How to Keep Dog Sitting Clients Happy (and Rebooking) Through Great Communication”

In this episode, we’re diving into one of the biggest game-changers for your success — communication. From the first enquiry to post-stay follow-ups, the way you communicate can make or break your client experience.

Get ready for real talk, practical tips, and stories from the dog-sitting trenches that’ll help you create clients who keep coming back, tails wagging.

If you want to create a thriving dog sitting biz, take a look at Paws to Profit https://pawstoprofit.com.au/

Transcript

Tanya williams
Hey, it's Tanya here, your Chief Pawson and host of Pawster Profit and your go-to gal for turning dog-sitting side hustles into thriving five-star businesses. Now, today's episode is one that might ruffle a few tales, but in the best possible way because we're talking about about something that truly separates the five-star sitters from the average one.

00:22.52
Tanya williams
And that is communication. Because client experience is everything. And how you communicate before, during, and after booking will either win you a lifetime client or lose them forever.

00:34.46
Tanya williams
So grab a drink and a doggy cuddle and let's dig in. So why is communication the cornerstone of your client experience? Well, communication is literally the glue that holds your business together.

00:49.92
Tanya williams
Now, you could be the most loving dog sitter in the world, have the best dog beds, the cutest decor, but if your communication sucks, then clients won't come back now you might think you're doing everything right the dogs are happy the house is spotless but if the owner gets radio silence for 24 hours and suddenly they're panicking imagining their fur baby lost in the wilderness then that's a problem here's the thing right when someone hands you their dog they're handing you their heart so your job is to not just care for the dog but to communicate trust every step of the way

01:25.03
Tanya williams
So let's talk about communication before the booking. Now, um you know before the booking even happens, this is where your communication sets the tone. So when someone inquires, how fast do you reply?

01:40.49
Tanya williams
Because timing matters. People will often book the sitter who replies first, not necessarily best one. And I use this rule. like I will try and respond to someone within the hour and often it's less time than that.

01:54.89
Tanya williams
um So if I'm driving or um if I'm in the middle of like a meeting or something, obviously I can't respond as quickly. But if I'm sitting there and I get an inquiry while I'm working, I will respond as soon as possible. And usually that's, you know, within minutes.

02:09.50
Tanya williams
So even if you... you can't do that. Even if it's a thanks for your message, I'm with some dogs right now, but I'll reply really soon. It's telling the owner that, hey, Kay, you're on the ball. You've got my my message and you're going to get back to me quickly.

02:22.82
Tanya williams
So I will often get new inquiries come through at 8pm at night when I'm mid Netflix and dog snuggles. And i usually do a quick message back if I can't give them a full reply, but I'll go, hey, thanks for reaching out.

02:35.77
Tanya williams
Those dates sound fine, but I'll confirm availability in the morning. um ah But in the meantime, can you tell me a bit more about your dog? um What breed are they? You know, what other information can you share?

02:47.47
Tanya williams
Now, that's something that I would normally do like on a weekend, right? If it's a Saturday day or Sunday night or something and we're in the middle of movie night, I bet I always will acknowledge it. And then I will give them a full, um you know, message back in the morning.

03:00.15
Tanya williams
But that small message usually gets me in the booking because clients know I'm responsive. And new clients often say, you were the only pet sitter who replied straight away. See what I mean? It's that little stuff, right?

03:12.85
Tanya williams
So um you've also got to think about what your meet and greet communication looks like as well. So, you know, you've got to be easy, professional and friendly. So I always, once I've set up a meet and greet, send a short reminder to go, hey, just confirming that we're still good for five o'clock today.

03:29.48
Tanya williams
Um, here's our address details. Let me know if you're running late, if there's any issues, because one, you know, it's that communication just, Hey, yep, I'm on top of this. Um, and it's just prompting them as well. So, you know, I'll often just go look forward to meeting you and Charlie on Saturday.

03:46.39
Tanya williams
um you know, I have a checklist here. Um, so we can make sure we cover everything off, but like, you know, however you want to word it, like, it's totally up to you. Make it, make it your own. But just having a simple check-in before that, it just builds confidence with them, okay?

04:02.76
Tanya williams
So, you know, that's your before. So that's the inquiry, your meet and greet. The whole point of a meet and greet as well is to cover as much information as you can and find out as much about the dog as possible. Let the owner ask lots of questions and be, you know, upfront in answering those honestly because it's much better to get to have that honest communication right from the start.

