Customers & Pets FAQ

Answers to common questions about managing customers and pets in Petboost.

General questions

Can customers fill out intake forms during booking that automatically populate their profile?

Yes. The booking flow captures owner and pet details itself: name, contact details, breed, gender, birthday, weight, vaccination certificates and payment methods.

Intake forms and custom fields live on Fields & Forms. Link a form to a service, then set When to collect:

• Required before booking: the form appears in self-serve checkout, and the client must complete it before confirming
• Send after booking: the form goes out by SMS and email after the booking is made

Answers linked to custom fields are written back to the profile. See Custom Fields and Intake Forms, Sending Forms to Clients and the Intake Forms Guide.

Can I filter the customer list by membership?

Yes.

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Filter.
2. Under Membership, choose Active Membership or No Active Membership.
3. Optional: under Membership Plan, pick one or more plans.

Membership appears under Filter when you sell memberships.

Can I create just a customer without a pet?

No. Petboost is pet-centric: a customer and their first pet are created together, so every customer record is linked to the pets they own.

What does "draft" status mean for a customer or pet?

A draft is a profile that is not finished. It is one of the most common reasons a customer or pet seems to "disappear", so it is worth knowing how drafts work.

A profile can be a draft when:

• The customer started signing up online and did not finish
• A booking was abandoned before it was confirmed
• Someone on your team started a profile and did not finish it
• Required information is missing

Drafts may not appear in standard search results and are not included in customer counts or reports. On Customers & Pets they sit in a ribbon above the list, titled Incomplete Sign-ups, Abandoned Bookings or Unfinished Profiles, and Abandoned Bookings & Unfinished Profiles on the Attention Required card filters the list to them. Your team can still book a draft pet: Petboost asks you to finish the owner's details when you create the appointment.

To complete a draft profile:

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the card in the ribbon.
2. Select Complete Profile. The profile opens with Edit Owner Details.
3. Complete the required fields: at least the owner's name and phone, and the pet's name, breed and gender.
4. Select Save Owner Details.

Can I convert a draft account while booking an appointment?

Yes. When you choose a draft pet in the booking form, Petboost notices the account is not finished and lets you complete it without leaving the booking.

1. Open Appointments, start a new appointment and search for the customer as normal.
2. Choose the draft pet. An amber Draft Account banner shows the account is not finished.
3. Fill in the appointment details, such as the service, date, time and team member, as usual.
4. Select Create Appointment. Complete Pet Owner Details opens.
5. Enter the owner's First Name and Surname, and optionally their email. The phone number from their sign-up is shown and cannot be changed here.
6. Select Complete & Book.

The account becomes a full account and the appointment is created in one step:

• The placeholder name in square brackets is replaced with the real name you entered
• A Pet Owner App login is created for the customer
• The pet owner profile is updated across Petboost
• The appointment is created straight after, with nothing to enter again

Can I delete an abandoned booking?

Yes. Abandoned bookings and unfinished profiles can be permanently deleted. The draft pets on that sign-up do not block the delete: you do not need to delete the pet first, or archive the owner instead.

If the card is a new incomplete sign-up, with a draft owner and no confirmed booking:

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the card in the ribbon.
2. Select Delete, then Delete permanently.

That removes the draft owner account, its pets and the abandoned booking data. In Mission Control, you can also select Abandoned bookings, tick the cards under Abandoned Bookings (New) or Unfinished Profiles, and select Delete. If the card is still on the ribbon after the delete, refresh the page. Do not select Delete again: the first delete already succeeded.

If the person is already a customer and left a new booking unfinished, do not delete their account. Dismiss the booking instead:

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of their pets.
2. Open the Action Required tab.
3. On the Abandoned Booking card, select Dismiss.

In Mission Control, you can also select Abandoned bookings, tick the cards under Abandoned Bookings (Existing) and select Dismiss. That clears the unfinished booking and keeps the customer. Appointment history blocks a permanent account delete; that block does not apply to a new incomplete sign-up.

How do I add a second pet for an existing customer?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Select Add Sibling Pet under Family Pets.
3. Enter the pet's details. Pet Name, Breed and Gender are required.
4. Select Add Pet.

The new pet is created under the same owner, with nothing about the owner to enter again.

What's the difference between "Pet Parent" and other relationships?

"Pet Parent" is the default relationship and marks the primary owner. Every customer created on Customers & Pets is a Pet Parent.

Can one pet have multiple owners?

Each pet is linked to one primary owner, the Pet Parent. A second person in the household can still log in, book and receive updates with their own number, on the same pet profile, through Second pet parent phone. See How do I add a second phone number to an account?.

