It’s natural, we all do it. We decide we have a want/need for a service and start shopping around. However, most of us don’t know the right questions to ask a company to see if they are the right fit for us so we go to our go to question: “How much does it cost”. And it’s no different when you’re looking for a pet sitter. What questions do you ask?
I’m sure you’ve read things like “The Pet Sitter Hiring Checklist” that lists certain qualifications that you should look for when hiring a pet sitting company (like insurance and experience for example). But lets be honest here, most professional pet sitting companies that have been around for longer than a year and are successful, have all the basic requirements that are necessary to be a reputable pet sitting service. So when there are 2,5 or sometimes 10+ pet sitting companies in your area, how do you decide who to hire?
It’s time to think deeper!
Having a pet sitter is more than just having someone who is available to “puppy sit” while you go away for a little while. Your pet sitter can be just as important in your pet’s life as your veterinarian, so it’s probably a good idea to ask these questions when looking for a pet sitting company:
1) Does the pet sitting company you’re looking into have a blog that frequently posts relevant information to you and your pet?
Why should this matter? If your pet sitting company has a blog it means they are concerned with keeping pet parents up to date on information that can help them learn more about pet sitting, pet care health tips and product recommendations. They want to keep their clients in the loop and it’s important to them to keep up to date on the best way to care for your pets.
2) Does the pet sitting company you’re interested, have a page on Facebook that they post to regularly?
Check to see if this pet sitting company is on Facebook and see how often/what type of content they post. This is another way for you to find out if they’re up to date on relevant information AND, another bonus, you can see how they interact with their clients. Do they reply to their posts? Are they respectful in their responses, even if they might not agree on something? This can give you a lot of valuable information about the company.
3) How quickly does the company return your calls/emails? How are they when they interact with you?
When you make initial contact with the pet sitting company you’re thinking about hiring the absolute longest it should take them to reply back to you is 8 hours. You need to have a pet sitting company that has great costumer service because nothing is more annoying than trying to schedule pet sitting services but you can never get a hold of your pet sitter!
4) Pay attention to the little things!
I may have put this as number 4 on the list but in my opinion, this one is the most important. When you’re interacting with the pet sitting company you’re considering hiring, pay attention to how they talk about your pets. Do they understand that your pets are more than just animals? Do they remember your pet’s names if you mention them? Do they ask you about your pet’s personality, habits, and likes/dislikes? These little things show you where the heart of the company is. Of course, all pet sitting companies love animals, but the ones who take the time to find out more about you and your pet’s needs rather than sell you on their services, truly has the highest of quality care for your pets in mind.
When you find that pet sitter that understands you and your pets, has great customer service, provides your pets with outstanding care and interacts with you on a regular basis to keep you up to date on pet care information, the price of the service no longer matters. Do yourself and your pet a favor, start looking for a pet sitter that actually fits your needs and don’t fall into the “price shopping trap”.