04:23.37
Tanya williams
Now, let's move on to communication during this day. Now, now that their dog's there, their tail's wagging, the parents have just gone off on their holiday, this is where your communication can really shine and make a difference. Now, I don't think there's any such thing as too much communication, okay?

04:37.62
Tanya williams
You want to send four or five videos or photos in a day, parents appreciate that. Even if they don't always respond to it, they go, oh my God, we love seeing all these videos because we've got to remember they're relaxing and they're on their holiday as well. But you giving them that information is you know really important so would think of it as bit of a rule of thumb like this send them a quick update in the morning hey great charlie was great overnight no issues slept all the way through didn't hear a peep from him um you know that's sort of short and sweet you can send something maybe around midday when it's snack time perhaps or they're playing with their friends here's a little photo of charlie's having lots of fun

05:13.50
Tanya williams
and maybe one at night when they're cuddled up, you know, next to you and they're all snuggly and tired and, hey, they've had a great day and they've all worn out. of You know, again, just personalise the photo. um You know, so you want to send them different photos of the dogs maybe sleeping, the dogs on their bed, on you know, playing with other dogs, snuggling with other dogs, you cuddling them, that sort of stuff.

05:34.11
Tanya williams
um But clients love to see that because it stops their anxiety because, you remember, you've got their baby, right? you've got their heart. um So they want to make sure that they're getting the best care possible.

05:46.07
Tanya williams
So, you know, you don't want them getting anxious and going, oh my God, like what's happening? Is my dog okay? Look, I haven't heard from you. You know, you want them to have that feeling of, oh wow, look at that. They're so happy and we don't have to worry.

05:58.57
Tanya williams
So I get told all the time by our clients, oh my God, we love the updates you share. The kids love watching the videos. we can actually relax on our holiday and we never worry because you just give us total peace of mind.

06:10.86
Tanya williams
That to me is everything. The fact that you can do your job well and put the parents at ease and know um that their dog is getting the best care is what is going to win you great reviews and repeat business.

06:26.78
Tanya williams
And that's how you build build loyalty because they will rebook every time because they know they get those updates and they know that you are going to keep them in the loop because you've got remember you're not just a dog sitter like you're a bit of a storyteller because you'rere you're sharing the story of their dog's adventure with you while mom and dad are away right so if you're having issues with with how you position that mentally think of it like that I'm just their storyteller Now let's also talk about when things go wrong. So look, stuff happens, right? A dog might get sick with a bit of diarrhea or vomiting or they've had an accident in the in the yard or something's happened where they've eaten something and you think maybe they need to go to the emergency vet or the vet or whatever it might be because, you know, upset tummies and thunderstorms and, you know, they won't eat their dinner or they've hurt themselves. Like that's just, it happens, okay? Okay.

07:20.81
Tanya williams
And, you know, that's just par with the course sometimes. But the key is to be honest and stay calm and communicate the issue with their parents. So don't try and hide the fact of, oh my God, this has happened.

07:35.05
Tanya williams
um Communicate it with them. So, um you know, so you might just go, hey, quick heads up. Coco had a bit of an upset tummy today. um You know, he's been, ive you know, I've been keeping an eye on her.

07:45.55
Tanya williams
She's drinking water and she's all fine otherwise, but just letting you know, um i'm just keeping an eye on her and I'll keep you updated if everything changes. So it shows you're responsible. It shows you're proactive.

07:56.08
Tanya williams
It shows you care. Nine out of 10 times, I'll just go, oh, thank you so much for the update and for letting us know. That's all you need to do. And just keep them posted. Later in the day, go, hey, all is good.

08:08.09
Tanya williams
You know, it seems to be much better now. Or, hey, I've given them some chicken, pumpkin and rice for dinner to help with that. Whatever it might be. I mean, you are their their carer. So you need to be on top of whatever the issue is.

08:21.31
Tanya williams
Don't wait till they get home and pick up the dog and say, oh, yeah, we had this problem like last week and this is what's happened because like they're going, well, you know, why didn't you tell me then? Stay on top of your communication, right? Honesty makes all the difference.

08:35.68
Tanya williams
Now, the next thing you might want to think about is post-stay communication. So that magic follow-up. So, you know, how was Charlie after his stay? Was he tired? You know, how did he settle in back home? Like just a little follow-up can make a big difference. Or, you know, thanks for but um allowing us to look after him. We loved having him. We would love to see him back again.

