"How can I get customers to pre-book?" a groomer recently wrote on a networking page. "I recently bought a business, and the customers are accustomed to making appointments online. It's nerve-wracking for me because the schedule will look wide open, but then there is a sudden flurry, and it gets full."
Encouraging customers to set their next grooming appointment (or multiple appointments) has a bunch of things going for it. First off, it removes the anxiety of those unfilled days on the calendar. Secondly, it ensures the customer can secure the best grooming date for their schedule. Thirdly, it saves us time on the phone arranging appointments while trying to trim a terrier or brush a bichon. It can also be a barometer to help us gauge if we need to stop taking in new customers. In our small grooming studio, we schedule 95% of our customers for the entire year starting in January. Looking at our year ahead gives us an excellent idea of when and if we can accept a new dog that expects to be a regular visitor. While setting up the calendar for the year ahead, we also add some bonus days off here and there (always a pleasant surprise!) and plan vacation and holiday time.
So, how can you get your customers on board with this plan? There are a variety of options. We started by opening up our appointment book as the customer was paying for our service and saying, "Let's go ahead and plan Mr. Bonker's next visit; the schedule is booking up, and I want to make sure you get your preferred date." A considerable percentage of our customers responded positively to this, and once we got them to pre-plan one appointment, it became a habit for them. Some people didn't want to commit, but because we were busy, they soon found they could not always get in as quickly or on the day they wanted. The moment we heard a note of frustration from them, we would say, "Let's go ahead and plan your next several appointments so you never have to be disappointed."
After getting most of our customers to plan for one or more grooming dates, we contacted each one in December and said, "We are setting up our schedule for the year and would like to get your dog's grooming planned. What dates and times are best for you?" Only a few declined to go along with this plan, and we fit those dogs where we can when they call.
By making pre-scheduling easy and convenient for your customers, you provide good customer service and make planning your work days easier, as well. It may take a little time to get people used to the change, but it is so worth it.
