How to Choose a Software for Your Pet Business

Starting a pet business is one thing, but running the day-to-day operations is another. As your business grows and you take on more clients, your simple business management techniques might not cut it anymore. You'll spend valuable time manually tracking hours, scheduling clients, overseeing operations, accounting, and the list goes on. It can lead to mistakes, damaged relationships, harming your business's image, and an overall poor customer experience.

Manually taking on these tasks for a growing small business is nothing short of impossible. This is where business management software comes in to save the day. A software designed to manage processes, collect and store data, process invoices, manage schedules, create email marketing, and much more.

Choosing the right business management software for your pet business can seem daunting. After all, there are dozens of different kinds of software to consider. The first step is to truly understand what business management software can do for you, to help make the decision that much easier.

What is a business management software?

Business management software is an all-in-one system that helps you to manage the day-to-day of your operations. It includes features and applications that can streamline processes and optimize various aspects of your business. You can manage finances, operations, marketing, employees, scheduling, occupancy, etc.

Many options are available, from pet-sitting software to kennel software, each are designed with a specific pet care business in mind. Pet management software ultimately can save you time, reduce costs, increase productivity, improve client relationships, and more.

‍

7 Benefits of a business management software.

Most successful pet care companies know the many benefits a comprehensive software can have. Many software options have features that you can utilize for your own dog daycare or pet-sitting business.

Some of the benefits of a great business management software include:

1. Keeping client information organized. 

As your business grows, with business management software, you can store client's contact information, services they've ordered, email and marketing preferences, and more. You can easily look up clients at the click of a button. Or you or your employees can review their pet's information to ensure you are scheduling and planning accordingly.

2. Improve communications. 

With everything you need to manage your pet business stored in one place, communication is easier than ever. Using a centralized platform, you can improve your internal and external communications with your clients. Improved collaborations and improved communications make your business more efficient and productive.

3. Decreases costs. 

One of the most significant benefits is the money you'll be able to save. Spending on one single software allows you to spend less on multiple software that are essential for running your pet care business.

4. Better document management. 

As a pet business, you'll need to keep essential records of your clients and their pets. A centralized software organizes and stores all important documents, from vaccination records to contracts.

5. Make informed decisions. 

It can be overwhelming to make decisions for your business, especially if you're looking over notes, documents, and information spread out across different platforms. Business management software allows you to review your operations and finances as a whole. By utilizing the data you collect, you can improve your decision-making processes.

6. Simplifies business management. 

Utilizing an all-in-one business management software simplifies your operations management and makes things run smoothly. You can easily document processes, assign tasks, communicate with your team, and more.

7. Minimizes errors. 

With a full suite of features to utilize, you can minimize the possibility of errors. These software solutions can help automate processes that reduce the chance of mistakes occurring when manually managing operations.

‍

‍

How to choose a business management software.

When choosing a pet management software for your pet business, you should consider the size and complexity of your business, the specific features you need, and your budget. Pet care software options vary significantly in complexity and price. It is important that you map your specific needs to features that will create value for your small business.

‍

Step 1 - Identify your business needs.

Before you decide, it's important to understand your unique pet business needs. Think about your overall business operations.

• Do you need more accounting or financial supportive software? 
• Do you want software that enables you to schedule and manage your occupancy? 
• Do you need software that can automate many tasks to take some manual work off your plate? 

Think about your business goals and use that as a starting point as you dive into research.

‍

Step 2 - Identify desired software features.

With so many pet software tools available, it can be hard to know what you actually need. Consider your business needs and focus on the features that could help your business the most. Try not to get pulled in with the added flashy features some software solutions offer which you likely won't use.

Here are just a few of the different business software features that can benefit your pet business:

• Payment processing: You can't run a business without the ability to take different forms of payments. With the advancement of technology, payment processing has moved far beyond the basic credit card machine. Does the software provide physical POS systems? Is it an operations software that partners with reliable payment processing partners like PetExec?
• Booking features: In most pet care businesses, you will need to book and schedule your clients and their pups. Whether you're scheduling clients for their next grooming appointment, training session, or doggy daycare, booking software features make tracking clients coming in each day easy. Does the software allow pet parents to perform online bookings or will they still have to call in to schedule appointments?
• Client communication: Some software allows you to communicate with your clients by sending updates or highlights from their pet's experience at your business. This type of feature can allow you to build a strong relationship with your clients, encouraging them to always choose you over the competition.
• Employee management: Most pet care business tools have a time-clock module to make employee management much easier. You can easily keep track of employee start and end times, schedule breaks, and ensure you are fully staffed for the number of pets in your care. 

‍

Step 3 - Additional factors to consider.

Business management software has much more to offer your business than the features it includes. When shopping for a comprehensive software solution, there are other key factors you need to consider.

• Affordability: As a small business, affordability is vital. You want software with everything you need but still within your budget. While many options seem expensive, they can save you time and money in the long run. Automating many of your tasks in an easy-to-use interface will make the business run smoothly.
• Compatibility: There are some business management software that can work on any platform (Mac, PC, Android, iOS), but others may only work on one or the other. Before you decide, ensure the software is compatible with all the devices you plan to manage your business.
• Ease of Use: Is your business management software easy to operate? The software you choose shouldn't be challenging to use for yourself or your employees. Find software that is easy to learn and easy for your employees to use.
• Scalability: As your business grows, you want software that can grow with you. Choosing a simple software when you first start out can simplify running a brand new business. As you take on new clients, hire more employees, and take on more services, you need to be sure your chosen software can grow with you. Hitting limits and then realizing you need to choose a new software can throw a wrench in your operations.
• Customer support: Having customer support available when you get stuck using the software is important. Choose a software that has US-based customer support so you can easily speak to someone on the phone. If they also have a live chat option, that's an added bonus.
• Reviews: Before you purchase a pet care software, make sure you check out their reviews online. You can use other people’s experiences with the software to make the best decision for your business. 

‍

‍

Why choose PetExec as your business management software?

PetExec is a cloud-based software that is widely considered one of the best pet care software providers around. It includes all the great features above as well as features that set them apart from the competition.

PetExec offers a pet parent mobile app that allows customers to make online bookings, pay invoices, sign contracts, and more. In this digital age, offering your customers more convenience can give you a great competitive advantage.

‍

Final thoughts.

PetExec's pet business software is designed specifically for your pet care operations. You'll be able to make the most of all the features you need and avoid features that don't add value.

No matter the size of your business or industry, your business can benefit from an all-in-one business management software tool. Choosing the right software can help you improve your pet business operations and allow you to focus on growing your business and spending more time with the pets you love to care for.

To learn more about how PetExec can handle all your pet business needs, book a free demo today!

‍