How do I handle customers who board multiple pets but only own one?

For the pets the customer boards but does not own, create separate customer and pet records for the actual owners, and manage those boarding appointments through those pets' profiles.

How do I handle customers who share a pet (separated owners)?

This is common with separated or divorced owners who share custody. Petboost links each pet to one primary owner, so choose one person as the primary and add the other as the second pet parent.

1. Choose one owner as primary. Pick whoever books or drops off more often.
2. Add the other as the second pet parent. Enter their number in Second pet parent phone and a label such as "Co-owner - Sarah" or "Dad - pickup Fridays" in How to label this number. They can log in and book with their own number.
3. Add a Quick Note to the pet's profile. Record the arrangement clearly, such as "Shared custody - Mum drops off Mon/Wed, Dad (0491 570 159) drops off Fri. Both authorised for pickup."
4. Keep both informed. Reminders and updates go to the primary owner, so your team should check the Quick Note and contact the other parent when the appointment falls on their day.

Do not create two customer records with two copies of the same pet: that causes duplicate bookings and splits the service history. Do not swap which owner is primary either. Pick one and keep it.

Can I see which customers have upcoming appointments?

Yes, in several places:

• Appointments: the day, week or month view shows every upcoming appointment with the pet's and owner's names
• Mission Control: the day's appointments with customer details, special care flags and vaccination warnings
• A customer's profile: open any of their pets, open the Appointments tab and switch on Show all with the owner's name to see every upcoming booking for the household

Creating and editing

What information is required to create a customer?

The required fields are the owner's First name, Surname and Phone, and the pet's Pet Name, Breed and Gender. Every other field is optional, but worth filling in for a complete record.

Can I edit customer or pet information after creation?

Yes, at any time:

• To change the owner, open Manage Owner on the profile, select Edit Owner Details, then Save Owner Details
• To change the pet, open Manage Pet, select Edit Pet Details, then Save Pet Details

Saved changes apply across all related records.

How do I update a customer's phone number or email?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Open Manage Owner and select Edit Owner Details.
3. Update the phone number, email or any other contact field.
4. Select Save Owner Details.

The change applies to every pet the owner has, and the new phone number or email is used for all future messages, such as booking confirmations, reminders and payment links. If the customer uses the Pet Owner App, their login updates too, so they can sign in with the new email. You can enter a phone number with or without the country code, spaces or dashes.

How do I change a pet's breed if I selected the wrong one?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open Manage Pet and select Edit Pet Details.
3. Choose the correct Breed.
4. Select Save Pet Details.

Can I add a breed that is not in the list?

No. A business cannot add breeds; Petboost adds them on request. Search the breed list first, then contact support if the breed is missing.

Can I change a pet's birthday after I've entered it?

Yes. Open Manage Pet on the pet's profile, select Edit Pet Details, change the birthday, then select Save Pet Details. The pet's age updates straight away.

Where do I see a pet's age?

On the pet's profile, next to its name. The date-of-birth badge shows the age in years, months and weeks. Tap it to see the full breakdown in years, months, weeks and days, and the date of birth. You do not need to open Edit Pet Details just to read the age; use it to add or change the birthday.

What happens if I enter the wrong gender?

Open Manage Pet on the pet's profile, select Edit Pet Details, choose the correct gender, then select Save Pet Details. The change applies across all records and reports.

How do I mark a pet as deceased?

Mark the pet as passed away from the Manage Pet menu. Petboost cancels the pet's upcoming bookings and archives the pet in one step.

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open Manage Pet. On a phone, open the Manage menu on the pet card.
3. Select Dog has gone to heaven. The first word is the pet's animal type, such as Cat has gone to heaven.
4. Review the summary, then select Continue.
5. Tick the confirmation.
6. Select Mark as passed away.

After you confirm, Petboost:

• Cancels the pet's upcoming bookings, with no cancellation fee and no message to the customer. Course bookings stay open, so cancel those from Courses afterwards
• Records the date you marked the pet as passed away
• Archives the pet. Its history, notes and photos stay on the profile, and Petboost stops sending reminders for it
• Archives the customer account too if this was the customer's only pet. Otherwise the account stays active for their other pets

A rehomed pet has no separate status. To take a rehomed pet out of your active list, open Manage Pet, select Archive or Delete Pet, then Archive pet.

Can I reactivate a pet marked as deceased?

No. A pet marked as passed away shows has passed away on its profile instead of a Restore pet button, and Petboost has no setting that reverses it. If you marked a pet by mistake, contact support: select Get Help in your dashboard.

