One of our highest priorities here at Time To Pet is delivering an exceptional customer experience to the pet care businesses that use our software. We want them to have the confidence to use the tools and features our platform offers to provide top-of-the-line service to their own clients. Having the ability to clearly and effectively communicate with your pet parents is a big part of providing stellar care, especially when it comes to matters of pricing.
Previously, pet care companies have had the option to make the base rate of the services a client was requesting visible in their Apps and Portals. Additionally, they would also be able to view an estimated total for those services. What wasn’t visible, however, were any additional discounts or fees that might be applied to those services. For our customers who charge extra for additional pets on a visit, utilize frequency discounts, or have additional fees for after hours visits, weekends, and holidays, this could lead to misunderstandings over what a client would eventually owe.
We are very happy to announce a new setting we are rolling out today that will eliminate such confusion and allow for greater transparency with your clients regarding what they’ll be charged when they request services through their Client Apps/Portals. Now, your business will be able to control exactly what pricing will be visible to clients.
In the Settings > Client Settings > Portal Settings section of your account, you will see a brand-new option underneath the “Scheduling” category called “Show Fees and Discounts in Portal?”:
When this setting is enabled, the estimated cost that clients see on the Service Request Form in their Apps and Portals will include any extra fees and frequency discounts that will be applied to that service for the time and day it was requested. When disabled, only estimates for the primary service rate will be displayed.
Clients will also be able to see an itemized cost breakdown for each service they are submitting a request for so that they can see exactly what they’re being charged and why. To view this breakdown, they simply need to click the “Cost Details” button, which will open up a menu beneath the selected visit.
Note: In order for service fees and discounts to display correctly in the Client App/Portal, the setting “Show Price In Portal” must first be enabled. This setting can be found in the Settings > Client Settings > Portal Settings section of your account underneath the “Invoicing” category.
For more information on enabling these settings for your business, please see our help article here: Show Prices in Portal & Show Fees And Discounts In Portal. If you’re interested in providing separate estimates or quotes for prospective clients who don’t yet have an account with your company, we have instructions on how to put one together here: Building An Estimate Or Quote For Services.
We are constantly seeking new ways to improve our platform and provide a better experience for them and their clients. If you have any questions or suggestions you would like to share with us, please reach out to us at support@timetopet.com!
