7 Tips for Navigating a Busy Holiday Season
The holidays are busy for our sitters, and you’ve probably already seen more requests than usual come your way. Here are some tips that’ll help you handle the busy holiday season with ease.
Check how many dogs you’ve booked before accepting a new stay or walk.
It’s easy to lose track of bookings during this busy season. Taking a second look at your calendar before you say yes will help you stay on top of your game.
If you’re already over the capacity on your profile, let owners know.
From your Rover inbox, reach out to each of your clients and make sure they understand that you’re taking on a higher than usual number of dogs over the holidays. This allows owners to address any questions or concerns they may have ahead of time. Also let them know that they can contact our Support team at 888-453-7889 or support@rover.com if they’d like help finding a new sitter.
Update the max number of dogs on your profile.
Updating your profile with your new max number of dogs will help set expectations with dog owners who send you requests going forward. Of course, we still recommend letting your clients know if you’re taking care of someone’s else’s dog—they’ll appreciate the heads-up.
Accept bookings from clients you already know.
If you’re going to accept more bookings than usual, it’s helpful to only accept dogs you already know. That way, you have a pretty good idea of what to expect and how to prepare.
Create a safety plan.
Your plan should address how you’ll deal with emergency situations, walking multiple dogs, basic supervision, and separation of dogs that may not get along—all those just-in-case scenarios that could pop up during a stay.
Raise your rates instead of taking more dogs.
We encourage our sitters to set holiday rates—just select “Additional Rates” on your rates page and set a rate that’s a few dollars higher than your normal rate. You can read more about holiday rates in our Help Center, including when they kick in.
Contact our Support team if you’ve overbooked yourself.
Email us at support@rover.com or give us a call at 888-453-7889. We’re happy to reach out to your clients for you, or give you advice on how to have that conversation. We’ve got your back.