Every New Pet Starts The Right Way
Require consultations, assessments, or meet-and-greets before pets can book Regular services. Automatic gatekeeping that builds safer, more professional client relationships.
Gatekeeping That Works Automatically
Link Initial services to Regular services. Petboost enforces the requirement at booking time.
Link Initial to Regular
Create your Initial service (e.g., “Daycare Assessment”). Link it to Regular services (e.g., “Full Day Daycare”).
Customer Tries to Book
New pet owner tries to book Full Day Daycare for Bella. Petboost checks: has Bella completed her assessment?
Guided to Initial First
Customer sees: “Bella needs a Daycare Assessment first.” They book the assessment, complete it, then can book Regular services.
Without Initial Services
Manual tracking required
- Unknown pets show up for daycare
- No temperament assessment on file
- Manual spreadsheet tracking
- "Did they do a trial day?" confusion
- Risk of accepting unsuitable pets
With Initial Services
Automatic enforcement
- Every pet assessed before first booking
- Temperament records in pet profile
- Automatic eligibility checking
- Clear status: "Assessment Complete"
- Only approved pets can book
Initial Services Across Pet Businesses
Every vertical has unique intake needs. Here are popular Initial services by industry.
Dog Grooming
Assess coat condition, discuss styling, identify matting
Gentle introduction to grooming, desensitisation
Meet the pet, discuss history, set expectations
Dog Daycare
Temperament evaluation, play group matching
Test fit before committing to packages
Professional assessment of socialisation readiness
Dog Training
Assess training needs, set goals, create plan
Deep-dive evaluation for complex cases
Determine appropriate class level
Pet Boarding
Test overnight stay before extended booking
Show facilities, meet staff, discuss care needs
Review medications, special diet, emergency contacts
Why Require Initial Services?
Professional intake processes that protect your business and build trust.
Safety First
Assess temperament and behaviour before accepting pets into your facility. Identify potential issues before they become problems.
Professional Onboarding
Set expectations, gather history, and build trust from the first interaction. First impressions matter.
Automatic Enforcement
Petboost checks if the pet has completed their Initial service. If not, they can't book the linked Regular service. Zero manual tracking.
Configurable Per Service
Link different Initial services to different Regular services. Daycare assessment gates daycare. Grooming consult gates grooming.
Clear Customer Communication
Customers see exactly what they need to complete. "Complete your Daycare Assessment before booking Full Day Daycare."
Revenue from Day One
Charge for consultations and assessments. Your expertise has value. Many businesses charge $30-75 for initial consultations.
Related Service Types
Initial services work with these other service types.
Competitive Advantages with Petboost
These aren't trivial feature differences. They're architectural advantages that solve real customer pain points.
Lifecycle Automation
Automate as much or as little as you want, from booking to payment. With 50%+ of appointments self-service and 70%+ booked after hours, your front desk runs itself. Customers book, confirm, pay, and get reminded without a single phone call.
- Self-service booking 24/7
- Automated SMS & email reminders
- Terms & vaccination checks
- Payment pre-authorisation
- Automatic invoicing & receipts
- Auto-charge after service
Dual Booking Modes
Two modes for different workflows. Magic Availability Check handles availability-checked bookings with confidence. Quick Create gives you direct control to schedule without restrictions.
- Self-service with availability checks
- Direct diary control when needed
- Choose based on your workflow
- Best of both worlds
Seamless, Secure Payments
Get paid automatically. Built-in invoices branded with your logo, colours & ABN. Connect to Xero Bank Feeds for seamless accounting. We use Stripe under the hood to securely manage all payment processing.
- Card on File (auto-charge)
- SMS Payment Link
- In-Person Card Terminal
- Pre-Auth for No-Show Protection
- Branded Invoices with ABN
- Xero-ready accounting via Bank Feeds
Self-Service Packages
Customers buy 10-walk bundles at 3am, credits automatically apply at checkout. Lock in recurring revenue with zero admin work.
- 5, 10, 20-pack bundles
- 24/7 self-service purchase
- Automatic credit deduction
- Transparent balance tracking
Per-Resource Capacity
Never overbook your facilities. Set precise limits for every kennel, play area, grooming station, and van.
- Per-resource capacity limits
- Real-time utilisation tracking
- Colour-coded timeline
- Safety regulation compliance
Group Courses
Purpose-built for dog trainers. Not recurring appointments pretending to be courses.
- Course Templates
- Course Instances with real dates
- Enrolment tracking
- Attendance management
- Lifecycle management
Reporting & Intelligence
Dozens of automated insights analyse your revenue, team, services, customers, and geography. Period-over-period comparisons, forecasting, and ready-to-use email templates.
- Revenue & financial reports
- Team performance analytics
- Customer & geographic insights
- Automated forecasting
- Period-over-period comparison
- Marketing campaign ideas
Trusted by Australian Pet Businesses
"I could tell immediately that Petboost was something unique"
"Best in market software for Pet Care industries. Support is amazing and the software is the best on market for pet industries. I've worked in software and marketing prior to owning my own pet care business, and could tell immediately that Petboost was something unique."
Hollywoof Walks
Hollywoof Walks
"The customer service is out of this world"
"You won't regret joining…it's the best. I own a dog daycare, grooming and training. I was using an American company for 6 years, which was ok but expensive, not a great system and to get any support took days. When I came to Petboost which is Ozzy owned I knew they were a small business but wanted to give them a go. I have been extremely impressed, the customer service is out of this world, they focus on what animal businesses actually need and listen to their clients. The pricing structure makes sense and is very affordable, it is very easy to use and navigate, and the way they have built the business reports and analytics is so impressive, easy to understand and personalised."
Sacha
My Dogs Daycare - QLD
"The automatic payments feature is a blessing"
"Streamlined Invoicing and Booking for Small Teams. I really like how much quicker and easier Petboost Business has become after the upgrades. The automatic payments feature is a blessing as it helps me not to stress, and the self-booking option for clients is amazing for my business! These features ease the mental load and reduce manual admin tasks, allowing me to focus on what I do best."
Fion Chen
Fion's Dog Training - NSW
"I no longer have to chase clients for late payments"
"Petboost has truly been a saving grace! As a platform that's actually all-in-one, it has streamlined so much, saving me time and reducing costs. One of the biggest time-savers has been the automated invoicing feature. I no longer have to chase clients for late payments or spend hours preparing invoices manually."
Camille Hartnett
Trail Sniffers - NSW
"I haven't had a single missed payment or no-show"
"Just try it, you won't look back. The moment I turned Petboost on for my business, I never looked back. I haven't had a single missed payment or no-show. I no longer have to manually reconcile payments either. Now I can finally get time to do other things in my business instead of sitting in front of a screen for 'admin days'."
Annika Le Rade
Hound Health Bondi - NSW
Initial Services Questions
Everything you need to know about first-visit gatekeeping.
Start Every Client Relationship Right
Join businesses that use Initial services to build safer, more trusting client relationships from day one.