From Appointment to Checkout – The Benefits of Using Deposits at Your Pet Care Business
One of the most common changes that occurred post-pandemic for service-based businesses like pet boarding, grooming, and daycare is requiring a deposit when booking an appointment.
After undergoing a business slowdown or stopping altogether during the COVID lockdown and the height of the pandemic, these businesses needed to find ways to get their revenue back on track. During the industry’s rebirth, mandatory deposits emerged more frequently as a simple yet effective solution to secure cash flow.
Learn more about the importance of deposits, the benefits of collecting them, and how DaySmart Pet can help you capture deposits, run your pet care business more efficiently, and allow you to do what you love most: taking care of VIPs (Very Important Pets).
Why are Deposits Important for Your Pet Care Business?
Service-based businesses that depend on appointments can often lose business from clients who fail to show up and don’t rebook. Asking customers for a partial deposit or payment in full before their appointment will protect your business against last-minute cancellations and no-shows. Clients are more likely to keep their dog salon and boarding appointments or rebook rather than lose their deposit. Collecting deposits ensures that appointments will occur as planned and helps prevent empty time slots in your calendar, ensuring a consistent flow of clients and revenue.
Before implementing deposits, be aware that businesses in the service industry need modern tools to accept modern payments. For today’s consumer, credit and digital cash are king. A Forbes survey from 2023 found that 81% of consumers typically use a credit or debit card to pay for online and in-person purchases. This means more people are turning to digital wallet payments like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay. In fact, McKinsey’s 2023 consumer survey discovered that nine out of 10 consumers reported using a digital wallet payment over the course of the year. This means pet owners might prefer to pay with their smartphone rather than juggle their wallet or purse and their pooch’s leash!
Also, consider what you could do with the guaranteed revenue and saved time that’s coming your way! Deposits help you build your bank account to expand your pet care business, hire more staff, allow said staff to focus more on grooming tasks and less on administrative tasks so you can work less, and finally, take time for that vacation you’ve been dreaming about but never booked.
What are the Benefits Of Using Pet Grooming Software to Collect Deposits?
Adopting pet grooming software is the best way to collect deposits for your business. Modern pet grooming software is equipped to work with today’s consumer payment preferences. These solutions offer secure integrated payment processing so you can effortlessly collect deposits, eliminating the need for manual handling of cash or checks. This not only reduces administrative tasks but also enhances the overall efficiency of your operations. Imagine the time and energy you can save by automating your deposit collection process and what you can do instead.
Modern pet care management software stays up-to-date on industry trends and needs, so they are constantly enhancing the way they accept payments and take deposits. These solutions ensure secure payment processing so you can safely collect revenue while eliminating the need to handle cash and checks. Everything online reduces the need for payment reconciliation and centralizes all your payment details in one location.
Some business management solutions also offer reporting features that allow you to monitor cash flow and forecast your future revenue, helping you set realistic goals and make informed decisions about your business strategies. By having deposits, you’re adding more payment-related data to your pet grooming software that will help improve visibility into business performance.
How Does DaySmart Pet Help You Capture Deposits?
DaySmart Pet is the leading business management software solution for pet care businesses looking to simplify how they schedule and manage appointments, take payments, and communicate with customers.
With integrated payments, you capture deposits during the appointment booking process so you can easily accept and manage payments directly from the software. This enables you to simplify check-in and check-out. Storing credit card information on file makes it easy for you to collect deposits, automate your payment reconciliation process, and give pet parents a no-stress way to collect their best friend and head straight home. You can also accept payments from your clients with modern devices that support transactions via swipe or tap. Every payment is processed securely with industry-leading security standards.
Get The Right Tools in Place for Deposits And More
Your pet care business can prevent no-shows and lost revenue by requiring deposits from appointment to checkout. You need the right pet care management tools to process payments and help streamline your operations.
With DaySmart Pet by your side, you’ll be able to start taking deposits so you can continue growing your pet care business. See our deposits feature in action by booking a free demo today.