PetGroomBossPro Blog — Cat Grooming

Writing the Note for the Cat Owner at the End of Every Groom

The checklist says what was done. The note says what the owner should know. On a cat appointment, that one or two lines can be the most read part of the whole visit, because the owner was not there to see it.

This article is about writing that note well.

Two Different Notes

The note for the customer appears on the Grooming Report described in The Grooming Report for Cat Owners: What They Get After the Visit. It is easy to mix it up with the other note in PetGroomBossPro, so here is the difference:

• The pet's notes line is for your groomers. It holds the cut and behavior, such as “lion cut, boots and tail tuft, two people for nails.” It carries forward to the next visit.
• The customer note on the checklist is for the owner. It is about this visit. The office sees it on the job and it goes on the Grooming Report.

Keep groomer shorthand in the pet notes and plain language in the customer note.

What a Good Customer Note Says

A good note is short, specific and friendly. It tells the owner one or two things they would want to know. Some examples:

• “Matting behind the ears is coming back. Happy to talk about it next visit.”
• “Kept the mane fuller as you asked. Let us know how you like it.”
• “Nails went well today with two of us.”
• “Coat was in great shape. See you in 8 weeks.”
• “Noticed a small scab on her back leg. Mention it to your vet if it does not clear up.”

Each of these is something the owner can act on or simply be glad to hear.

What to Leave Out

• Diagnoses. Groomers notice things, and telling the owner is the right call. Naming a condition is not. “Mention it to your vet” is the right length.
• Complaints about the cat. “Very difficult” does not help the owner. “Nails went better with two of us” says the same thing usefully.
• Grooming jargon. Blade numbers mean a lot to your groomers and little to most owners.
• Sales pressure. If the coat suggests a shorter gap between visits, say what you saw and let the owner ask.

Notes That Lead to the Next Booking

The note is a natural place to mention the next visit, especially for cats on a repeat schedule: “See you Tuesday the 14th at 10:30.” Owners who see the next date in writing are less likely to forget it, and the night-before reminder backs it up.

For owners not yet on a repeat schedule, a factual note about the coat can start the conversation. If the owner later asks to go every 6 weeks, the office sets it up with Add Recurring Grooming on the same weekday, time and van.

Who Writes It and When

The groomer who did the cat writes the note, on the groomer app, as part of the checklist. Many groomers write it right after the cat is back inside, while the visit is fresh, and before tapping Complete.

If your shop has a groomer and a bather sharing a van, decide who writes the note. Usually it is the groomer, but the person who handled the nails might have the most useful thing to say.

Carrying What You Learned Forward

Sometimes the customer note contains something your next groomer also needs. “Owner asked for boots next time” is for the owner today and for your groomer in eight weeks. In that case, write the customer note for the owner, then update the pet's notes line so it carries forward. The customer note itself stays with this visit.

That habit keeps the pet notes current. More on that in Behavior Notes for Cats: Saving the Lines That Make the Next Visit Go Better.

Notes Over Text

If something in the note is time-sensitive, do not wait for the printed report. The office can send a two-way text to the owner the same day: “Quick note from today's visit with Mochi...” The reply comes back to the office, attached to the client.

A shared tone helps, too. If several groomers write customer notes, agree on a style: first name of the cat, one thing that went well, one thing to know, and the next date if there is one. Owners who see the same kind of note every visit come to expect it, and many read it before they look at the invoice.

Two Lines, Every Visit

A plain, kind note at the end of each cat groom costs the groomer a minute and gives the owner a reason to trust you with the next one. For more on how cats work in PetGroomBossPro, see the cat grooming software page.