How well you communicate with customers can be the single biggest differentiator when it comes to the success of your business. It’s also why certain facilities have hundreds of five-star reviews, while others struggle to retain and attract new customers.
Figuring out communication best practices can be challenging - How frequently should you be reaching out? Through what channels? When is the right time? These are all critical questions to think through as a business owner.
In this post, I’ll outline the six major touch points of the customer lifecycle and explain how each one presents an opportunity for great customer communication.
Touch point #1: Post-booking welcome
As soon as a new customer books a reservation with you, it opens up an opportunity to share more about your business with them — and to address some of their most pressing questions upfront. What can they expect from the process? What type of information are you going to need from them? How is your facility run? You want to give customers a 10,000 foot overview of your facility to help them feel prepared for their pet’s upcoming stay.
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Example:
(You can copy/paste this content!)
Hey there [Customer's Name]!
🐾 We’re so excited to welcome [Pet's Name] to our furry family! 🐾
Here's a quick rundown of what you can expect and what we'll need from you to ensure [Pet's Name] has the most tail-wagging stay ever!
What to Expect:
🏠 Check-In: Plan to spend a few extra minutes with us your first time checking in. Our friendly staff will go over any special instructions and make sure we have all the necessary info to keep [Pet's Name] happy and healthy during their stay.
🍽️ Mealtime: We'll stick to your feeding schedule and dietary preferences to ensure [Pet's Name] gets the same love and care they do at home. Just let us know their favorite grub and any special dietary needs.
🧳 Personal Items: Feel free to bring along [Pet's Name]'s favorite toys, bedding, or anything else that'll make their stay feel more like home sweet home.
Info We Need From You:
📋 Vet Records: For everyone's peace of mind, please make sure [Pet's Name] is up-to-date on vaccinations and flea/tick prevention.
🔖 Emergency Contacts: Just in case, we'll need a way to reach you or someone you trust in case of any unexpected situations. Safety first, always!
Pro Tip: You can save time at check in by sending us your feeding instructions, vet records, and emergency contacts
About Our Pack:
🌟 Safety First: Our facility is equipped with top-notch security measures to ensure your pet's safety at all times. From secure enclosures to 24/7 monitoring, we've got it covered!
🐶 Playtime Galore: Your pup will have a blast romping around in our spacious play areas with furry friends. We make sure they get plenty of exercise and socialization, whether they're playing fetch or just enjoying a good belly rub.
🤗 Lots of Love: We're not just pet lovers; we're pet parents too! Your furry friend will be treated like one of our own, with plenty of cuddles, playtime, and TLC.
💬 Communication is Key: We'll keep you updated throughout [Pet's Name]'s stay with adorable photos and updates, so you can see just how much fun they're having!
If you have any questions or concerns before [Pet's Name]'s stay, don't hesitate to reach out. We're here to make sure this experience is amazing for both you and your beloved fur-baby!
Warm Regards,
[Facility Name]
Touch point #2: Post-booking confirmation
While new customers should get the welcome spiel, returning customers may not need it. However, it’s still important to send all customers confirmation of their booking. This gives them peace of mind that their reservation went through and also serves as a useful record if they need to double check when they’re booked for.
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Booking Confirmation:
(You can copy/paste this content!)
[Booking Package], [Date of Booking] ([Pet's Name], [Pet's Name 2])
[Facility Name]
[Facility Address]
[Facility Phone Number]
Booking Summary
Check-in [check-in date]
[check-in times]
Check-out [check-out date]
[check-out times]
Pets
Contact
[Customer Name]
[Customer Address]
[Customer Phone]
[Customer Email]
Total:
[Total Price]Paid at Booking:
[Amount Paid]Cancellation & Refund Policy
The paid at booking amount is 100% refundable if canceled before [cancellation policy date] [cancellation policy time] (facility local time)
Vaccination Requirements
Proof of current vaccinations must be provided at or before check-in.