Can I transfer a pet from one owner to another?

Yes, through support, to keep the records intact. People ask for this when a pet was rehomed or adopted by a new family, ownership changed after a separation, or the pet was created under the wrong customer by mistake.

1. Create the new owner's profile, if they do not already exist.
2. Contact Petboost support and ask for the transfer.
3. Give the pet's name, the current owner's name and the new owner's name.

The complete appointment history, vaccination certificates and health records, grooming preferences and care notes, Petprint attributes and Quick Notes, and any package credits move with the pet. The payment history stays with the original owner, and new paperwork and agreements may be needed.

Do not try to move a pet by deleting it from one owner and creating it again under another. That destroys all its service history.

Searching and finding

Why can't I find a customer I know exists?

Common causes:

• Searching by a nickname instead of the registered name
• A misspelt name or phone number
• The pet is registered under a different owner's name
• The customer is archived
• The customer is still a draft, with an unfinished sign-up
• The phone number is stored in a different format from the one you searched

What to try:

• Search part of the name, such as "Choc" for "Chocolate"
• Search by phone number or email instead
• Check other spellings with your team
• Check the Pet Type filter is not hiding the animal
• Look in the ribbon of incomplete sign-ups above the list, or select Abandoned Bookings & Unfinished Profiles on the Attention Required card
• For archived records, select Filter and set Show Archived Pets to Archived Only or All. When a search finds nothing, Include archived under the result does the same

How do I find all pets belonging to one owner?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on any of the owner's pets.
2. Read Family Pets in the panel beside the tabs. It lists every pet linked to that owner.
3. Select a pet to open its profile.

Can I search by phone number or email?

Yes. The search box finds customers by pet name, owner name, phone number, with or without formatting, and email address. Type into it and the results appear as you type.

Why isn't a phone number search finding my customer?

Phone searches are flexible, but a few things trip them up:

• A different format was stored: the number was entered with or without the country code
• The stored number has a typo from when it was entered
• Only part of the number is right: try searching just the last 6 to 8 digits
• It is the second number: search the owner's main phone. The second pet parent phone is not searched

Tips for searching by phone:

• Search the mobile number without the country code: 0491 570 159
• Try it without spaces or formatting: 0491570159
• Search the last 8 digits if you are not sure of the format
• Search matches the owner's main Phone only. It does not match the Second pet parent phone

Can siblings have the same name as another pet in the system?

Yes. Pet names do not need to be unique across your customers. You may have several dogs called Kiwi from different families, Miso the dog and Miso the cat with different owners, or, rarely, one owner with two pets of similar names.

To tell them apart, search results show the owner's name beside the pet's, pet cards show the breed and other details, profile photos help you recognise the pet, and the owner's phone or email confirms the right customer.

Why don't filters show the customers I'm looking for?

Filters narrow the results to what matches, so with a search and filters both active you see only what matches both. Select Reset to clear the search and every filter, then try again.

Duplicate records

How do I merge duplicate customer records?

Petboost does not merge two profiles.

When you add a customer and type a phone number that is already on a profile, Existing customer appears with Open profile: add the pet on that profile instead. If you create the customer and the number belongs to someone registered under another name, Petboost asks whether it is the same person, and Yes, Same Person - Link Account attaches the new pet to the existing owner.

For two profiles that already exist:

1. Keep the profile that has the history you need, and move future bookings onto it.
2. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the extra profile's pets.
3. Open Manage Owner and select Archive or Delete Account.
4. If the extra profile was created from your business and the owner has not signed up in the Pet Owner App, choose Permanently Delete. That frees the phone number, so you can put it on the profile you are keeping.
5. If you only want the profile hidden, or the owner has an app account, choose Archive. Archiving keeps the phone number reserved.

Do not delete one profile and create the pets again under the other. That drops the appointment history.

Search by phone before you add a customer. See Archive customers who have not booked since a date.

Photos and media

What's the best format for pet photos?

A clear, well-lit photo of the pet facing the camera. The crop is square and suggests 800x800 pixels, and photos can be JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP or HEIC, up to 10MB.

Why won't my photo upload?

Common causes are a file over 10MB, a format other than JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP or HEIC, a poor internet connection, or your browser's cache. Resize or compress the image, convert it to JPG or PNG, check your connection, or try another browser or clear the cache. Contact support if it still fails.

How many photos can I upload per pet?

• One profile photo, shown in the panel beside the tabs and in the list
• Several grooming photos, as reference photos on the Care & Grooming Templates tab
• Any number of vaccination certificates, on the Vaccination Certificates card of the pet's Petprint tab

Can I delete or replace a photo?

