Out of all the industries that we service, I’d argue that vet clinics and pet groomers have the best clientele. All day, every day, servicing clients with names like Parker Muffin Posey, Sir Fluffy Pants, and Pickle (the wiener dog)...
As a pet lover myself, I have a lot of respect for the professionals who keep our furry friends healthy and groomed. And as someone who is sometimes on the lookout for new pet services, I know exactly how much reviews matter when it comes to trusting someone with my pet. I want to see recent reviews and before and after photos on teeth cleaning services. I want to know that the business is clean and the staff are friendly, well-trained, and understand how to handle nervous pets. And I want to know that they will be empathetic and easy to work with on some of the most stressful and sad days as a pet parent.
So in today’s article, I’m breaking down real examples of ways that NiceJob can help pet service businesses grow, and ultimately help pet parents keep their pets healthy and happy.
Part 1: Helping Pet Parents Find The Right Pet Service Business
Getting found is the first step to getting new clients. Sometimes pet parents come through a referral, but more often than not, being discovered starts with a simple Google search, like “best vet near me” or “pet grooming for cats near me”. This is why your reputation matters.
Although ads can help you get discovered, reviews carry a lot more weight when it comes to building trust, especially when it comes to our pets. But it also helps with your local discoverability both in terms of the “near me” search and also when it comes to AI search. A strong reviews strategy improves your chances of being found by the right clients, and it will continue to pay dividends and compound in value, helping you rank higher and appear more credible than your competitors.
There are a few things that play into having a strong reviews strategy:
- Overall rating: Obviously pet parents would like a 4-star or higher pet service business working on their pet compared to a 2-star business.
- Review volume: The more reviews the better. This helps with overall credibility and helps balance out any negative reviews that you might have on your profile.
- Recency of reviews: Recent reviews signal that there hasn’t been abrupt change in service quality. For example, if all your reviews are good, but you haven’t had a review in the last three years, it might cause some tails to wag.
- Review replies: Replying to reviews signals that your business is active and actually cares to take the time to read your clients’ feedback. It also gives you an opportunity to demonstrate your customer service chops if the need arises, recognize staff members who created a particularly exceptional service, and understand customer feedback that you can use to improve your services.
- Photos: While photos are not required, depending on the service that you provide, it can help add more richness to your profile and give pet parents more confidence before booking your service. (Ever seen a lion’s cut gone wrong?)
- Detailed reviews with real keywords: By collecting reviews, you will naturally start to see more detailed and helpful responses from pet parents. For example, groomers who specialize in sanitary cuts for very nervous long hair cats, groomers who can manage dog teeth cleaning without anesthesia, and groomers who have a reputation of being judgement-free and fair. People want to work with pet service businesses who seem like they actually have their pet’s best interest at heart and aren't just trying to upsell every service in the book.
Luckily, most pet parents are likely to leave you a review after a service if you just ask for one. You can totally have a QR code at checkout or on your receipts, but an automated email and SMS review campaign can help you get the job done most efficiently with good conversion rates, without you having to give anything a second thought or throw out an awkward ask. NiceJob can automate this for you with a simple template that runs in the background once the service is complete.
But it’s about more than just getting found and getting that review. People will pay more for service they trust, especially when it comes to their pets. And this could be like a 20 year relationship in the making if you do it right. You play such a pivotal role in pet parents’ lives. You’re the ones who are keeping their pets happy and healthy, making them look great, supporting them when their pets need specific care, and are sometimes helping their pets pass over the rainbow bridge.
Part 2: Keeping Pets Healthy With Regular Services
We are (unfortunately) human, and as humans we are not perfect. We get busy and forgetful, and our favourite furry companions are often too polite to speak up when something is bothering them.
As a pet service provider, one of the best things that you can do for pet parents is to remind them to have regular services for their pets. Prevention of matted fur or pet cavities and dental resorption, and just general check ups to keep pets healthy are the greatest gifts you can give to a pet parent.
Sometimes you feel like you blink and six months have blown by, or a year…or more. Sometimes it’s been so long that pet parents can feel embarrassed or judged that they haven’t been back. A simple reminder campaign is a noninvasive way to help pet parents stay on top of their pet’s schedule.
And a system that has reminders can help with this. NiceJob has a pretty nifty repeat booking reminder system that syncs with your CRM so that you can run Get Repeats campaigns based on the last service date.
A few examples that come to mind for vets and pet grooming services include:
- Rabies vaccines: Annual reminder sent 10 months after the last vaccination with 3 reminders sent via SMS and email
- Dog grooming: Every 3 months
- Sanitary cuts for cats or dogs: Every month
- Teeth cleaning: Annual (or more frequent)
- Tick and flea treatment: Seasonal checks
- Parasite and worms check up: Annual
You don’t need fancy software to send out some emails, but the benefit of having a system in place like this is that it can run in the background without extra admin work for you or your team. Plus, the personalized timing of it makes sense for your specific clients and pet parents when it comes time to rebook. Personalized automations help you have more predictability on your calendar and when it comes to your cashflow compared to sending out an e-blast and then ending up with challenging to manage booking surges.
So in summary, the reminder isn't just good for your business. It's good for the pet. And pet parents remember the businesses that go above and beyond for their pets.
Final Thoughts
When it came time to sit down and write this specific article (while my cat circled across my keyboard repeatedly after our vet appointment), we wanted to make sure that it actually made sense for the pet service providers that we value so much.
You do amazing work keeping our furry friends healthy and looking their best. And as a pet lover who wants the best for my pet’s care team, I wouldn’t recommend NiceJob if I didn’t believe in it. This article just scratches the surface of NiceJob’s growth automation with Reviews and Repeats campaigns. But additional features like Broadcasts (email marketing), AI review replies, Social Proof Widgets, Social Sharing, and automatically triggered Referrals Campaigns can help you take your pet service business even further with minimal setup and administrative maintenance.
We have a free trial (no credit card required) if you want to see the difference with reviews campaigns. Make sure to check it out, and if you sign up, tell them that my cat referred you.
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