Question 1

What are the different service types in Petboost?

Accepted Answer

Petboost supports six distinct service types: (1) Initial Services for first-visit gatekeeping (consultations, assessments), (2) Regular Services for core appointments (grooming, walking, training), (3) Stay Services for multi-day boarding with nightly rates and check-in/check-out, (4) Add-on Services for revenue-boosting extras (nail trims, teeth cleaning), (5) Course Templates for multi-week group programs with enrolment tracking, and (6) Packages for prepaid bundles. Each type is designed for specific use cases.

Question 2

What is an Initial Service?

Accepted Answer

Initial Services are first-visit appointments that gate access to Regular or Stay services. For example, a "Daycare Assessment" can be required before pets can book "Full Day Daycare". This ensures every new pet goes through proper intake. Initial requirements are tracked per pet, not per customer, so if a loyal customer gets a new puppy, the puppy needs its own assessment. Staff can override if needed.

Question 3

When should I use Initial vs Regular services?

Accepted Answer

Use Initial services for first-visit gatekeeping: consultations, assessments, meet-and-greets, trial visits. Link them to Regular services to create automatic enforcement. For example: "Grooming Consultation" (Initial) gates "Full Groom" (Regular). "Daycare Assessment" (Initial) gates "Full Day Daycare" (Regular). Customers must complete the Initial before booking the linked Regular service.

Question 4

What is the difference between Regular and Stay services?

Accepted Answer

Regular services are single appointments lasting hours (grooming, walking, training). Stay services are multi-day boarding with nightly or daily rates, check-in/check-out windows, pickup/dropoff options, and multi-night capacity management. Use Regular for same-day services. Use Stay for overnight or multi-day care. Stay services handle complex pricing like early drop-off fees and "stay longer, save more" tiers.

Question 5

How do Add-on Services work?

Accepted Answer

Add-on Services are extras that attach to Regular, Stay, or Initial services. They cannot be booked alone. During booking, customers see relevant add-ons (like Uber Eats) and can tap to add them. Examples: nail trim, teeth brushing, blueberry facial, medication administration. Add-ons can have zero duration (done during the main service) or add extra time. Appointments with add-ons show a pink badge so staff never forget.

Question 6

How do I link add-ons to specific services?

Accepted Answer

When creating an add-on, you can link it to specific services, service categories, or all services. For example, grooming add-ons (blueberry facial, de-shedding) only show for grooming services. Daycare add-ons (extra playtime, medication) only show for daycare. This keeps the booking experience relevant and prevents customer confusion.

Question 7

What is the difference between Courses and Packages?

Accepted Answer

Courses are multi-week group programs with enrolment, capacity, and attendance tracking (e.g., 6-Week Puppy School). Customers enrol in a course instance, attend lessons, and you track attendance. Packages are prepaid bundles of services at a volume discount (e.g., 10-Walk Pack). Customers buy credits upfront and redeem them on individual bookings. Use Courses for structured programs. Use Packages for recurring service bundles.

Question 8

How do I create a new service?

Accepted Answer

Go to Services and click 'New Service'. Enter the service name, description, category, base price, and duration. Assign team members who can perform this service and resources required (if any). Configure booking settings like advance notice and self-service availability. Save, and the service is immediately available for booking.

Question 9

What are service categories and how do they work?

Accepted Answer

Service categories group related services together (e.g., Grooming, Daycare, Training, Boarding). Categories help customers browse your offerings and help you organise your service menu. Categories also enable category-level reporting so you can see revenue breakdown by service type. Create categories that match how customers think about your services.

Question 10

How do I set different pricing for different pet sizes?

Accepted Answer

When creating or editing a service, enable size-based pricing. Define price tiers for Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large pets. For example, Dog Grooming might be $60 (Small), $75 (Medium), $90 (Large), $110 (XL). When booking, the system checks the pet's size and applies the correct price automatically.

Question 11

What are service eligibility requirements?

Accepted Answer

Eligibility requirements control which pets can book a service. Options include: Vaccination Requirements (pet must have current vaccinations), Initial Service Required (new pets must complete an assessment first), Age Restrictions (minimum or maximum pet age in days, e.g. 180 days for 6 months), Weight/Size Restrictions (e.g., small dogs only), and Breed Restrictions (include or exclude specific breeds). Requirements are checked automatically at booking. Configure these in Services → [Service] → Eligibility & Restrictions tab.

Question 12

How do I prevent puppies from booking full groom services?