Yes:

• Profile photo: select Edit Photo on the pet's photo and upload a replacement. To remove it, remove it under Profile Photo in Edit Pet Details and select Save Pet Details
• Grooming photos: edit the grooming templates to remove photos
• Vaccination certificates: delete the certificate and upload a new one

Health records

Do I have to upload vaccination certificates?

No, but uploading vaccination certificates, or titer test results, is worth it: it helps you meet boarding and grooming requirements, gives you quick access in an emergency, tracks expiry dates, and is proof of vaccination when you need it.

How do I know when vaccinations are expiring?

The badge on the pet's summary card shows the vaccination status:

• Vaccinations current: every certificate is in date, or has no expiry date
• Vaccinations expiring: a certificate expires within 30 days
• Vaccinations expired: every certificate has expired
• No vaccinations: none uploaded yet

To email or text the pet owner before a vaccination is due, turn on Vaccination Expiry Reminders in Settings, then Notifications. See Vaccination expiry reminders.

How do I check vaccination expiry dates across all pets?

Download every pet's vaccination records from Customers & Pets.

1. Open Customers & Pets and open the gear menu beside Add New.
2. Select Quick Export: Vaccinations.

The spreadsheet lists each pet, each certificate's dates and a Status of Current, Expiring Soon, Expired, No dates, No expiry date or No certificates. Filter the Status column to find the pets that need a renewal. Mission Control also flags pets arriving that day with a missing or expiring vaccination.

To email or text owners before a vaccination is due:

1. Open Settings, then Notifications.
2. Find Vaccination Expiry Reminders.
3. Switch on Email the customer: vaccination expiry, Text the customer: vaccination expiry, or both.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

Petboost sends the reminder about 30 days before the expiry date, or about 11 months after the Date Administered when no expiry is recorded. A certificate that is only a photo, with no dates, gets one message asking for a complete record when Ask for missing certificate dates is on. Each reminder includes a link that opens the vaccination upload.

How do I require proof of vaccination before customers can book?

1. Open Settings, then Policies & Paperwork.
2. Under Health & Safety Requirements, switch on Require vaccination certificate.
3. Optional: switch on Require vaccine review & approval to check each certificate yourself.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

To require it for one service only, open the service, select Policies & Paperwork and switch on Require vaccination certificate there. Petboost does not check which vaccines a certificate covers.

• In online booking, the pet needs a certificate with a photo, a Certificate Label and a Date Administered, and an expiry date that is blank or not yet passed
• With Require vaccine review & approval on, the pet's appointments stay Pending until you approve a certificate

Requiring certificates suits boarding, daycare and group classes, where it should always be on. For grooming it is recommended but optional.

Can I see all pets with expiring vaccinations at once?

Yes. Use Quick Export: Vaccinations on Customers & Pets, then filter the Status column to Expiring Soon or Expired. Mission Control also lists pets with an upcoming booking whose vaccination is missing or expiring.

What types of vaccination certificates can I upload?

PDFs and photos, such as JPG or PNG images and scans from the vet. A useful certificate shows the pet's name, the vaccination, such as C3, C5, Kennel Cough or Rabies, the date given, the expiry date and the vet or clinic.

How do I see all vaccination certificates for a pet?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. On the [Pet name]'s Petprint tab, find the Vaccination Certificates card.

Each certificate shows its Certificate Label, Date Administered, Expiry Date (Optional) and the certificate image or document. Select a certificate to see the full document or image, which you can download or print. The summary card's badge reads No vaccinations, Vaccinations current, Vaccinations expiring or Vaccinations expired, as described under How do I know when vaccinations are expiring?.

Can I track medications in the system?

Record current medications in Quick Notes: the medication and dose, how often and when, what it treats, and any special instructions for giving it. For a record your team sees on every booking, add them to the Medications row on the Petprint card too, and health conditions to its Health row.

What if a customer doesn't have vaccination records?

Record it in Quick Notes and ask the customer to get copies from their vet, bring them to the next appointment, or update them after their next vet visit. You can still look after the pet; note the missing records on its profile.

How do I update a pet's weight?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open Manage Pet and select Edit Pet Details.
3. Enter the new Weight (kg).
4. Select Save Pet Details.

Petboost records when the weight was updated. Update it at every visit.

Why is weight tracking important for my business?

