Pet Care Business Tips for Slow Season Success

Pet-Care-Business-Slow-Season

Running a pet care business can be highly rewarding, but like any business, it may face seasonal or economic slowdowns. If you’re experiencing a lull in your dog daycare, boarding, or grooming services, it’s the perfect time to assess, adapt, and take actions that will set you up for long-term success. Below are 9 strategies on what to focus on during a slowdown to keep your business thriving.

Focus on Building Customer Loyalty

During a slow period, one of the best things you can do is strengthen relationships with your existing clients. Loyal customers are not only likely to return but also recommend your services to others.

  • Follow Up on Customer Experience: Send personalized follow-up messages or digital feedback requests to clients. You will want to understand what services customers wished you would offer, areas where your team can improve the check-in and check-out experience, have them rate your facility cleanliness and smell, etc….  Having direct customer feedback gives you a real opportunity to better serve your customers and to build stronger relationships.
  • Conduct Mystery Calls: For pet businesses, the phone is one of the most valuable resources to convert potential customers into loyal brand advocates and to evaluate your customer experience. By using mystery callers, you can accurately analyze and address how customers are greeted. This data will allow you to improve front desk service, training strategies and further develop customer service improvements. A ‘mystery caller’ should be focused on two different call types:
    • New Customer Calls: How pet care staff answer the phone, the company story they tell, the questions they ask and the way they encourage customers to come in for a discovery day or daycare evaluation are critical to the growth of the business. Business owners need to ensure that these phone calls represent the business well and build rapport and trust with potential new pet parents who are looking for daycare and boarding services.
    • Appointment Calls: Booking appointments for repeat customers is critical to delivering a great customer experience. While most pet care businesses have an online booking option, the reality is that at least 40% of customers will prefer to call and schedule an appointment. In these calls, you want to make sure that staff are looking at previous services that were added to appointments, time since the pets last grooming service and that they are friendly and make customers feel like they are more than just a number. 

Revamp Your Marketing and Expand Online Presence

When business slows down, it’s a great opportunity to refresh your marketing strategy and reach new clients. Boosting your online presence can help attract pet parents who may not be aware of your services.

  • Run Special Promotions: Introduce seasonal or limited-time discounts for daycare, boarding, or grooming. For example, offer a “Christmas Daycare Package” discount for parents dealing with the holiday hustle and bustle and need a solution for their dogs during the day.  
  • Facebook Ads for FREE Discovery Day: Creating Facebook ads is a great way to bring awareness to your local community and having a special offer like a FREE discovery day is a great call to action to ensure you can continue to build your business. The average Facebook lead will cost between $5 and $10 depending on the competition in your market.  One of the most important aspects of running Facebook ads is to ensure you have a process and timeline to follow-up with someone who wants to take advantage of your special offer. 
  • Enhance Social Media Engagement: Share client testimonials, before-and-after grooming photos, or “Day in the Life” videos on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Posting consistently and interacting with followers can help your brand stay top of mind for pet owners in your community.

Add Value with New Services and Enrichment Activities

If your regular services are seeing lower demand, it’s the perfect time to introduce personalized pet care experiences to help get existing customers into your facility and to attract new customers.  

  • Offer Enrichment Activities: Dog owners love knowing their pets are mentally and physically engaged. Offer enrichment activities like agility courses, small group bacon bubbles, puzzle feeders, or play sessions with trainers to add value to daycare and boarding packages.
  • Create an Enrichment Calendar: If you are not currently offering enrichment services, creating an enrichment calendar where you offer free enrichment services 2x per week (on your slowest daycare days) will help get customers to show-up more often and will also help you understand which enrichment services are going to be the most popular with your customers. 
  • Introduce Departure Grooming or Spa Packages: For boarding clients, offer a discounted “departure grooming” package so pets can go home looking fresh and clean. You can also bundle grooming services with daycare for clients who want to take advantage of multiple offerings in one visit.

Invest in Staff Training and Development

During slower periods, shift your focus toward strengthening your team. Investing in staff training can ensure your team provides the best care and customer service possible. It is also a great way to differentiate your business from competitors in the area. If you can focus on staff training that also includes certifications, that is a bonus (PACCC is a great place for certifications).

  • Offer Cross-Training: Crosstrain staff members to handle different responsibilities, such as grooming or customer service. This makes your team more adaptable and allows for smoother operations during busy times.
  • Focus on Continuing Education: Encourage your staff to pursue certifications in pet care, first aid, or grooming techniques. Not only does this improve the quality of care, but it also gives you a competitive edge and instills greater trust in clients.
  • Staff Training Programs: There are a ton of staff training programs out there, but I think two stand out as the clear winners. Dog Handlers Academy and Pack Pro.  

