A clipboard, a pen and a puppy chewing the lead
A new client arrives for their first groom. Before the dog can go through, the receptionist hands over a clipboard with two pages: owner name, address, phone, emergency contact, dog's name, breed, age, vet practice, any health or behaviour concerns, and your terms to sign.
The owner fills it in standing up, holding a young dog that wants to explore. The handwriting is hard to read, the vet's name is abbreviated, and the concerns section says 'nothing really'. The form goes in a folder.
Later that week, someone types some of it into the booking app. The concerns section is not typed in, because there is nowhere obvious to put it. The paper form stays in the folder, where nobody will read it again.
The next time the dog is booked, the groomer knows the name and breed and not much else.
On a busy Saturday, three new clients can arrive within twenty minutes. Each one needs the clipboard, each one delays the next check-in, and the groomers wait for dogs that are stuck in reception while their owners look up the vet's phone number.
The form is paper and the record is digital
Most salons have moved bookings to an app, but new client registration is still on paper. The two never meet properly.
- Forms are completed at the busiest moment, in a hurry.
- Information is retyped later, partly or not at all.
- Handling and health information has no clear place in the booking app.
- Signed terms are in a folder, not linked to the client.
- Phone numbers and emails are misread from handwriting.
Missing details when you need them
The cost shows up later: a groomer who does not know about a dog's sensitivity, a phone number that is wrong when you need to reach the owner during the groom, a vet practice nobody can identify, or a dispute about terms where the signed form cannot be found. Staff also spend time retyping forms that owners could have filled in themselves.
How we build online new client registration
- When a new client books, by phone, online or social message, they receive a registration link by text or email.
- The form asks for owner details, emergency contact, the dog's breed, age, size and coat, vet practice, and plain-language questions about handling and anything the groomer should know.
- Your terms (including any on matting, no-shows and vaccinations) are shown and accepted in the form, with the date recorded.
- Answers go straight into the dog's and owner's records in your booking app or our system, with handling answers flagged for a groomer to review.
- If the form is not complete a couple of days before the appointment, the owner gets a reminder.
- On the day, the receptionist sees that registration is complete and the groomer sees the notes, so the first visit starts well.
| Detail | Paper form | Online registration |
|---|---|---|
| Phone and email | Handwriting, misread | Typed by the owner |
| Handling concerns | In a folder | On the dog's record, flagged for review |
| Vet practice | Abbreviated | Chosen from a list or typed in full |
| Signed terms | Paper in a folder | Accepted and dated on the record |
Many grooming booking apps include online forms. If yours does, we help design and connect them properly rather than adding another system.
New dogs who arrive already known
By the time the new dog arrives, the groomer has read its notes and the receptionist has checked the details. The owner hands over the lead and goes, without a clipboard. The folder of paper forms stops growing, and the information is where it is needed.
Recognise your front desk?
- New clients fill in paper forms at the door.
- Forms are retyped into the booking app later, or not at all.
- Handling concerns from the form do not reach the groomer.
- Signed terms are kept in a folder.
- Phone numbers from forms are sometimes wrong.