Accepted Answer

Set a minimum age restriction on your full groom services. Go to Services → [Service] → Eligibility & Restrictions → Pet Eligibility → Age Restrictions and set the minimum age in days (e.g. 180 days = 6 months). Pets with a birthday on file younger than this cannot book. Then create dedicated puppy services (e.g. Puppy's First Tidy) with a maximum age limit so puppies are directed to age-appropriate services. Note: age restrictions rely on the pet's date of birth being recorded on their profile.

Question 13

Do age and weight restrictions require pet profile data to be filled in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Age restrictions are calculated from the pet's birthday field, and weight restrictions use the pet's recorded weight. If these fields aren't filled in on the pet's profile, the system can't enforce those restrictions for that pet. Encourage customers to complete their pet's profile (including date of birth and weight) via your Pre-Appointment Info Message in Settings → Booking, or use the Initial Service pattern (e.g. a Meet & Greet) to verify pet details in person before the first full appointment.

Question 14

How do I configure multi-pet discounts?

Accepted Answer

In service settings, enable multi-pet discounts and set the discount amount (percentage or fixed). For example, '10% off each additional pet'. When a customer books multiple pets for the same service, discounts apply automatically. Discounts can be configured per service, so grooming might offer 15% while daycare offers 10%.

Question 15

How do I set service duration and buffer time?

Accepted Answer

Each service has a base duration (e.g., 90 minutes for grooming). You can also set size-based durations (Small: 60 min, Large: 120 min). Buffer time is the gap between appointments for cleaning, preparation, or travel. Configure this per service. Magic Availability Check includes buffer time when finding available slots.

Question 16

How do I assign team members and resources to services?

Accepted Answer

In service settings, select which team members can perform this service (based on skills/certifications). Also select required resources. For example, grooming requires a grooming station, and daycare requires a play area. When booking, Magic Availability Check only offers times when both an eligible team member AND required resources are available.

Question 17

Can I make some services staff-only (not self-service)?

Accepted Answer

Yes! In service booking settings, toggle off 'Available for Self-Service'. This service won't appear on your customer portal. Only staff can book it. Useful for assessment appointments, emergency slots, VIP services, or services requiring phone consultation before booking.

Question 18

How do I set booking windows (advance notice and maximum future)?

Accepted Answer

Configure booking windows per service: Minimum Advance Notice (e.g., 24 hours, so customers can't book same-day) and Maximum Future Booking (e.g., 90 days, so customers can't book more than 3 months ahead). This prevents last-minute bookings you can't accommodate and limits how far ahead your calendar fills.

Question 19

How do I configure cancellation and rescheduling policies?

Accepted Answer

Set cancellation policies per service in booking settings: Notice Period (e.g., 24 hours), Cancellation Fee (percentage or fixed amount), Late Cancellation Handling (charge fee, forfeit package credit, or manual review). The system automatically applies your policy when customers cancel. Similar settings for rescheduling.

Question 20

Can I have seasonal or promotional pricing?

Accepted Answer

Petboost doesn't have automatic seasonal pricing, but you can: (1) Create duplicate services with different prices (e.g., 'Holiday Grooming'), (2) Use discount codes for promotions, (3) Manually adjust prices during booking with Quick Create mode. For ongoing seasonal rates, update service pricing when seasons change.

Question 21

How do I set up package-eligible services?

Accepted Answer

Any service can be made package-eligible. When creating packages, you select which service the package applies to. Customers then redeem package credits when booking that service. One service can have multiple packages (5-pack, 10-pack, 20-pack). Configure packages in the Packages section, not service settings.

Question 22

How does stay pricing work?

Accepted Answer

Stay services (boarding, overnight daycare) are priced per 24-hour period, ensuring fair billing regardless of check-in/out times. Configure two tier types: (1) Per-Day Period Rates with optional "stay longer, save more" discounts (e.g., 3-14 days at $73/day instead of $117/day for shorter stays), and (2) Short-Stay & Spillover Rates for partial days under 24 hours. The total stay duration determines which tier unlocks, and that rate applies to ALL full periods. Example: A 5-day stay unlocks the "3-14 day" tier, applying $73/day to all 5 days, not just days 3-5. Configure in Services → [Stay Service] → Pricing & Duration.

Question 23

Why does archiving a service still show it in bookings?

Accepted Answer

Archived services are hidden from NEW bookings but remain visible on EXISTING appointments. This preserves historical records and allows you to complete in-progress bookings. If you need to completely remove a service, you must first cancel or complete all existing appointments using that service. Archiving is reversible - you can restore archived services from Services → Show Archived.

Question 24

Can I require intake forms for specific services?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Link intake forms to individual services and enable auto-send. Forms go out via SMS and email when a booking is created. You can create different forms for different services - for example, a grooming preferences form for groom appointments and a behavioural assessment for daycare. Each form can include custom fields, file uploads, and electronic signatures.

Services & Configuration