Is The Pet Service Customer Always Right? No!
  • Pet+Sitter+BiblePet Sitter Bible
    We've all heard it before when it comes to service business', the customer is always right but is this true in the pet service industry? I don't think so. Think about how intimate a relationship you have with your customers, working with them for years, sometimes the entire lives of their pets from puppy to elderly pup. You are responsible for the well being of their most prized possessions, their pets and their home. You receive countless piece of information you need to apply to their visits over the years and if they still work with you then you must be doing a good job.

    Now contrast your relationship with your clients with that of a maitre d' at a hotel. People are "almost" always amazed at the customer service you receive at a good hotel. Those who help you are always so agreeable and anything you need is a yes and they make it look and sound easy to answer all your needs. Las Vegas is famous for this type of customer service.

    There's a big difference though between staying in a hotel for 2-3 days and working with a client one on one, everyday, for years! We will make mistakes and some clients will be astounded we made a mistake. We will sometimes not be professional and some clients will be shocked by this. We will not always say yes and some clients will leave us because of this. The very best thing you can do sometimes though is say no to your clients. You have to stand your ground sometimes and you have to look out for yourself. You have your own life too and your own family to think about. Just say no sometimes, there need to be some types of boundaries (^_^)

    What are your thoughts on the subject?

    You also might enjoy our discussion: Good Pet Service Clients Vs. Bad Ones
  • smilekirasmilekira
    But what are the things we should say "no" to?
     For me, I always think "how can we say yes" instead of "no". Many of our clients want evening and weekend walks and now we have a girl who only handles walks after 7pm and weekends. When clients ask us if we can train the dog, instead of saying "no", we educate ourselves in basic training and do it without charging extra.
    Of course I say no when I'm asked about discounts especially coming from a person that looks like he/she can easily afford our service. If we are asked for best price we can give, I tell them that if they find another dog in their building who would want to walk with their dog then we can give them great price. (As a second dog in a household).
    They really appreciate our extra effort, and we do make a mistake, clients tend to forgive us easier knowing how hard we try


  • Pet+Sitter+BiblePet Sitter Bible
    Hi @smilekira

    re:
    But what are the things we should say "no" to?

    It really depends on your comfort level but you also want to plan ahead. I took anything, anytime when I first started and routinely worked 100 hour work weeks. Sure the money was good but it was torture and actually did not involve smart planning. If we want to work smarter, not harder than we need to plan. Now during the recession I definitely hustled again like I had during my early days and I was able to keep every single route in tact in my company from doing so. But keep in mind what will keep your employees happy too. What might be okay for you will not necessarily be okay for your employees.

    Consider the history of dog walking and pet sitting routes. Sometimes they are reflective of the type of transportation the walker or sitter used. Sometimes a route is reflective of how desperate a walker or sitter was. During the recession people would travel much farther than usual, or take on a client who doesn't meet our minimum or is during a time we don't offer, etc. When times normalize though that route that made sense during the recession will no longer make sense to the new walker or sitter, and they'll have no understanding of the history of a route.

    My point is you need to factor in both your own comfort level and your employees' comfort level. Don't be scared to say no to your clients for requests. I say this for your benefit only (^_^)


  • smilekirasmilekira
    I totally agree. Definitely there are some things that we have to say no to, especially if it goes against our policies. Every company creates policies to be fair to handlers and clients and to create a workable environment, tires and angry handler is a bad handler :)
     I just wanted to get a bit more details from you as you OP didnt mention any examples.
  • Pet+Sitter+BiblePet Sitter Bible
    re.: Every company creates policies to be fair to handlers and clients and to
    create a workable environment, tires and angry handler is a bad handler

    Amen and I do find if we say yes to everything it's hard to keep our company moving toward a goal or objective.
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