Optimize Operations for Greater Efficiency

A slowdown is the perfect time to streamline processes, adjust policies and prepare for busy periods. Evaluate where your business can operate more smoothly and adjust to improve efficiency.

  • Implement or Upgrade Pet Care Software: Managing schedules, invoicing, and customer communications can be time-consuming. Pet care-specific software can help automate these tasks, allowing your team to focus on quality customer interactions rather than admin work. Having the right kennel software or dog daycare software will also improve labor and ensure your team can provide the highest quality of care.
  • Improve Facility Organization: Review your daycare, grooming, and boarding spaces to ensure everything is set up for optimal workflow. A well-organized facility can reduce stress on staff and enhance the overall experience for pets and their owners. Evaluate feeding prep, delivery and charting. Evaluate rotation and rest schedules. Evaluate the check-in and check-out process to find ways to improve the customer experience (thru faster check-ins and check-outs) as well as being able to focus on giving pet parents an update on the pets’ day.  

Engage Your Community and Network

Pet care businesses thrive on community connections. During slow periods, deepen your relationships with local pet owners, businesses, and shelters to build goodwill and visibility.

  • Host Events or Workshops: Host training workshops, meet-and-greets, or puppy socialization classes. These events not only build your reputation but also encourage repeat business from participants who may later become loyal clients.
  • Partner with Local Businesses: Collaborate with local vets, pet stores, or dog trainers to create referral programs or joint promotions. For instance, partner with a pet store to offer a discount on grooming services for customers who make in-store purchases.

Offer Flexible and Affordable Payment Options

In times of economic downturn, pet owners may be looking for ways to manage costs. Providing flexible payment options can make your services more accessible to a wider customer base.

  • Introduce Payment Plans: For more costly services, like extended boarding or grooming packages, offer payment plans. This allows customers to pay in installments, which may encourage them to book despite budget constraints.  There are several different companies you can partner with to offer a solution to your loyal customers. CareCredit is one solution for pet parents that allows them to pay overtime in monthly installments. 
  • Discount Bundles and Packages: Package services (like grooming + daycare) at a slight discount, making it easier for customers to see the value of booking multiple services. Create a Platinum daycare package that includes daycare days, enrichment services and a bath or grooming service.

Collect Reviews and Showcase Testimonials

Reviews and testimonials are a powerful way to attract new clients. During a slow period, take time to gather reviews from satisfied clients and showcase them on your website and social media.

  • Encourage Happy Customers to Leave Reviews: Politely ask loyal customers if they’d be willing to leave a positive review on platforms like Google, Yelp, or Facebook. Authentic reviews build credibility and help new customers feel more confident about choosing your business. To improve the number of reviews it would be smart to create a QR code that connects directly to the platform of your choice and has it in your lobby. If you are using kennel software (specifically kennel connection cloud), then you can build the review request directly into the software where customers get a text asking them to write a review or provide feedback if they didn’t have a great experience thru an automated check-out text. 
  • Display Testimonials Prominently: Create a dedicated space on your website or social media for customer testimonials, including written reviews and pet photos. This helps potential clients see the positive impact of your services.  Bonus if you can get video testimonials that you can embed directly into your website. Consider that 95% of all new customers are doing some online research, having videos of loyal pet parents talking about why they chose your business and why they trust you can be a game changer.

Evaluate Pricing and Adjust as Needed

During slow periods, review your pricing structure to ensure it’s both competitive and profitable. Consider adjusting pricing or adding services that increase your average revenue per customer.

  • Review Competitor Pricing: Check prices in your local market to ensure you’re offering competitive rates without undervaluing your services. This research can also help you build a better company story and understand how you and your team are different. Incorporate this information into your conversations with new potential customers and update your website to call out how you provide the highest quality of care.
  • Offer Tiered Services: Provide different levels of services at varying price points, like basic, premium, and VIP packages. Tiered pricing gives customers more choices and increases the likelihood of upselling. My preference is to introduce boarding bundles with a good, better and best model.  
    • Platinum Boarding (include 3 enrichment services)
    • Gold Boarding (include 2 enrichment services)
    • Silver Boarding (include 1 enrichment service)

Embrace Slow Periods as Opportunities

A slowdown in your pet care business may feel discouraging, but it’s also an opportunity to refine your operations, enhance customer relationships, and introduce new services that will set you up for long-term success. By taking a proactive approach and using these strategies, you can turn a lull in business into a period of growth and improvement.

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