Weight affects several parts of the service:

1. Service eligibility: weight restrictions make sure the pet books the right service
2. Pricing accuracy: size-based pricing relies on a current weight
3. Safety: medication doses, handling and the equipment you choose
4. Health monitoring: trends can show a health problem early

Weigh pets at every visit and update their profile, so recommendations, weight-based prices and eligibility stay right and you can watch a returning pet's health.

Can I see a pet's weight history?

The panel beside the tabs shows the pet's current weight, with a Due for update badge once it was last changed more than 28 days ago. Petboost records when the weight was last updated. For trends over time, export your data or keep your own record.

Recurring series

How do I pause a recurring series?

1. Open an appointment in the series from Appointments and select Cancel.
2. Choose Skip these dates.
3. Set Stop at to the last day of the break.
4. Finish the cancellation.

The appointments in that window are cancelled, and the series carries on after the end date. There is no separate pause button. Always set Stop at: leaving it empty ends the series. End series (all future) stops the series for good.

See Pause or cancel a recurring series and How do I pause a recurring series?.

Where can I see all recurring series for a pet?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open the Appointments tab and choose Recurring Series.

It shows a timeline grid of every active series, then the ended and cancelled series, and is the one place to see how the pet's recurring appointments fit together. See the full guide, Recurring Series Timeline.

A cancelled recurring appointment keeps reappearing. What is happening?

This is caused by duplicate recurring series. When several series target the same day for the same pet, cancelling an appointment from one lets a second, dormant series fill the gap overnight. Each time you cancel, the next dormant series in line creates a replacement.

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open the Appointments tab and choose Recurring Series.
3. Find the series in the red Duplicate Series section of the grid.
4. Select Deactivate on each duplicate.

Once every duplicate is deactivated, a cancelled appointment stays cancelled.

See Recurring Series Timeline: The "Cancelled Appointment Reappearing" Problem.

How do I clean up duplicate recurring series?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open the Appointments tab and choose Recurring Series.
3. In the red banner that appears when duplicates are found, select Clean up duplicates.
4. Select End This Series on each duplicate, or end them all at once.

You can also select Deactivate on each duplicate series' row in the grid.

What is a "dormant" series?

A dormant series has no upcoming appointments, but its recurrence rule was never ended. It creates nothing while an active series covers the same days, but if the active series' appointments are cancelled, the dormant series fills the gap overnight.

Deactivating a dormant series sets an end date on its recurrence rule, so it never creates another appointment.

Should I worry about multiple active series for one pet?

Not always. Several active series are normal when different days have different team members, such as one walker on Mondays and another on Fridays, when different services apply on different days, such as a half-hour walk on some days and an hour on others, or when the pet's schedule really does vary across the week.

It becomes a problem when two or more series target the same days and the timeline shows red or amber warnings, when old series were never ended after a schedule change, or when cancelled appointments keep coming back. The Recurring Series Timeline shows which overlaps are intended and which are not.

Service history

Why don't I see appointments in the Appointments tab?

The Appointments tab starts on Future when the pet has upcoming bookings, so past bookings, including cancelled ones, stay hidden until you choose All Time or Past under More Filters.

If a cancelled or refunded booking is still missing, set Cancelled to Show. Cancelled recurring series have their own Cancelled recurring switch under it.

Other reasons a booking can be missing:

• It was booked for a sibling pet. Switch on Show all with the owner's name to see every pet's appointments
• No appointments have been booked yet

How do I view appointment history?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open the Appointments tab.
3. Under More Filters, choose All Time to see past and upcoming bookings together.

The list shows each booking's date, status and notes. Set Cancelled to Hide to leave cancelled bookings out.

Can I edit past appointment details?

Appointment details are usually locked once the appointment is complete, to keep the history accurate. To correct something, contact support with the details of what needs changing and why.

Where do I see what packages a customer has purchased?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Open the Wallet tab and choose Packages.

It shows every package they bought, the credits left and the history of each.

How do I track if package credits are running low?

When a package has two credits or fewer, its card on the Packages sub-tab of the Wallet tab shows Low Package Balance, then Last Credit, then No Credits Left. Check it before you book, and contact customers when their credits run low.

Grooming preferences

Do I have to fill out grooming preferences?

No, but they are worth filling in when customers have a particular style, when you want the same result whoever does the groom, when a pet needs special handling, or when you keep reference photos for a complex style.

Can I add photos to grooming preferences?

Yes. On the Care & Grooming Templates tab you can upload several reference photos for the head and face, the body and tail, the feet and legs, and any angle or detail that matters. Photos avoid misunderstandings and keep the result consistent.

How do I copy grooming preferences to another pet?

Grooming preferences belong to one pet and are entered separately for each. You can open one pet's profile and copy its text notes into the sibling's, or take screenshots to work from.

