How to Use Your Calendar Effectively
Your calendar is one of the most important tools at your disposal. Managing it well will help you get requests you can take and manage multiple clients. Since your calendar is a pretty big deal, we wanted to take this opportunity to answer some common (and even uncommon) questions about how it works, how it can be updated, and what else you can do on your calendar page.
Why do I have more than one calendar?
If you offer services in your home as well as services in your client’s home, you’ll have one calendar for each. You’ll need to keep both updated.
How often should I update my calendar?
Ideally, as often as something comes up that means you can’t accept a booking. We recommend at least every other week.
What if I’m busy but can still take care of a client’s dog?
Having evening plans like a dinner or movie doesn’t always mean you can’t accept a booking. At the Meet & Greet, or even in the messages you’re exchanging before the Meet & Greet, tell the dog owner about short plans you already have scheduled—their dog may be perfectly fine on their own while you’re out. If not, the owner will appreciate your speaking up.
What if I get a request I can take based on my availability, but I don’t think it’s a good fit?
Never use the reason “I’m not available” for a stay request where you just aren’t comfortable taking a dog. Remember, you and the pet owner both want what’s best for their pet, and if another sitter would be a better fit, it’s totally okay to say it. We’ll back you up 100%.
What are the other settings on my calendar page?
On your calendar page, you’re able to:
- Set availability for each day of the week. If you know you won’t be free to care for dogs during a specific day of the week, every week, uncheck that box.
- Select if you accept long-term stays (longer than one week).
- Change your status from Active to Away, and vice versa. Putting your profile in Away mode will remove your profile from search results. We recommend putting your calendar in Away mode when you’re about to go on vacation, or if you simply want a break.
- Change your status to Repeat Only. Have you built up a large enough repeat client base that you don’t want to take on new clients? Changing this setting will ensure you only get requests from repeat clients.
- Sync your calendar with your personal or work calendar. You can have your requests, Meet & Greets, and booked stays sent to your Google Calendar or iCal. You can also select whether you want just pick-up and drop-off dates or the whole stay duration to show up on your calendar.
Of course, make sure to hit “Save” when you make changes.
As a pet sitter on Rover, you have the freedom to set your schedule. Whether you like taking care of pets on the weekends or use Rover as your primary source of income, you decide when you’re available. Managing your calendar and keeping it updated will help you run a successful business, and we’ll even give you a search boost if we notice you consistently update your calendar and, as a result, end up booking most of your requests.