scheduling appointments

[spacy colors]

I'm just getting into moblile grooming and need to figure out how to schedual my appointments. I've got the amount time to do the dog and the driving time thing figured out but, what about schedualing time off for appointments or a personal day? There's only 3 mobile groomers in my town and one of them is booked out for almost a year. The other just started and is already book for 2 months. Basicly I'll have to plain my personal days a years worth in advance. Is this going to cause a problem? I was concidering doing an every other Saturday. Do most of you do all Saturdays or no Saturdays?
I think it will be nice to have an every other Saturday incase I get sick or if there's a family emergency.
This is my 1st year and I guess it's all about trial and error. I'll have to learn from my mistakes as I go.

[Fur Elite]

spacy, first of all I ask why you want to do saturdays at all when you are concerned about being so booked up that you have to plan your days off a year in advance. If you run your business right, you won't need to work on saturdays...unless you need every cent you can get. Yes, some clients need saturdays....but if you don't need those clients (ie, you are booked up M-F)who cares? That is what shops are for. Fill your M-F and be happy with your weekends off. People who really want your services will find a way to fit in your schedule.

What I do is to select days at random ahead of time and book those off for me. When the time comes closer to those days, I decide if I still want or need that time off. If I don't, I fill it in with appts. Otherwise I keep the days off for myself. I book my people out a max of 2 appts with the only exception being my small group of people that are in neighboring town where I devote an entire day to their town. I book those out 4-6 months. This way when I find out about dog shows, or decide to take vacation I can schedule it within a couple of months. Having those days open leaves room for emergencies as well. I usually book a day or half day off every other week. In reality, though, i usually end up filling that time with appts unless something comes up. So far it has worked really well.

[PAWS]

I have Sundays and Mondays off, and only work for about 5 hours on Saturdays. I prebook clients, but only each quarter, that way, I plan ahead for vacation. I won't know a year in advance what I will be doing! I use Mondays for personal appts, and saturdays are short days and a good time to do my weekly deep cleaning and other maintenance on my trailer/truck.

[Meesh]

I do exactly as Furelite does. I have clients booked out 6-9 months but they only get their next appointment or two at a time so I can move things around if I need to. I try to take a three day weekend every month, but if I don't feel like I need it when the time gets closer I start booking people from my waiting list.

If I WAS going to work Saturdays, or some Saturdays, I would charge an additional $10-$15 on top of my already nosebleedlingly high regular prices. I loathe working Saturdays. I do use Saturdays in case I need to take a snow day or a sick day and am too booked to add a groom to the end of each day to make it up.

You're the boss so you make the rules. No need to book a year out if you aren't comfortable with it. I know one groomer who just books the next few weeks. Me, I like knowing I am booked up for the next few months. Helps me plan my $$. Beyond a few months I feel too boxed in.

Meesh

[spacy colors]

great idea

That's a great idea to charge extra for Saturdays. If I do decide to do Saturdays I will definetely charge extra. And your completly right I need to keep in mind I'm the boss, I set my schedual to my comfort level.

[PAWS]

I do exactly as Furelite does. I have clients booked out 6-9 months but they only get their next appointment or two at a time so I can move things around if I need to. I try to take a three day weekend every month, but if I don't feel like I need it when the time gets closer I start booking people from my waiting list.

If I WAS going to work Saturdays, or some Saturdays, I would charge an additional $10-$15 on top of my already nosebleedlingly high regular prices. I loathe working Saturdays. I do use Saturdays in case I need to take a snow day or a sick day and am too booked to add a groom to the end of each day to make it up.

You're the boss so you make the rules. No need to book a year out if you aren't comfortable with it. I know one groomer who just books the next few weeks. Me, I like knowing I am booked up for the next few months. Helps me plan my $$. Beyond a few months I feel too boxed in.

Meesh

This made me think, there is no reason why you can't rebook the next appt at each grooming...only one. Most of my clients do this as a matter of fact. Boy, it keeps it simple! If you start running out of space, you know you should stop taking new clients or expand your business!

[Arrooh]

I have a few

that are every other week, on a certain day. I asked one owner of two dogs that I just did yesterday if I could make it two weeks and a day, for a Thursday on the 24th instead of the standing 23rd. I am planning to go to a council meeting regarding a facility for homeless women and children near here, me a proponent for them, most of my neighborhood full of NIMBY's. That woman was notably irritated, said she likes me to come the same day that the car detailer comes, but said alright. That is one of the hard parts arranging around such people, but tell you what I am thrilled that I have such customers.