Dogs: Rabies, DHPP, Bordetella
Cats: Rabies, FVRCP
Touch point #3: Reminder
At this point in the lifecycle, there are several types of reminder emails that I generally recommend sending out, at a minimum:
- Information collection. If it’s a week or two out from the reservation and you still need information from the owner — such as vaccination records, feeding schedule, medication instructions, etc. — send out a reminder email. This is a great way to make sure that all your t’s are crossed and i’s are dotted before the stay.
- Reservation reminder. A few days out from the reservation, send out a reminder that contains important details and let the owner know you’re looking forward to welcoming their pet soon. This also presents a great opportunity to upsell, whether that’s asking if the customer wants to upgrade to a deluxe room or add on a nature hike.
- Veterinary records. If a customer schedules an appointment and their veterinary records are out of date, you want to quickly send a notification asking for updated records.
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Example:
(You can copy/paste this content!)
Hello from [Facility Name]
Our records show that vaccinations are due for [Pet's Name]. If that is incorrect, please let us know so we can update our records. In order to keep our facility safe for all pets, we will need these vaccinations before drop off.
The last vaccination we have on file expires on [vaccination expiration date]
[Facility Name]
[Facility Address]
[Facility Phone Number]
Touch point #4: Post check-in
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After a pet is checked in for their stay, open up SMS as a communication channel. Reach out to the owner to let them know they’re welcome to check in, ask questions, or communicate with the facility via text. This gives anxious customers relief since they know they have a way to stay in touch with you, making it much more likely that they’ll feel comfortable and satisfied about booking with your facility.
See example on the right
(You can copy/paste this content!)
Hi [Customer Name]! [Pet's Name] is checked in at [Facility Name]. If you need to reach out to us while [Pet's Name] is here, you can simply reply to this thread. 😊🐾
Touch point #5: Updates
The best pet care facilities send owners text updates on a regular basis. Not only is it a great way to boost customer delight, but it’s also a surefire way to garner higher reviews. Yardstick, for example, sends every customer at least a handful of photos and videos of their dog every day. They have seen a strong correlation with the number of photos they send and the number of positive reviews they receive. They believe this is a big reason why they have hundreds of 5-star reviews across all their locations.
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Personalizing your messages by mentioning physical traits or personality quirks helps communicate a deeper level of care to the pet parent. Here’s an example.
Of course, sometimes everything isn’t all sunshine and rainbows - pets may have a harder time adjusting to being away from their pet-parents. In those cases you still want to communicate updates, but we want to avoid panicking the pet-parent unnecessarily. For example, if the pet is just doing “OK”, we might say:
Or, if we find that a pet is taking their time to warm up to your facility, we might instead say:
Touch point #6: Post-stay
Even after a customer happily checks out with their dog, the communication doesn’t end there! Follow up a day or two after with an overview of their pet’s stay. This can either include quick notes that you took or can be an automatically generated ‘report card’ that gives customers a snapshot of the stay. This is also the best time to ask customers to leave you a positive review on whichever site is most impactful for your business. Don’t wait too long to send out this last touch point — the effects of their positive experience may wear off, making it less likely that the customer will take action.
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Example:
(You can copy/paste this content!)
Hi [Customer Name]!
We hope [Pet's Name] enjoyed their stay at [Facility Name], as much as we enjoyed their company.
We’d love to hear your feedback on the stay! We value your opinion and are committed to constantly improving the quality of our care. If you feel inclined, we'd greatly appreciate it if you would leave a Google Review.
Review [Facility Name]
Next visit, just show us the review and your dog(s) will receive a complimentary room service item.
Sincerely,
[Facility Name]
Finally, don’t forget that part of having great communication practices that scale is to invest in the right boarding software. Technology is what will enable you to automate these various emails and texts, so that you don’t have to worry about things falling through the cracks.
If you want to learn how Goose can help you automate your communication efforts throughout the customer lifecycle, request a demo.
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