Weekly Payments All Repeat Weekly Booking fees will be paid to you every week, 7 days after a week’s booking has concluded.
- Advance Bookings When a Pet Owner makes a Repeat Weekly Booking with you, our system will automatically block your Calendar for the chosen dates over the next month. When a week of your bookings have been completed, a new week of pre-approved bookings will be added to your Calendar.
“How can I make changes to a Repeat Weekly Booking?”
Are you looking to edit a Repeat Weekly Booking (RWB)? If so, you’ll need to finalise them before your client makes their first Repeat Weekly Booking payment. Prior to that first payment, you may edit:
- The starting week for the first Repeat Weekly Booking.
- The day/s of the week on which these bookings occur.
- The total weekly price for these bookings.
To find all of these options, simply look under Booking Details:
Do you need to make booking changes AFTER your client has already made their first RWB payment? To do so, you’ll need to cancel the RWB and schedule a one-off booking. This will let you make the changes you need – after which you can schedule a brand new RWB.
“If I need to, how can I cancel Repeat Weekly Bookings?”
To cancel your RWBs, you’ll need to:
- Go to your Bookings. From here, select the booking you would like to cancel.
- Provide your reason.
- Select “Cancel ALL Repeat Weekly Bookings”.
In the pop-up window, select “Yes, cancel” to confirm. This will cancel your RWBs.
Your cancellation will take effect from the following week onwards, provided payment has not yet been made for that week’s booking. If you would like to cancel a specific week, contact service@madpaws.com.au
Please note: RWBs maintain a separate cancellation policy to your standard bookings. To learn more, visit our Knowledge Centre article on the Repeat Weekly Bookings Cancellation Policy.
“I’ve just confirmed my first Repeat Weekly Booking. How can I distinguish my RWBs from my standard one-off bookings?”
When looking at your bookings, all you need to do is look for those two magic words: “Repeat Weekly”.
“What are the benefits of opting in for Repeat Weekly Bookings?”
There are a number of advantages you’ll enjoy by opting in to RWB. Firstly, unless you have a crystal ball, planning for future bookings can be tricky. One week you can be swimming in booking requests, and the next week may be comparatively quiet. When you opt in for RWB, you’ll be able to enjoy a crystal ball for daytime services. Instead of wondering if a client will book you again, you’ll be able to confirm them on an ongoing basis. In other words, RWB gives you the chance to firm up your daytime bookings for months in advance.
Secondly, as RWB is a new feature, only a few Sitters have opted in to use it at the moment. This means that, by opting in now, you’ll be one of the first RWB Sitters who Owners see near them. For you, this will mean more daytime bookings, because RWB was built on the basis of lengthy Owner feedback. As such, RWB is designed to make your services even more appealing to clients. Opt in to RWB, and you can enjoy a booking spree! (yes, we rhymed those words on purpose.)
Any more questions? We’d love to help! Just email us at service@madpaws.com.au and we’ll be in touch.
2 comments
How do you organise payment of bookings when you get a confirmed client whom wants your services.
Hi Louise,
Once a Sitter approves the Repeat Weekly Booking (RWB) owners will be asked to pay for the first week, the same process as one-off bookings.
Payment for the following weeks will be automatically charged to the owners’ credit card on the Friday before the next week of bookings is due to begin. More details can be found here.
Hope it’s been helpful.
Irina @ Mad Paws