What if grooming preferences conflict with Quick Notes?

Grooming preferences are more detailed and specific to the service, while Quick Notes cover general care. If they disagree, check with the customer which is right, update both to match, and note the change on the appointment.

Payment and billing

How do I add a card on file for a customer?

Only the customer can save their card. Your team cannot type card details in for them; this is a Stripe security requirement. A card is saved on the customer's profile when:

• They add it in the Pet Owner App, to their digital wallet. This is the most common way, and it uses a secure Stripe SetupIntent to save the card for future use
• They save it while booking online. Online booking asks for a payment method, and a card saved there becomes their card on file
• They join a membership. Enrolment saves the card through a secure Stripe SetupIntent

Payment links do NOT save a card on file. A payment link is a one-time Stripe checkout: the customer enters their card, pays, and the card is used for that one payment only.

To ask a customer for a card, open the Wallet tab on their profile and select Text card request. See How do I update a customer's card on file?.

On the Customers & Pets list, each customer shows Card On File, Card Expiring Soon or No Card On File. The Wallet tab shows the card and the full payment and card history.

How do I update a customer's card on file?

Your team cannot edit a customer's card. Text them a secure link to update it themselves:

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Open the Wallet tab.
3. On Card on File, select Text card update. With no card on file, it reads Text card request.

The link opens straight to the add-card form. The new card applies to every pet the customer has.

What does "Card on file" mean?

Card on File means the customer has saved a payment method securely. It allows quicker checkout after a service, automatic payments when they are switched on, and fewer no-shows, because the card can be charged for late cancellations.

How do I see a customer's complete payment history?

The Wallet tab is the best place for a customer's full payment history.

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Open the Wallet tab. Wallet Activity opens first.

It lists every payment, with the amount, the date and whether it succeeded or failed, every refund, with the amount, reason and status, every card added or removed, and any disputes. Each payment shows its amount and status, the appointment it was for, with the pet photo, service name and View Appointment, the card used and when it was processed.

For what was bought, the Sales tab lists every product and service purchase with its amount, date, payment method and line items. Your Stripe Dashboard has the full detail of each transaction.

Can I see transaction history for a customer?

Yes. Open the Sales tab on any of the customer's pets to see every product and service purchase, with the amounts, dates and payment methods.

What if a customer's card expires?

Petboost shows the expiry date on a saved card, and the list shows Card Expiring Soon when it is close. Select Text card update on the Wallet tab to send the customer a link to add a new card, then check that the next payment goes through.

Emergency contacts

Where can I find a customer's emergency contact details?

On an appointment: open the appointment and expand Emergency Contacts. The same section is in the contact panel on Messages. It shows Vet, the vet or clinic with a Call Vet button, and Backup Contact, the Second pet parent phone, with a Call Contact button. One tap on either starts a call.

On the customer's profile: the Emergency Contact section on the summary card shows the vet or clinic name and number. Select the number to copy it. The second pet parent phone shows on Pet & Owner Details, in the Contact Details card.

On a phone: the owner information tile shows a short emergency contact line with the vet details.

If no vet is set, the profile shows Not set with an Add button that opens Edit Owner Details, where you enter the vet and the backup contact.

In an emergency, such as an injury, a bite or an allergic reaction:

1. Open the pet's appointment from Appointments and expand Emergency Contacts.
2. Select Call Vet for the pet's vet or clinic.
3. Select Call Contact if you cannot reach the primary owner.
4. If neither is set, call the primary owner. On the profile, select their phone number to copy it.

Why should I collect emergency contact information?

Emergency contacts matter when you cannot reach the customer, when a pet has a medical emergency during a service, when a customer is late for pickup, when an urgent decision has to be made, or when a pet bites a team member or another animal and you need the owner's vet straight away. Collect at least one for every customer.

Can the emergency contact be the same person as the customer?

No. An emergency contact is for reaching someone when the customer is unavailable, so collect another person's number, such as a partner, a family member, a close friend or a colleague.

How do I add a second phone number to an account?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the owner's pets.
2. Open Manage Owner and select Edit Owner Details.
3. Enter the number in Second pet parent phone.
4. Optional: fill in How to label this number.
5. Select Save Owner Details.

The second person signs in with their own phone and a one-time code, and they share the same pet profile. See Emergency Contacts.

How do I update emergency contact information?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the owner's pets.
2. Open Manage Owner and select Edit Owner Details.
3. Under Emergency Contact Details, update Vet/Clinic Name and Vet Contact Phone, and change Second pet parent phone and How to label this number if needed.
4. Select Save Owner Details.

