It goes without saying that the holidays are going to look a little different this year. With businesses adjusting their workflow to limit the risk of spreading Covid-19, it’s now more important than ever to make sure you’re ahead of the game. Being properly prepared for 2020’s unique holiday rush is an important consideration.

ProPet makes it really easy to stay safe and organized during the busiest time of the year. ProPet lightens your workload and allows you to focus your time and energy on providing top-notch service, rather than worrying about keeping your files in order or trying to read illegible handwritten feeding instructions from a flustered customer who dropped their dog off in a hurry.

But in addition to all the usual holiday stress, you now have to factor in Covid-19 safety measures. Something that adds a whole new layer of complexity to your busy holiday season.

Here are some ways ProPet can help you through a holiday season that also happens to be during a pandemic:

Contactless Payment

The ability to accept payments online or charge cards that are on file is a massive advantage during peak seasons when you’re operating at capacity. But it’ll be exceptionally useful when you’re trying to reduce contact with surfaces this Christmas.

When using one of ProPet’s integrated payment providers you’re able to store credit cards in the system to expedite the payment process on location, and you’re also able to accept your payments online before the service is rendered. This is an excellent way to minimize the risk of Covid-19 transferring onto surfaces. No more fumbling with cash or entering pins into a terminal.

No More Overbooking

ProPet is a request based software, meaning that no booking can sneak by you. Every accepted booking request is saved in the software, and anyone booking months in advance can rest assured that their reservation hasn’t been forgotten or lost in some stack of paper.

If you get a flurry of holiday bookings last minute you won’t need to worry about accidentally accepting more than you can handle. Once a customer makes a booking request in the customer portal, you or your staff can review the booking in the Admin portal and choose whether or not to accept it.

If a booking comes through and you’re already booked up you can easily create a waitlist, allowing you to have a list of clients to notify in case any spots open up.

When you are operating near capacity, and using outdated software or pen and paper, it’s really easy to accidentally book more clients than you can handle. For this reason many business owners using old school management systems actually book less than their limit intentionally. This gives them a buffer, preventing them from overbooking.

If their actual maximum capacity is 50 pets they may choose to limit themselves to 45, just in case there’s a mix-up and they lose track of how many people made reservations months in advance. The logic being that it’s safer to under book and have extra space than to be forced to overbook if everything doesn’t go exactly according to plan.

That’s not a very efficient way to safeguard against overbooking. Also consider the money being left on the table by not allowing your business to operate at its outer limits? With ProPet you don’t need to worry about inefficient buffers or accidentally exceeding your capacity.

ProPet allows you to optimize your business by giving you the tools necessary to easily operate at maximum capacity while still remaining organized.

Being prepared for the holidays is the best way to ensure your business runs smoothly while maximizing your returns. For many pet businesses the holidays are the most profitable time of the year, why limit your potential when ProPet makes it easy to be organized while making more money.

Utilizing the Kennel View

The kennel view is one of the most important tools ProPet offers and it is a critical part of any thriving pet business during the holidays.

With the kennel view you’re able to map out your facility and keep track of exactly which dog is in which kennel at any given time. If something comes up and you need to re-arrange your kennel assignments, it’s really easy to split bookings and relocated dogs in the system on the fly. Simply hold down the shift key on your keyboard and hover your cursor over a booking in the kennel view. You will be given the option to use the blade tool to split the booking and place the remainder of the booking in any other available kennel.

You are also easily able to get more detailed information on a particular pet or booking by simply clicking on the booking within the kennel view interface. This will open a pop-up window where you’ll be able to view the details.

Having your kennel view available digitally for you and your staff to reference is a great way to limit points of contact at your facility in order to minimize the potential transfer of Covid-19. Eliminating the need to share pens and paper limits surface exposure and creates a safer work environment for you and your staff this holiday season.