PetGroomBossPro Blog — Billing, Tips & Payments

When the Groom Changes on Site: Invoicing Extra De-Matting and Skipped Add-Ons

Most repeat grooms go exactly as planned. The same pets, the same cut, the same add-ons as last time. But every groomer knows the days that do not: a coat that is far more matted than expected, a dog who will not tolerate the nail grinder today, a customer who walks out and asks for the cat to be done too. Each of those changes the bill. The question is whether the invoice finds out.

The Plan Comes From the Last Visit

Pricing the plan itself, including discounts for frequent schedules, was covered in Discounts for Repeat Grooming Schedules: Rewarding Every-4-Weeks Clients on the Invoice. This article is about what happens when the day does not follow the plan.

In PetGroomBossPro, the next visit at a home fills in from the last one: the pets, their breed, size and coat, the cut notes and the add-ons. That is what makes most visits quick to bill. It also means that when something changes, the job has to be told, or the invoice will reflect last time instead of today.

The Common Changes

On-site changes tend to fall into a few groups:

• Something extra. Extra de-matting on a coat that grew out, a flea & tick bath for a dog that arrived with fleas, or an add-on the customer asked for at the door.
• Something skipped. An add-on that could not be done today, such as a dog too stressed for nail grinding, or a customer who asked to skip teeth brushing.
• A pet missing. One of the dogs is boarding, at the vet or at a relative's house.
• A pet added. A new puppy, or a pet who is normally skipped but is being groomed this time.

The Groomer Notes It, the Job Gets Updated

The groomer is the first to know about a change, but they are also the one with a dog on the table. The simplest routine is a clear house rule: when the groom is different from the card, the groomer notes it, and the job is updated before Complete is tapped.

The grooming checklist in the groomer app is done for each pet and includes the add-ons, plus a note for the customer. If an add-on was skipped, it should not be checked. If something extra was done, the groomer flags it so it goes on the job. The office can see the job and make the change, so the invoice is built from what really happened. Because charging the card at completion uses the invoice total, getting the job right first means the charge is right first.

Tell the Customer Before They See the Bill

An unexpected extra on an invoice is the most likely thing to upset a good client, even if the work was needed. A short heads-up turns it into good service instead:

• “Hi! Biscuit had more matting than usual behind the ears and on his legs, so we did some extra de-matting today. That's added to today's invoice. Happy to talk it through!”

Two-way texting from the office keeps the conversation in one place. The note for the customer on the checklist backs it up, and the office can print a Grooming Report showing what was done on each pet. For a matted coat, ask your own groomers how they prefer to handle it; this article is about the invoice, not the grooming.

Skipped Add-Ons Should Come Off

The opposite case is just as important. If a client normally gets teeth brushing and it was not done today, it should not be on today's invoice. Charging for an add-on that was skipped is the fastest way to lose trust.

Remove it from this visit's job and the invoice follows. Whether the add-on stays on future visits depends on why it was skipped. A one-time skip stays a one-time skip. If the customer wants to drop it for good, take it off going forward.

Pets Added or Missing

For a missing pet, take that pet off this visit so the invoice shows only the pets who were groomed. The pet stays saved on the home, so its breed, coat and cut notes are ready for the next time.

For a new pet, add it to the job with its name, Dog or Cat, breed, size, coat and rabies due date as you know it, plus any cut notes. The invoice includes it, and the next visit at that home will have the new pet already there. The multi-pet side is covered in Multi-Pet Homes on One Grooming Invoice: Two Doodles and a Cat, One Bill.

The rule behind all of this is simple: what was groomed today is what gets billed today. To see how the job, the invoice and the card on file work together, visit the pet grooming invoicing software page.