Pet Sitting Software
No matter if you are cat sitting, dog sitting, or watching other pets - you need a booking system to stay on top of your game.
When to use a booking system as a pet sitter?
Regardless if you are starting, or if you already have an established business as an pet sitter: you just simply need a booking system.
Sure you can text back and forth with customers, they can leave voicemails, or call you whenever. But in this day and age you might want to offer customers a booking system that they can access 24/7. It’s not only a great way to professionalize your business but if you are competing with big platforms that make booking a breeze, it’s also considered a must.
Free pet sitting software from Vev empowers you with smart tools that, for example, let you define your service area in driving minutes. This way you don’t have to disappoint customers if they live too far from where you are based. Vev also allows you to deal with payments yourself if customers prefer to pay in cash. In this case, you just use it as a way to keep track of your schedule.
Vev's pet sitting and daycare software also has a smart system for getting from point A to B. Travel time is accounted for, and you can set the duration of the various services that you offer.
Our pet sitting scheduling software also works the other way around. Pets can come to you and the owners can select at what time they like to drop their beloved Canine or Feline off. These services can be offered one-to-one, or if you have space for multiple animals at the same time, you can adjust your capacity with a few taps of the screen.
“Make it as easy as possible for people to book you ”
How to get more customers for my animal-sitting business?
Now that lockdowns are a thing of the past, offices are open and people are adjusting to their new rhythm. Some have to be at the office 5 days a week, while others are granted more flexibility.
Focusing on this group of pet owners is crucial for growing your business. Research shows that it was not just in cities or the suburbs that people welcomed their fluffsters into their homes.
Three sound ways of finding more customers are:
- Put up ads at dog parks and local pet stores. Find places where pet owners come often, and create a little ad for your business. Make sure to include a QR code where people can book your services right away. If you make use of the free pet sitting business software from Vev, a QR code can be downloaded immediately from your dashboard.
- Find local (Facebook) online groups. People prefer pet sitters that live in their own community. Spreading the word about your business through a local Facebook group or apps like Nextdoor are great ways to get the word out. Introduce yourself and let your community know that you are available to help them out whenever. Since this dangles between an “ad” and a “community post”, try to make it less sales-y and focus more on your passion for, and expertise in, pet sitting.
- Ask current customers to refer somebody else. You can make this a running campaign or only do it 3-4 times a year to make it special. It’s key that you give a little reward to both parties. It could be a nice little treat for the animal you're already watching, or perhaps a discount for the new pet you're welcoming to your business.
“6 out of 10 people prefer to book online ”
Can I work as a pet sitter without using platforms or marketplaces?
Yes! These big platforms and marketplaces are a great way to start if you don’t have any clients yet. Or if you’ve watched many animals from friends and family, but would like to gain more professional experience with customers you don’t have a personal relationship with.
When the time is right, it is advised to break free from these services though. And honestly, there are a couple of reasons why:
- Don’t be dependent on one platform. If the platform you are working with has an outage, or goes out of business. Just two hypothetical scenarios that affect you immediately. Don’t be dependent on one platform, if nothing else to make sure people can find you on two services.
- Platforms take a big cut. Granted, they provide a service and make the payment from both parties hassle-free. But once your pet sitting business is established, you might want to reconsider how “fair” these fees and charges are. If their cut is 30% of your earnings, just run the math on what that's costing you per year. And now do it times five, to gain a bigger perspective on how much money they are taking from you over the course of five years.
- Establish relationships. If you're occasionally watching a cat or dog here and there, it’s all fine. But when you come to people's homes every week you might need to redefine the working relationship. This is especially true if you’ve been working with them for over 6 months. Break free from just being a platform worker, and establish a direct relationship with a free in-built CRM.
