PetGroomBossPro Blog — Running a Mobile Grooming Business

The Weekly Office Routine for a Mobile Grooming Business

Nobody becomes a mobile groomer to do paperwork. But every grooming business has an office, even if it is a laptop on the kitchen table. Leads need answering, tomorrow's visits need confirming, invoices need checking. Left alone, the office work piles up into a long Sunday night. Done in small, regular pieces, it takes surprisingly little time.

A Routine Beats a Marathon

Apartment grooming days were covered in Apartment Community Grooming Days for a Mobile Grooming Business. Monthly accounts, second vans and new hires all add office work, which is why a routine matters more as the business grows.

The idea is simple: a few minutes every day, a slightly longer session once a week, and a quick monthly check. Each job has its own time, so nothing gets forgotten and nothing takes over your evening.

Every Day: Confirm Tomorrow

The most important office job is confirming tomorrow's schedule. In PetGroomBossPro, the office schedules the day before, and Pending Jobs shows tomorrow first. Repeat visits are already there with their planned day, time and van. One click keeps each visit's planned day, time and van.

While you are there, check for any new requests under “No Day” that could fit tomorrow, and look at the Scheduled list for each van. Auto-route Closest First or Furthest First from the shop, or set the order by hand. Print route sheets if a groomer likes paper. That is the day planned.

Every Day: Answer Leads and Texts

Check Leads and Form Responses at least once or twice a day. New Book Now requests arrive with the pets, sizes, add-ons and quoted price, so most replies take a minute. Answer texts in two-way texting from the office. A customer moving an appointment, a new gate code, a question about add-ons: each one is quicker to handle the same day than at the end of the week. The habit is covered in Answering Leads Fast in a Mobile Grooming Business.

Every Day: Look Over Today's Completed Jobs

At the end of the day, glance over what was completed. Each job shows its grooming checklist, any note for the customer, before and after photos, and the invoice. Skips arrive with the groomer's note. Reschedule any skipped visits now, while you remember why they were skipped.

Check that every completed job has an invoice and that the card on file was charged. A declined card is much easier to sort out the same evening, with a friendly text, than a month later when the customer has forgotten the visit.

If a groomer noted something about a pet, such as a new behavior or a cut the customer wants changed, update the pet's notes line so the next visit fills in correctly.

Once a Week: Follow Up

Pick a quiet time once a week, perhaps Monday morning or Friday afternoon, for the follow-up jobs:

• Estimates. Look at estimates that have not been approved. Follow-up emails go out on their own, but a personal text can help.
• Unpaid invoices. Check anything past due. Past-due follow-up handles reminders, and most cards on file will already have been charged on completion.
• Upcoming weeks. Look ahead on Pending Jobs for gaps you could fill.
• Recurring Clients. Make any changes customers asked for: a new day, a new time, a different van, or a stop.
• Rabies due dates. When a pet on next week's visits has a typed rabies due date that has passed, ask the customer for the new date.

Once a Month: Look at the Numbers

Once a month, take half an hour to look at a few simple reports. How much did you invoice? How much is still unpaid? How much came in as tips? Which repeat clients stopped? Monthly accounts also get their statements at this point, one per account covering every visit.

This is also a good time to review prices, update your service list and add-ons, and think about the next month. The reports themselves are covered in Simple Reports Every Mobile Grooming Business Owner Should Check. Give your accountant whatever they need for taxes; they can tell you what to keep.

Share the Routine as You Grow

When you hire a bather, a second groomer or a part-time office helper, write the routine down so someone else can do parts of it. Office user roles let you give a helper access to confirming visits and answering texts without giving them everything. Taking a break from the office is covered next in Taking Time Off From Your Mobile Grooming Business Without Losing Clients.

To see how Pending Jobs, Leads, texting and billing fit together, visit the mobile grooming business software page.