The change applies to every pet the customer has.

Family pets and multiple pets

How does the Family Pets feature work?

Family Pets, in the panel beside the tabs on every pet's profile, lists all the pets linked to the same owner, so you can move between siblings in one click. It shows how many active pets the owner has, marks the pet you are viewing, and lists archived pets under Archived. Its Add Sibling Pet adds another pet to the same owner.

Can I link pets together without the same owner?

No. Pets are linked through their owner, and Family Pets only shows pets belonging to the same Pet Parent.

What if I accidentally created separate owners for the same person's pets?

Petboost does not merge two profiles. Keep the owner with the history, move future bookings to it, then use Manage Owner > Archive or Delete Account on the extra profile.

See How do I merge duplicate customer records?.

Why can't my customer book even though they have an account?

Common causes, and the fix for each:

1. The customer is blocked from online booking. Someone on your team used Block from Online Booking. Open Manage Owner on their profile and select Enable Online Booking. Blocked customers can still use the Pet Owner App and see their past appointment photos.
2. The account or pet is a draft. The online sign-up was not finished, or required fields such as the name, phone or breed are missing. Select Manage on the card in the ribbon on Customers & Pets, then Complete Profile, and fill in the missing fields.
3. The pet is archived or marked as passed away. Archived pets cannot be booked, and marking a pet as passed away archives it. Select Filter on Customers & Pets, set Show Archived Pets to All, open the pet and select Restore pet. A pet marked as passed away cannot be restored.
4. Vaccination certificates are missing or expired. The service needs a vaccination and the pet has no valid certificate. The customer must upload a current one.
5. The pet does not meet the service's rules. A weight, age or breed restriction, or a service the pet must have first. Check the service's eligibility settings, or book the required service first.
6. There is no valid payment method. A card on file is required and the customer has not added one, or it has expired. The customer adds or updates it in the Pet Owner App.

For a quick diagnosis, use the Availability Troubleshooter when you create an appointment, or open Simulate on the pet's profile to see the booking as the customer does. See Simulation Mode.

What happens when I block a customer from online booking?

They can still:

• Log in to the Pet Owner App
• See and download photos from past appointments, and their full appointment history
• See their package balances and purchase history
• See their pet's profile, grooming preferences and vaccination records
• See their paperwork and agreements
• Contact you directly, by phone, email or otherwise

They cannot book new appointments online, see available times, or finish an online booking. When they try to book online, they see no available times for any service, with no error or explanation.

You can still book appointments for them yourself, their existing appointments are not changed, and you can unblock them at any time.

How do I block a customer from online booking?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Open Manage Owner and select Block from Online Booking. It applies straight away, with no confirmation step.

To unblock them, open Manage Owner and select Enable Online Booking. They can book online again straight away.

An amber Blocked from Online Booking banner appears on the customer's profile, so your whole team knows. Consider blocking a customer who repeatedly does not show or cancels late, who needs special handling or a consultation before booking, during a dispute or a payment problem, or who misuses online booking.

How do I cancel all future bookings for a customer?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open Manage Pet or Manage Owner and select Cancel Future Appointments. Manage Owner includes every pet on the account.
3. Tick the bookings to cancel, or use Select all and the weekday buttons. The list shows the next 12 months.
4. Choose whether to notify the customer.
5. Select Review cancellation, then Cancel selected bookings.

If you are on Mission Control and the owner has two or more upcoming bookings, open the appointment card menu on Pets, Workflow, Roster, Photos or Attention Required, then select Cancel Future Appointments.

Only Pending and Confirmed bookings in that 12-month list are shown. A ticked recurring series still ends its later visits. In-progress, completed, paid and class bookings stay. No cancellation fees are charged, and package credits on these bookings are kept. If your plan cannot send booking messages, the bookings are cancelled silently. This cannot be undone.

See Cancel a customer's future appointments.

Can I unlink pets from an owner?

No. A pet must be linked to an owner. To move a pet to a different owner:

1. Create the new owner's profile, if they do not exist yet.
2. Contact support to transfer the pet.

The pet's appointment and service history moves with it.

Cleaning up records

How do I archive customers who have not booked for a long time?

1. Open Customers & Pets and open the gear menu beside Add New.
2. Select Archive Lapsed Customers.
3. Switch on Has not booked since a date and pick the date. Optional: switch on Has opted out of messages too.
4. Untick anyone you want to keep, then select Next: Review.
5. Tick the box to confirm, then select Archive with the number of customers.