The free appointment scheduling system from Vev allows you to run an animal sitting business yourself. It’s up and running in under a minute and you can share the booking link with current customers, and with new ones. You define your service area, and people will see instantly if they can book your services or not. The scheduling can be done 24/7 and adapts to your flexibility, placing Vev among the best pet sitting software for solo entrepreneurs doing pet care as a side hustle. It’s up to you if you allow last-minute bookings, or if your schedule “closes” several hours in advance.
Run your pet sitter on auto-pilot With your new toolset
Sell
Marketing
Payments
Business
Learn
Auto pilot
Overview
No-shows
Customers
Offering
Decide what you offer at your house. Add descriptions for your pets sitting, add an image, and best of all set your own prices.
Your day at a glance
See exactly how much your pet sitter makes, what your pet owners schedule most and even learn how they made their appointment.
Schedule again
In just a tap your pet owners become regulars. Get the best date and time for the next appointment. No upcoming appointment? You and your pet owners are reminded to schedule a pet sitting again.
Sell smart
Add options, durations, variations, preparation time, cleanup time and your duration to help your pet owners schedule.
Your duration Vev+
Some appointments don’t require your attention the whole time, so you can help another pet owner.
Schedule deadline
Decide the exact cutoff time for when pet owners can schedule a pet sitting, giving you full control over availability and scheduling.
Time suggestions
With Smart Suggestions, you can streamline your schedule by offering pet owners a curated selection of the best available times, making it easier for them to schedule. Alternatively, you can opt for Show All Slots, which highlights the most optimal time slots first but also allows pet owners to explore the full list of available options.
Coming soon, you’ll also have the option to restrict bookings to Top of the Hour times, giving you even more control over your schedule and helping you cluster appointments efficiently.
Hide items
Hide pets sitting so you can only schedule them for your customers.
Sell
Offering
Decide what you offer at your house. Add descriptions for your pets sitting, add an image, and best of all set your own prices.
Your day at a glance
See exactly how much your pet sitter makes, what your pet owners schedule most and even learn how they made their appointment.
Schedule again
In just a tap your pet owners become regulars. Get the best date and time for the next appointment. No upcoming appointment? You and your pet owners are reminded to schedule a pet sitting again.
Sell smart
Add options, durations, variations, preparation time, cleanup time and your duration to help your pet owners schedule.
Your duration
Some appointments don’t require your attention the whole time, so you can help another pet owner.
Schedule deadline
Decide the exact cutoff time for when pet owners can schedule a pet sitting, giving you full control over availability and scheduling.
Time suggestions
With Smart Suggestions, you can streamline your schedule by offering pet owners a curated selection of the best available times, making it easier for them to schedule. Alternatively, you can opt for Show All Slots, which highlights the most optimal time slots first but also allows pet owners to explore the full list of available options.
Coming soon, you’ll also have the option to restrict bookings to Top of the Hour times, giving you even more control over your schedule and helping you cluster appointments efficiently.
Hide items
Hide pets sitting so you can only schedule them for your customers.
Marketing
Get reviews from pet owners
Effortlessly collect reviews from your customers, which will soon appear directly on your page for everyone to see.
Share your link
Add your link to your website and socials. A link in bio could boost the appointments of your house up to 40%.
Personalize emails
Create personalized emails for appointments to engage clients and strengthen your business.
Add Vev to your website
Add Vev to your website with two options: a popup booking button or a fully embedded booking widget for seamless pet owner acquisitions.
Cover your pet sitter
Add a cover to your header that matches your house. Impress your pet owners of your pet sitter even more.
Schedule with a QR-code
Make it easy for your pet owners to schedule pets sitting by placing your QR code on flyers, business cards, stickers, posters, or any other visible spots in their house. With just a quick scan on their phone, they can access your services effortlessly, no extra steps needed.
Policy
Set up a clear policy that outlines your terms for bookings, cancellations, refunds, and any additional fees. Defining these guidelines helps manage customer expectations and reduces the risk of disputes.
Page description
Write a catchy slogan or description that highlights what makes your pet sitter special. This helps your pet owners share and recommend you to others.
