Returning Customer Journey

A returning customer receives the same booking messages as a new one, from the same switches on Notifications. Two settings matter more for regulars: reminders for a daily or weekly series, which are off until you turn them on, and rebooking reminders. Petboost sends your business no separate alert when a returning customer books.

How a returning customer signs in

A returning customer signs in the same way as a new one, with a code sent to their mobile.

1. The customer opens your booking link.
2. Under Let's start with your phone number, they enter their Mobile Number and select Continue.
3. Under Enter Verification Code, they type the four-digit code from the text and select Confirm.
4. If they already have a Petboost login, they sign in when asked. Petboost keeps their booking while they do.

A booking form embedded in your own website cannot finish signing in inside the page. When the customer selects Continue, the form opens in a new tab and the page shows Continue in the new tab. If the browser blocks the tab, the page shows Open the booking form to continue, and the customer selects Open booking form.

How a returning customer books

Signed in, a returning customer books in four steps: Business, Pets & Services, Availability and Review & Terms. Their details and pets are already on file, and Communication Preferences is not asked again once they have answered it. The booking is confirmed straight away if Instant confirmation is on in Booking Settings, or waits for you to accept it.

From the appointment's menu in their app, a customer can select View Appointment, Reschedule Appointment or Cancel Appointment. Reschedule Appointment and Cancel Appointment turn grey once your Change & Cancellation Notice Period has passed, or when Allow changes and cancellations is off, and the tooltip reads You can no longer change or cancel this appointment, with a line asking them to contact you. The first appointment of a recurring series cannot be rescheduled from the app.

Let regular customers book a repeating series

Turn this on when regulars should be able to set up their own repeating bookings online.

1. Open Settings, then Booking Settings.
2. Switch on Let customers book a repeating series.
3. Optional: switch on Customers choose their team member so customers pick their preferred team member.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

With Let customers book a repeating series off, customers book one visit at a time. A service can have its own setting for both switches.

Remind customers with a daily or weekly series

Appointments in a series that repeats every day or every week get no reminders until you turn this on. A series that repeats less often, such as every two weeks, always gets them.

1. Open Settings, then Notifications.
2. Under Pre-Appointment Reminders, then Reminder Rules, switch on Reminders for frequent Daily and Weekly Recurring appointments.
3. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

A service can set this rule on its own Notifications tab, and one customer can have their own setting on the Settings & Overrides tab of their profile.

The messages a returning customer receives

Each message follows the switch named beside it on Notifications.

Finalising the appointment sends nothing: the receipt goes when the payment is taken. The wording of each message is fixed and filled in from the booking, such as the pet's first name and the service. Pet Owner Communications lists the details Petboost fills in.

Remind regulars when a pet is due

A rebooking reminder texts a customer when one of their pets is due for its next visit.

1. Open Settings, then Notifications.
2. If Rebooking Reminders is not showing, switch on Advanced options.
3. Under When to send, choose Based on previous appointment history or After a set number of weeks.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

Reminders send at 10am, once a day, and never twice for the same pet inside 30 days. A pet with an upcoming booking is skipped, and an owner with three pets due gets three messages. Based on previous appointment history needs at least two completed visits before it messages a pet. Nothing sends until your dedicated number from Communications Booster is active, and each text uses SMS credits.

A customer who chose No thanks for reminders to book again, or who replied STOP, gets no rebooking reminders. See Communication Preferences and Consent and, for the service and pet overrides, Notifications.

Follow up a returning customer who did not finish

With Returning Customer Abandoned Bookings on, Petboost emails you hourly when an existing customer starts a booking and does not finish it. It only sends while Email you: abandoned bookings & unfinished profiles is also on.

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the customer's pet.
2. On the Action Required tab, read how far they got on the Abandoned Booking card.
3. To finish the booking for them, select Create Appointment.

Create Appointment opens your booking form filled in with the pet, the service and the time they chose. Send Recovery Message texts the customer instead.

What your business receives

A returning customer's online bookings, reschedules, changes and cancellations send your business the same alerts as anyone else's: Email you: new booking copy, and Text you: new booking alert for a new booking. With Email assigned team members on, each team member assigned to the booking gets an email too. See Business Communications.

Troubleshooting

A regular gets no reminders

• Check Reminders for frequent Daily and Weekly Recurring appointments under Reminder Rules if they are on a daily or weekly series
• Open their Settings & Overrides tab and read What they receive today. A customer override can switch a reminder off
• On a trial, automatic reminders do not send until the trial ends

A customer cannot reschedule or cancel in their app

• Check your Change & Cancellation Notice Period and Allow changes and cancellations on Policies & Paperwork
• The first appointment of a recurring series cannot be rescheduled from the app. Reschedule it for them, or change the series

A customer does not get rebooking reminders

• Check that your dedicated number is active and Rebooking Reminders is not set to Off
• Check their Communication Preferences on the Settings & Overrides tab
• With Based on previous appointment history, a pet needs two completed visits first

Related documentation

• Customer Journey Overview: the whole communication system
• First-Time Customer Journey: the new customer experience
• Problem Resolution Journey: how issues are handled
• Pet Owner Communications: every message a customer receives
• Settings → Notifications: message timing and content
• Settings → Automatic Actions: automated workflows