08:54.66
Tanya williams
um You know, something as simple as that. is just, again, it just shows that you care about the dog and their needs, um you know, and they're going to be more likely to give you a review as well if you've done a great job, right? So, you know, just follow up um with them, make sure that um puppy's okay and settling in okay at home. So it could be just a, hey, just checking in to make sure they've settled, love to hear how they're doing.

09:19.77
Tanya williams
um You know, if you had a great experience, it it would leave, um it would mean so much if you leave a review for us. um You know, little things like that matter. Now, let's talk about how we communicate with them because every client is different um and obviously there are lots of different ways to communicate with our pet parents and I um will always usually follow their leads. So if they like to email me,

09:46.66
Tanya williams
Then i will use email as the primary way of communicating. If they are are a text message person, um i will send them text messages. ah If they're going overseas, often we'll do WhatsApp. I tend to find that older people like a phone call, so they will ring and ask about availability.

10:02.41
Tanya williams
um And they'll ring and confirm different things and stuff, which is totally fine as well. So, um you know, let's talk about how to actually communicate with them because not every message belongs in the same place either.

10:13.91
Tanya williams
I like to be able to keep a paper trail. Things like bookings, I want in email. um You know, that sort of thing I think should be kept and as um the really the backbone of your communication quotes, booking confirmation, you know, any sort of um anything that's signed, invoices, whatever it might be, follow-ups, thank you notes, reviews.

10:35.03
Tanya williams
I keep them in um in email because that way I can keep track of them easily. ah like text message for um for quick updates. So when I'm sending out updates about stays and photos, I'll send them a quick text message.

10:47.93
Tanya williams
If I'm confirming meet and greets or pick up times or drop off times, I'll I will use a quick check um tech ah text message, um you know, all that sort of stuff because it's it's really quick. It's easy for them to grab their phone and go, great, yeah, all well.

11:01.04
Tanya williams
Keep it short and sweet. You don't want to send a three-page bloody message as a text. You just want it to be, you know, really really sort of quick. um And, you know, like as I said, a lot of our clients who are going overseas will go, can you just WhatsApp me?

11:15.60
Tanya williams
because we don't have data or whatever. So again, that's just easy. You can keep, you can literally you see that trail of photos and updates and so forth. So, um you know, if you're using a third party app, you can use their in-app messaging.

11:28.81
Tanya williams
I found that often to be very unreliable because of the glitches and the nature of it. So I would say to my pet parents, can you give me your phone number just in case there's issues with this? I'd rather keep you updated directly.

11:42.32
Tanya williams
And that way I would just send send them photos and videos because you can't send video through a lot of those platforms either. So I can second send you videos this way. And they were always happy to give their um phone number to me so I could keep them updated using um that method.

11:56.62
Tanya williams
Now, as I mentioned, some people prefer, um you know, to use the phone. I would only um normally communicate with them with a phone call if there is ah bigger issue.

12:07.20
Tanya williams
So if there's a ah big injury or I'm super concerned and I know that they prefer to have a quick phone call about something, I think I've done that like once or twice in all these years. Like it's never been something I've had to do because I've never had any major issues.

12:23.67
Tanya williams
but think of the um the message that you're going to be conveying with them. um If it is something super serious, perhaps a phone call is a better way of doing it or even a voice note or something that's a bit more personal.

12:35.88
Tanya williams
Social media DMs, these drive me a bit nuts because I tend to lose DMs because I do so much um you know DMing and stuff like that and I have issues with Instagram getting them and stuff. So i always say to people, hey, instead of just sending me a DM through here, here's my number, let's just text because that's easy for me. it's It's going to mean that I'm going to get back to you much faster because I'll see a text message pop up. I'm not on Facebook and and Instagram all day.

13:03.36
Tanya williams
So um I will often get inquiries initially via um a DM on Insta or Facebook, but then I'll try and move them to email or text message just because one, I've got a trail of them. And when I've got to go back and reconfirm times for drop-offs and stuff like that, it's easy to, it's there.

13:18.71
Tanya williams
But I know I've got a record of all their contact details as well. Um, because yeah, it's really, i find it really easy to lose track of those messages, but, um, you know, and also once I've got their details, I can add their email to our client list and I can send them regular emails post date as well. So that's another reason why it is good to have that information.