Show your colors
Set the tone for your page by choosing colors that represent their house. These will create a cohesive look across your page, tools, and emails, aligning everything with your unique brand.
Social handles
Add the profiles of their house from Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, and your website to connect with pet owners and expand your online reach.
Payments
Get paid ahead
Have your pet owners pay ahead for their appointment. Only if you want to, you're the pet sitter, and you are in control.
Deposits
Have your pet owners put down a deposit to get their appointment. This has proven to reduce no-shows.
Scan to pay
Let your pet owners scan your QR for you to get paid. Vev will keep track of who has paid for their pet sitting so your pet sitter administration is always up to date.
Tap to Pay on iPhone
Accept contactless payments with only your iPhone. No extra terminals or hardware needed.
Discounts
It's easy to give your pet owner a discount on their pet sitting. Choose a percentage or fixed amount. Whatever works best for your pet sitter.
Add amount
Add a percentage or fixed amount to the price of the appointment, in the simplest way possible for you as a pet sitter.
No extra payment devices
No need to fill in the amount again. Or sync, connect and pay for that extra device in your house. Simply use your phone to have pet owners pay for their pets sitting on the spot.
Refunds
Choose if pet owners who've paid ahead will automatically be refunded when their appointment is cancelled.
Payments work out of the box
Payments are set up very easy. So you can get paid out of the gate.
Policy
Set up a clear policy that outlines your terms for bookings, cancellations, refunds, and any additional fees. Defining these guidelines helps manage customer expectations and reduces the risk of disputes.
Business
Your overview of pets sitting
See exactly who will get what pet sitting, and at what time the appointment is due.
Your opening hours
You decide when their house is open (or closed) for appointments.
Choose a time and date
Let your pet owners pick a time that suits them best, while you stay in control by deciding how strict or flexible your scheduling rules are.
Add your breaks
Plan when you want a fixed break. Looking for more flexibility? Turn on smart breaks.
Add 'Me time'
Got a personal appointment? With just a tap you can block time off. This way pet owners can't make an appointment.
Exceptions
Want to stay open on public holidays or take a well-deserved vacation? You’re in full control of their house’s hours.
Schedule deadline
Decide the exact cutoff time for when pet owners can schedule a pet sitting, giving you full control over availability and scheduling.
Export your appointments
Export data of their house on a monthly basis. Including all the information of your appointments soon this will also include taxes. Giving you all the information you need.
Capacity
Set up the number of pet owners you can have at the same time.
Sync to your calendar
Automatically sync (one way) your appointments to your personal calendar app.
Ahead of time
Set up your booking horizon, this let you define how far in the future pet owners are able to schedule pets sitting.
Your duration
Some appointments don’t require your attention the whole time, so you can help another pet owner.
Notifications for you
When your pet owner makes an appointment, cancelation or change you will receive a notification.
Time suggestions
With Smart Suggestions, you can streamline your schedule by offering pet owners a curated selection of the best available times, making it easier for them to schedule. Alternatively, you can opt for Show All Slots, which highlights the most optimal time slots first but also allows pet owners to explore the full list of available options.
Coming soon, you’ll also have the option to restrict bookings to Top of the Hour times, giving you even more control over your schedule and helping you cluster appointments efficiently.
Learn
Your month wrapped up
Every month we email you analytics of last months' appointments, cancelations, most popular pets sitting and revenue. This way you know exactly how your house is doing.
Your day at a glance
See exactly how much your pet sitter makes, what your pet owners schedule most and even learn how they made their appointment.
Auto pilot
Emails
Every appointment, cancellation, change and reminder is automatically sent to your pet owners. Emails are sent in your style so they feel familiar to your pet owners.
Appointment reminders
On the day of the appointment, your pet owner receives a reminder from you. It's send automatically and includes all the information of their pet sitting.
