Using Customer Reviews to Improve Your Dog Boarding Business

Every review tells a story. The question is: are you listening to what your pet parents have to say?

For dog boarding businesses, reviews help you understand what pet parents value most and what areas need improvement. By actively collecting, analyzing, and acting on client feedback, you can enhance your services, resolve potential issues, and strengthen relationships with your customers. Here’s how to make the most of this valuable resource:

Collecting Feedback: Where and How

Encourage Online Reviews

Encouraging pet parents to leave reviews on platforms like Google, Yelp, or your website is essential. A steady flow of reviews boosts your credibility and helps potential clients make informed decisions. A few ways to get these reviews include:

• Send follow-up emails after a dog’s stay, politely requesting a review.
• Display QR codes at your business location that link to your review pages.
• Offer incentives, like a small discount or treat, for leaving feedback.

Use Surveys for Deeper Insights

Surveys are a great way to gather detailed feedback on specific aspects of your service. When building a survey, consider the following elements:

• Create short, focused surveys to ask about the check-in process, the boarding experience, or overall satisfaction.
• Use tools like Google Forms or Typeform to make them user-friendly.
• Include open-ended questions like, “What could we do to make your dog’s stay even better?”

Gather Real-Time Feedback

Encourage pet parents to share their thoughts during interactions while they are physically at your boarding business. Two easy ways to do this are:

• Train staff to ask, “How was your experience today?” during check-out.
• Provide suggestion boxes at your facility for anonymous comments.

Analyzing Feedback: Finding the Hidden Gems

Identify Patterns and Trends

Collecting feedback is just the start. Regularly review the data to spot recurring themes, like:

• Are clients praising your friendly staff but noting delays at check-in?
• Do pet parents rave about your play areas but express concerns about pickup times?
  By identifying these patterns, you can prioritize areas for improvement.

Categorize Feedback

Organize feedback into categories like customer service, facility cleanliness, or communication. This will help you see which areas are excelling and which need attention.

Embrace Negative Feedback

Negative reviews may sting, but they’re invaluable for growth. Analyze critical comments objectively and look for actionable suggestions. For example, a complaint about noise levels during boarding might lead you to explore soundproofing options or adjust dog group sizes.

Acting on Feedback: Turning Insights Into Improvements

Address Concerns Directly

Respond promptly and professionally to online reviews, especially negative ones.

• Apologize sincerely for any inconvenience.
• Share how you’re addressing the issue.
• Invite the reviewer to connect with you offline to resolve the matter.

Here's an example of a negative review response that addresses all these elements:
“Hi (Customer Name), thank you for letting us know about your concerns regarding Bella’s last stay. In response to this feedback, we’re implementing additional staff training to improve our boarding experience and protocols. Please contact us directly so we can discuss this further."

Make Meaningful Changes

Use feedback as a roadmap for enhancing your services. For instance:

• If clients express a desire for more photo updates, invest in pet-care software like Gingr for sharing daily pictures.
• If pet parents feel unsure about your boarding process, create a detailed FAQ or offer facility tours.

Share Your Improvements

Show clients that you value their input by highlighting the changes you’ve made based on their feedback.

• Post updates on social media: “We heard you! Our new outdoor play area is now open for your pups to enjoy!”
• Include testimonials from satisfied clients in your marketing to build trust and credibility.

Proactively using customer feedback creates more than just operational improvements—strengthening your connection with pet parents. By showing that you listen, care, and act on their input, you foster loyalty and build a community of happy clients who are more likely to recommend your business.

Make feedback an ongoing part of your dog boarding business strategy. Every comment, review, or suggestion is an opportunity to grow, improve, and create an experience that pet parents—and their dogs—will love.

Generate customer feedback seamlessly with Gingr. Get in touch for a demo!