The Art of the Pic
Pictures of clients pets are invaluable in the world of pro pet sitting. Most clients will request them. All good scheduling software specifically geared toward pet sitting. like Time To Pet, have the option to send photos.
When comes to communicating with clients and keeping their peace of mind at a high level, there is nothing better than cute picture of a happy dog or playful cat. Pro pet sitters have a built in advantage over almost all other services. They have the pets! People love looking at pictures of cute critters. Its a fact. If you've been pet sitting for any amount of time you probably have hundreds saved up.
A picture at every visit should be a part of your daily operations. If your using a pet sitting specific software, which you should be, the picture and note to the client are a recorded history of the service you provided. Even if you know your client doesn't care about pictures of their animals it is good to have the visit recorded.
However, keep in mind that not all pictures are equal. Some clients may look too far into the pic. It is is not common, but I have had clients who wanted to know why there were a couple of pieces of food on the floor next to Fluffys bowl, insinuating the neatest care was not being provided. Every once in a while you might have a client question their pets happiness in your care because the picture you sent didn't portray what they expect. Some dogs just don't look that happy all the time, but the client would never imagine that could be their dog.
So here are few tricks that I've learned over the years. Some may seem obvious but all of them came to mind after seeing the pictures that employees had sent to clients. So don't assume everyone thinks the same.
1. Take pictures of dogs immediately after walks or play. Dogs get tired on walks. When they get tired they pant. When they pant they smile! You'll get great pics your clients will love and they will know their pet is getting plenty of exercise.
2. Never take a picture of a dog in its crate. Dogs are happy in their crates usually, but its just not a good look. They may be crated for safety purposes and your client would surely rather see their pet out and about.
3. Pets Only. Only take photos of the animals as close as possible. Don't take pictures of food bowls or litter boxes. This doesn't allows the "high maintenance " client to pic the photo apart and worry unnecessarily.
4. Every now and then you'll have that one dog with the sad face that never looks happy. Take its picture on leash walking in front of you. Problem solved.
5. Take lots of cat pics. Cats don't pant and they don't smile, so it can be challenging to get a clear picture. Take lots of pictures and you should get a good one. Its a numbers game.
6. Get in the pic. Selfies are a great tool, especially with cat pictures. You in the picture will mean a lot to your client.
7. You can't win them all. We all know that one cat that hides under the couch for 4 days straight while your there. Usually the client is well aware of this behavour. Skip the pic.
When comes to communicating with clients and keeping their peace of mind at a high level, there is nothing better than cute picture of a happy dog or playful cat. Pro pet sitters have a built in advantage over almost all other services. They have the pets! People love looking at pictures of cute critters. Its a fact. If you've been pet sitting for any amount of time you probably have hundreds saved up.
A picture at every visit should be a part of your daily operations. If your using a pet sitting specific software, which you should be, the picture and note to the client are a recorded history of the service you provided. Even if you know your client doesn't care about pictures of their animals it is good to have the visit recorded.
However, keep in mind that not all pictures are equal. Some clients may look too far into the pic. It is is not common, but I have had clients who wanted to know why there were a couple of pieces of food on the floor next to Fluffys bowl, insinuating the neatest care was not being provided. Every once in a while you might have a client question their pets happiness in your care because the picture you sent didn't portray what they expect. Some dogs just don't look that happy all the time, but the client would never imagine that could be their dog.
So here are few tricks that I've learned over the years. Some may seem obvious but all of them came to mind after seeing the pictures that employees had sent to clients. So don't assume everyone thinks the same.
1. Take pictures of dogs immediately after walks or play. Dogs get tired on walks. When they get tired they pant. When they pant they smile! You'll get great pics your clients will love and they will know their pet is getting plenty of exercise.
2. Never take a picture of a dog in its crate. Dogs are happy in their crates usually, but its just not a good look. They may be crated for safety purposes and your client would surely rather see their pet out and about.
3. Pets Only. Only take photos of the animals as close as possible. Don't take pictures of food bowls or litter boxes. This doesn't allows the "high maintenance " client to pic the photo apart and worry unnecessarily.
4. Every now and then you'll have that one dog with the sad face that never looks happy. Take its picture on leash walking in front of you. Problem solved.
5. Take lots of cat pics. Cats don't pant and they don't smile, so it can be challenging to get a clear picture. Take lots of pictures and you should get a good one. Its a numbers game.
6. Get in the pic. Selfies are a great tool, especially with cat pictures. You in the picture will mean a lot to your client.7. You can't win them all. We all know that one cat that hides under the couch for 4 days straight while your there. Usually the client is well aware of this behavour. Skip the pic.
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