Your month wrapped up
Every month we email you analytics of last months' appointments, cancelations, most popular pets sitting and revenue. This way you know exactly how your house is doing.
Share your link
Add your link to your website and socials. A link in bio could boost the appointments of your house up to 40%.
Bookkeeping
Make your administration of their house run smooth.
Plus, a lot more
There's a lot more coming in Vev+ that will make doing business even easier. But we keep those under wraps for the moment.
Personalize emails
Create personalized emails for appointments to engage clients and strengthen your business.
Overview
Calendar view
See all your pet sitter appointments in a calendar view.
Your overview of pets sitting
See exactly who will get what pet sitting, and at what time the appointment is due.
Your day at a glance
See exactly how much your pet sitter makes, what your pet owners schedule most and even learn how they made their appointment.
Today's pet owners
Your daily overview of pet owners. Showing you exactly who's you will see today, and an easy way to let you schedule again.
Delivery overview
See exactly where and at what time you need to deliver pets sitting. Everything shown on an interactive map to make it crystal clear for you!
Notifications for you
When your pet owner makes an appointment, cancelation or change you will receive a notification.
Sync to your calendar
Automatically sync (one way) your appointments to your personal calendar app.
Your month wrapped up
Every month we email you analytics of last months' appointments, cancelations, most popular pets sitting and revenue. This way you know exactly how your house is doing.
No-shows
Appointment reminders
On the day of the appointment, your pet owner receives a reminder from you. It's send automatically and includes all the information of their pet sitting.
Policy
Set up a clear policy that outlines your terms for bookings, cancellations, refunds, and any additional fees. Defining these guidelines helps manage customer expectations and reduces the risk of disputes.
Change the time
Pet owners can change the time of their upcoming appointment as long as the cancelation deadline hasn't passed.
Add to Calendar
Pet owners can add the appointment to their calendar. This way they receive a notification before their pet sitting. The address, travel time and link to their confirmation page can be found in the event details.
Add to wallet
After pet owners schedule pets sitting, they get a pass for their digital wallet. When added they get a notification on their phone at the right time. The pass contains all the details like; date, time, location, total cost, payment details and link.
Emails
Every appointment, cancellation, change and reminder is automatically sent to your pet owners. Emails are sent in your style so they feel familiar to your pet owners.
Pet owner details
For pet sitters it's super handy to have all the details of pet owners at their finger tips. Allowing you to send a text, call or email whenever you need.
Cancelation deadline
Set a deadline for when pet owners can cancel for free, giving you more control over your schedule and protecting your time. When a cancellation is made, pet owners will automatically receive an email with a link to easily schedule their next pet sitting with your pet sitter, ensuring a smooth and professional experience.
Pet owner history
See exactly what pet sitting your pet owner scheduled before.
Customers
Fields
Add more specific pet owner information to run your pet sitter even better. For instance add their date of birth, Customer ID, pet name and more.
Get reviews from pet owners
Effortlessly collect reviews from your customers, which will soon appear directly on your page for everyone to see.
Customer list
See or find your most valuable pet owners. This lets you build relationships and get more appointments.
Edit pet owners
Edit pet owner details, merge and remove to keep your pet owner list up to date.
Pet owner details
For pet sitters it's super handy to have all the details of pet owners at their finger tips. Allowing you to send a text, call or email whenever you need.
Add notes
Add notes about your pet owners. These notes show up around the appointment, so you can pick up the conversation with your pet owner where you left off last time.
Today's pet owners
Your daily overview of pet owners. Showing you exactly who's you will see today, and an easy way to let you schedule again.
Schedule again
In just a tap your pet owners become regulars. Get the best date and time for the next appointment. No upcoming appointment? You and your pet owners are reminded to schedule a pet sitting again.
It's your data
It's your data. The pet owner information is yours. Vev doesn't sell, resell, target or advertise with the data from your pet sitter. Of course not!
Pet owner history
See exactly what pet sitting your pet owner scheduled before.
