Meet and greet before the first booking
Why some platforms keep you apart
Many booking apps do not want you contacting your dog clients directly. Pass your phone number to a new client and you can break their rules, and an account that breaks the rules can be frozen. If that happens, you can lose access to your account and the bookings in it.
The reason is fees. On some platforms the sitter or walker pays 15% of each booking and the dog owner pays a further 15% on top, so up to 30% of a booking goes in fees (see how the fees compare). Once a dog owner has met their sitter and swapped phone numbers, it is easy to book the next stay directly, and the platform loses its fee.
We do the opposite
Meet before you confirm
We encourage you to do a meet and greet before you confirm any booking. Your profile already says so to every dog owner who is signed in: have a look at the calendar, make a booking, then give you a call so you can arrange to meet before you confirm it.
Ready-made messages, sent from your own phone
We built the messages around your own phone. On each booking card there are ready-written messages. Pick one, and send it to your client by text, email or however you normally share. It comes from you, not from us.
- Arrival reminder before the stay or walk.
- Settling in update once the dog has arrived.
- Ready for pick-up at the end of a stay.
- Request a review once it is over. See getting your first reviews from real clients.
Questions and answers
Can a dog owner call me before they book?
Yes. Once they are signed in, they can call you from your profile with the Call button in your Meet and greet box.
When can I see a dog owner's phone number?
As soon as they send you a booking request. You can call them with one tap from the request.
Does The DoggyDesk text my clients for me?
No. The DoggyDesk writes the message and you send it from your own phone, so it comes from you.
