Updated: June 29, 2017
Your dog daycare is a fun and interactive place for your customers to bring their pet. You and your staff love what you do, but have you ever wondered if your daycare could generate more revenue? We put together some tips and tricks to ensure that your daycare is optimized to be the most profitable that it can be. In order to take in more money, your business should focus on creating loyal customers who trust your facility and staff members with their furry friend. A loyal customer will be a return customer, and will more than likely to recommend you to others who are looking for a great dog daycare. We put together 5 simple changes that you can implement in your daycare facility to see big results today!
MAXIMIZE YOUR STAFF
You hired an enthusiastic and talented staff to run your daycare for dogs, so show them off! Do you have a fantastic groomer, a dog behaviour specialist, or someone with a knack for nervous dogs? Don’t be shy to tell your customers about the credentials and skills of your staff via your website, your blog, or even in person when they come to your facility. For example, putting pictures of your staff (headshots or action shots while working) on your website is a great idea to introduce your staff to potential clients and make your business seem more personal. A knowledgeable team goes a long way towards showing prospective customers that their dog will be in good hands when they are looking at booking with your daycare. Your customers will also rest assured that if they have a dog with physical or behavioural difficulties that your daycare will be able to handle their needs.
NOT EVERY PET IS DOG DAYCARE FRIENDLY
Although your daycare staff is well equipped to deal with a variety of dogs and situations, sometimes you cannot accommodate every pet due to difficult circumstances. Turning away a dog that is a danger to the others or recommending training classes with a behavioural specialist before accepting a dog into your daycare program can actually be good for your business. If you are open and honest about your acceptance policy, it shows current and potential customers that your business cares about the health and safety of every pet that it accepts into the program. You are a business that cares about more than just money, so make sure that you make this aspect of your facility work for you. Your clients will appreciate the safe environment for their pet, which means that they will be likely to return and recommend others to your business. Positive social proof is gained when your customers trust you, which is the key to generating more revenue and attracting new customers.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS ARE EVERYTHING
A clean and organized daycare facility goes a long way towards making a great first impression on your customers. A spacious area for your day campers to play is essential to showing your clients your facility is the best choice for their pet. This area could be an indoor/outdoor run, or even an indoor play area with easy to clean rubberized flooring. Providing the dogs with structures to play on, obstacle courses, or even toys (if safe and applicable) sets the impression in your client’s minds that your facility is going to be a great place for their pet to stay. Making sure that any waste is cleaned up, that floors are sanitized properly, and that your drop-off/pick-up area is clutter free and fresh smelling also conveys that you are an efficient and well-run business. A positive first impression aids in creating a bond of trust with your customers and encourages them to return to your business.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DISCOUNT
Providing a discount or other perks for customer loyalty can actually help you to generate more money. Does this sound crazy? It isn’t! Offering loyal customers discounts on daycare packages or a free nail trim after every 10 visits can actually increase your revenue because you’re providing incentives for your customers to spend more money with your facility. Why would they go somewhere else when they already love your daycare and get rewarded to do so? Have you considered offering discounts if your customers buy daycare packages in bulk? If your clients can buy a set amount of daycare visits in advance and save a little money doing so, they’ll want to buy from your facility again and again.
MAKE IT EASY
Convenience is a huge factor when optimizing your daycare to increase your revenue. If your customers have the ability to book quickly and easily from virtually anywhere, they’re going to love that you take their busy lifestyles into consideration. An online booking software allows your customers to book and review their daycare appointments and balance owing from their mobile device or tablet during their morning commute, at lunch, or even from the convenience of home. How does this affect your business? Streamlined booking makes it simple to book daycare visits, a time saving feature that your customers will appreciate. Online kennel software also provides your customers with the option to update their pet’s vaccinations and take care of any agreements that your facility requires with ease, among many other great features. Why would they go to another daycare when yours is simply so convenient? With the option of add-ons in the online booking process, you also have the opportunity to upsell other services that your business offers alongside daycare, such as bathing and nail trims or training. Your customers can easily view and add these services onto their daycare reservation while they are booking online.
*BONUS*
With ProPet, you can create quick daycare schedules for your customers who regularly book daycare for their pets. For example, if a customer drops off their dog Monday and Wednesday each week, they no longer have to go online to book in those daycares manually. By creating a quick daycare schedule, you save both you and your customers valuable time! Additionally, the quick daycare check-in options allows you to manage walk-in daycare dogs quickly and efficiently. All you have to do is search the dog’s name and in 10 seconds and 2 clicks, they will be checked in and ready for a day of fun and play!
Increasing the revenue of your dog daycare doesn’t have to be complicated or costly. Simple switches designed with your customers in mind can actually make a big difference in the revenue that your daycare brings in.
*****
If you’re interested in learning more about how ProPet can help you optimize your pet business, sign up for a free consultation.
Recent Comments