With over 150,000 pet care
professionals in the United States, your ability to differentiate your business
is critical to long-term sustainable growth. By focusing on the customer
experience you can gain the loyalty of prospective pet parents and continue to
thrive with your current pack.
Below are 5 ways to differentiate
your pet business so you have a leg up on your local competitors:
1.
Unique
Services & Accommodations
By taking your current
services and thinking of innovative ways to make them standout, you are able to
provide a service that has no substitute in your local market (plus it will
increase your revenue). Working with hundreds of pet resorts, trainers
& groomers provides us insight into the latest service trends in the
market. Below are a few that have recently begun to catch some
momentum:
·
Creating a variety of
room sizes (Cabin, Condo, Suites) with themes
·
Pawdicure with color
(using a special paint pen)
·
Adventure Outings
·
Bosco & Roxy Treats
Customers will love
these because…Customers who love to
spoil their pets are looking for the next best thing that they can tell their
fellow pet parents about. Your facility will catch their attention when you
specialize in services that some pet owners have never even heard of!
2.
Superior
Employee Training
Differentiate your
business through exemplary employee training. By training employees in a
consistent matter you are able increase your operational efficiency, but even
more important is pet parents will know what to expect. Start with the
basics (answering the phone, check-in & check-out process, on-boarding of
new pet parents) and once your staff is all on the same page, then you can move
to more advanced training. We recommend DogTec for a wide variety of courses including
pet first aid, reading body language, and many others.
Customers will love this
because… The workshops and certifications will allow you
to advertise a first-rate staff & the customer experience will be
consistently exceptional allowing clients to take comfort in routines.
3.
Healthy
Pet Guarantee
For pet parents, knowing
that their pet is going to have a good time and come home healthy are their
number 1 priorities. By offering something as simple as a “Healthy Pet
Guarantee” you can reassure pet parents that you are focused on providing a
safe play environment. What does it mean to your business? It means if
something happens to a pet while in your care, that you will cover the costs
and it’s an opportunity to increase revenue by charging $2-$5/per pet per
day.
Customers will love this
because… everyone loves a guarantee. Even if you
have not changed anything in your daily routine, this type of insurance is
worth the extra dollars to a pet parent.
4.
Creatively
Organizing Dogs into Playgroups
How do you organize your
dogs into playgroups? Big and small? Aggressive and mild-tempered? Dog Days San Diego places dogs into
group based on size and temperament. They implement a temperament test process
in which they have each new canine client meet their specially trained and
socially aware husky to test for aggression. This way they will have an idea of
how the new client will socialize with other dogs and be aware of any
behavioral tendencies. Consider making the playgroups smaller so that there are
only up to 8 dogs per group. Some kennels even have a 4:1 pet to employee ratio.
All of this is done to make sure that dogs are playing in safe
environments.
Customers will love this
because…They will be assured
that you have their pets’ best interest in mind. The majority of customers are
concerned that their pets will be unsafe or uncomfortable. Going the extra mile
to provide them with reassurance will make your facility more memorable to
current customers and attractive to potential customers.
5.
Outstanding
Pet Parent Engagement
Boost your pet parent
engagement with personal touches that make them feel included. Consider sending
text updates, photo updates, and report cards to pet parents. With your kennel software, these reports can updated easily and are fully accessible to pet
parents while they are away at work or on vacation. Some of PawLoyalty’s
clients have even started offering “FaceTime” as an extra service that pet
parents can use to calm their separation anxiety.
Customers will love this
because… Physical proof of
a pet’s well-being will put customers at ease and will save you the hassle of
tying up the phone lines with frequent calls from concerned pet parents. This
way you can set up times for these updates that work around your facility’s
schedule.
So how are you going to
be different? Take the next step: add a new service or give an old
service a facelift in your kennel software and then track the response of your
customers. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results.
Throw Us a Bone!
How
have you differentiated your pet business?
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