13:39.45
Tanya williams
Photo and video updates. So technically, i guess that's not a channel as such, but it's a super powerful way to communicate. I've ah like i've got thousands of photos and videos um on my phone. So I'm constantly taking them every day. It's like photo shoots happening. um But, you know, clients love that and they love seeing their dogs playing and they and the happy tails wagging and so forth.

14:02.77
Tanya williams
And I also will use that footage in promotional little videos and stuff like we might put together like little snippets or we might be promoting daycare or whatever it might be and we'll use some of that footage um in there as well.

14:15.74
Tanya williams
um And in saying that, I have the permission to do that because one of our questions on our intake form is, um are you happy for us to share your dog on social media? And most people are more than happy for their dog to be the stars, right?

14:29.81
Tanya williams
um But yeah, so you know that's an easy way of of communicating with them. So there was a lot to cover in that. So let's sum that up. So I would text for quick updates.

14:40.84
Tanya williams
I will email all the important stuff like booking forms and so forth. um I would use in-app stuff for platform bookings, um but also probably do that via text as well.

14:51.49
Tanya williams
um Phone and video for trust building, sharing photos, videos and so forth. And of course, you know, you want to be sending photos for all sorts of stuff. So If you can master when and how to use each of those, your communication will actually feel seamless.

15:04.14
Tanya williams
It will be professional and it creates that reassurance for your clients because it doesn't need to be fancy. It just has to be thoughtful. Okay. So here's a few things that I'm going to also share about what to avoid. So the common communication mistakes that I um see often.

15:23.52
Tanya williams
One is slow replies. If it takes you two days to reply, you have already lost them. They're like, we've moved on. Like we found someone like, you know, two days ago. Vague updates like, oh yeah, all's good. That's not an update.

15:35.42
Tanya williams
You know, want to give you want to give, you know, your your um owners detail. Don't overshare, like don't panic message them with tiny little issues and so forth. Yeah, you want to share major things, but, um you know, just think about what you're sharing and when you're sharing.

15:50.55
Tanya williams
aunt Make sure you're confirming details as well. So don't forget to confirm dates, drop-off times, feeding instructions, all that sort of stuff. And then no communication after the stay. So, you know, sometimes that might feel a bit cold, but it's always nice to send little note going, hope hope they they're all well.

16:07.26
Tanya williams
um You know, and yeah you might not think these are big deals, but things like slow replies and vague updates certainly are um issues. So communication is the way to grow your business. It matters so much because communication is how you're going to grow your business organically.

16:27.05
Tanya williams
it This is part of the overall client experience, right? So, um you know, a great experience creates word of mouth, thoughtful updates turn into five-star reviews. Every follow-up becomes a repeat client.

16:38.72
Tanya williams
So that means you can stop chasing bookings because your clients want to come back. So at 3SportDogs, my repeat clients are my biggest source of revenue because they will just continue to refer me all the time.

16:50.81
Tanya williams
um And that all started with that clear, loud, kind, proactive message. communication so you know we want you want your clients to be saying we never have to worry when our dog with is with you because that means that you have nailed it okay and that's your brand magic you can probably hear one of my dogs barking the background that's my little boy going mommy where are you um So again, let's wrap up.

17:13.04
Tanya williams
Communication builds trust. Set the expectations early. Don't assume clients know your process. That's a super thing. and we're going to talk about whole process and systems in another episode as well.

17:23.83
Tanya williams
Be proactive, not reactive. So communicate before they even ask. Use systems to stay consistent. And again, we're going to do another episode on systems um because even having templates, it can help a lot in terms of that.

17:37.14
Tanya williams
And always close the loop. So thank them, follow up, invite them back. Now, remember, you're not just looking after dogs, you're looking after people's hearts and the way you communicate that love is what turns a one-time booking into a thriving, profitable, positive business.

17:53.84
Tanya williams
So if today's episode gave you a few light bulb moments, be sure to make sure you're following on Spotify, Apple, pot um Amazon, however you're listening. Please leave us a review because that helps more people get um find the podcast and that means we can share all these with more people across the world online.

18:10.86
Tanya williams
And if you want to take your dog sitting beers from side hustle to five-star success, head over to pawstoprofit.com.au and you're going to find some free resources, tools, and my coaching program that's going to help you to deliver ah all that.

18:24.65
Tanya williams
So until next time, keep wagging those tails, keep communicating, and keep creating Pawson client experiences for your clients and the guests.