PetGroomBossPro Blog — Scheduling & Routes

Groomer and Bather in One Van: Scheduling a Two-Person Grooming Team

Some mobile grooming businesses grow by adding a second van. Others grow by adding a second person to the first van. A groomer and a bather working together can change the shape of a day: while one pet is on the table, the next is in the tub. Scheduling for two people in one van is different from scheduling two vans, and worth thinking through on its own.

A Team, Not a Second Van

Running two separate vans is covered in Two Vans, One Schedule: Dispatching Two Mobile Grooming Vans. A two-person van is one route, one set of appointment times and one van on the map, with two people sharing the work.

In PetGroomBossPro, employees are assigned to vans, which the software calls teams. A groomer and a bather can share a van, so both see that van's day on their own phone. There is still only one route to build and one set of times to manage.

Two Logins, One Day

Each person signs in to the groomer app with the company login and their own personal PIN. That keeps the record straight: who clocked in and when, who completed which visit, whose notes are on which pet. Both see the same day in the same order, with each pet's breed, size, coat and cut notes on the card, the add-ons, the van notes and the past notes from earlier visits.

Both use the time clock on their own phone, so hours for a bather and a groomer are recorded separately even though they ride together.

Where Two People Help the Schedule Most

Not every stop changes with a second person. The ones that tend to benefit most are:

• Multi-pet homes. Three dogs on one visit is where a bather earns their place. One pet can be in the tub while another is being finished.
• Large and Giant dogs. Bathing and drying a big dog is heavy work, and a second pair of hands can help.
• Double Coat and heavy de-shedding days. When De-Shed Treatment is ticked across several stops, splitting the bath and dry from the finish work can help the day move.
• Monthly account days. A senior living pet day or a daycare bath day with many pets in one place suits a two-person team.

Big grooms and multi-pet homes each get their own article: Scheduling Long Grooms: Giant Breeds, Doodles and Heavy Coats and Multi-Pet Homes on the Grooming Schedule: One Stop, Up to Four Pets.

Setting Times for a Two-Person Van

A two-person van can often fit more into a day, but only if the appointment times are set with that in mind. When you book the team's day, you are deciding how long each stop takes with two people on it, which may not be the same as with one. Your own experience is the guide here; the software holds whatever times you set and shows them to both people.

If the team splits up some days — the bather goes home early, or rides with a different van — set those days with the solo pace in mind. You can change the van's team assignment as people move around.

Booking the Right Stops Onto the Team Van

If you have a mix of solo vans and team vans, it is worth steering the right work to the team. When a new request on the No Day tab is a home with three large dogs, that is a team-van stop. A quick nail trim for one small dog can go to a solo van nearby.

For repeat clients, set the van once with Add Recurring Grooming and every visit keeps it. If a client should move to the team van later, change it on the Recurring Clients list so all upcoming visits follow.

Checklists and Notes With Two People

With two people working the same pets, the grooming checklist on the groomer app keeps the work clear. For each pet, the steps — coat and skin checked on arrival, brushed out or de-matted, bath and conditioner, blow dry and fluff, haircut or style, sanitary trim, paw pads, nails, ears, eyes and face, final brush-out — are ticked as they are done, along with the add-ons. Whoever finishes the pet can see what has already been done without asking.

The note for the customer, and the Grooming Report the office can print, then reflect the whole visit, not just one person's part of it.

Growing Into a Team

Adding a bather is often a good step before adding a second van. The schedule stays one route, the van stays one van, and you learn how two people work together before taking on a second vehicle. When you are ready for that, the same schedule handles it. For the full set of scheduling tools for teams and vans, see the mobile grooming scheduling software page.