Petboost does not bulk-delete records. See Archive customers who have not booked since a date.

Exporting and reporting

How do I email all my clients?

1. Open Customers & Pets and open the gear menu beside Add New.
2. Select Send bulk email.
3. In Send Bulk Email to Clients from your own email, leave the clients selected, or use Select All and Deselect All.
4. Select Open Default Email.

To email a filtered group, open Smart Export in the same menu, set your filters, then select Send bulk email under Bulk communication. See Send bulk email.

How do I export my client list?

Exports are self-service, from the gear menu beside Add New on Customers & Pets:

• Quick Export: Pet Owners: a CSV of every owner
• Quick Export: Pets: a CSV of every pet
• Quick Export: Combined: one CSV row per owner, with up to 10 pets on that row
• Quick Export: Vaccinations: a CSV of every vaccination certificate, with its dates and status
• Smart Export: a filtered, segmented export, such as clients with upcoming appointments or clients who have not visited recently, before you download it

For a complete copy of your account, with owners, pets, services, team members, resources, packages, credit balances and future appointments, use Export Your Data in the sidebar. See Export Your Data.

Which exports you see depends on your role. For something these exports do not cover, or a recurring or unusual export, select Get Help, then Speak with the team. Exports are useful for moving to a new email marketing tool, a direct mail campaign, end-of-year reports, checking the quality of your customer data, or an insurance or regulatory review.

Privacy and access

Who can see customer information?

Every team member with access to Petboost can see customer and pet profiles. Train your team on privacy requirements, professional use of the information, confidentiality, and how to talk about customers.

Can customers access their own pet profiles?

Yes, in the Pet Owner App. What they can see and change there depends on your business settings, such as which custom fields and attributes you share with them.

How do I delete a customer record?

Archive a customer you no longer see rather than deleting them: archiving keeps their service history for legal and business purposes, and you can restore them.

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on one of the customer's pets.
2. Open Manage Owner and select Archive or Delete Account.
3. Choose Archive, or Permanently Delete when the account has never had an appointment and has no unused package credits or payments waiting.

For a data deletion request, the right to be forgotten, see Hard delete a pet owner and Handle a data request, or contact support.

Can I export customer data?

Yes. Use Smart Export or the Quick Export options in the gear menu on Customers & Pets. Which exports you see depends on your role. See How do I export my client list? above for the steps.

Technical issues

Petboost is running slowly when I search. Why?

Common causes are a very large customer list, with thousands of records, a poor internet connection, your browser's cache, or many open tabs. Use more specific search terms, check your connection, clear your browser's cache and cookies, and close tabs you are not using. Contact support if it continues.

Why don't my changes save?

Common causes are a dropped connection during the save, a browser timeout, a required field that is empty, or your role's permissions. Check for an error message on screen, check your connection, fill in every required field, and try logging out and back in. Contact support if it continues.

Photos aren't displaying correctly. What should I do?

1. Refresh the page, with Ctrl+R or Cmd+R.
2. Clear your browser's cache.
3. Try a different browser.
4. Check the image file was not damaged when it was uploaded.
5. Upload the photo again.

If photos keep failing to display, contact support with examples.

I can't edit a customer's information. Why?

Your role may not allow editing, the record may be locked, which is rare, the session may have timed out, or the browser may be at fault. Check your permissions with your administrator, log out and back in, or try another browser. Contact support if you should have access.

Paperwork and terms

How do I chase a customer who has not agreed to my terms?

They see your terms first thing when they log in. To text them now:

1. Open Mission Control and select Terms not agreed on the Attention Required card.
2. Select Send SMS request on the customer, or switch on Bulk SMS Mode to send to several at once.

Each send is logged on Timeline & Notes. If they are at your desk, use Kiosk Mode. The Paperwork tab stores agreements they have already accepted and does not capture a new signature. Full steps: Policies & Paperwork.

Fields & Forms

Where do I send or resend an intake form?

1. Open Customers & Pets and select Manage on the pet.
2. Open the Fields & Forms tab.
3. Under Form Submissions, select Send Form, or Resend on a pending form.

You can also send from the appointment's Forms & Responses section, or attach a submission from the form's Responses tab. Do not use the Paperwork tab for this: it holds agreements and uploaded documents.

Once per client - is that per pet?

No. Once per client counts per pet owner account, so completing the form for one dog blocks it for a sibling on the same owner. Detaching the submission from an appointment does not reset it, and submissions cannot be deleted. To collect the form again, change the frequency to Every appointment, or Duplicate the form.

What is the difference between Resend and Send Form?

Resend reminds the client about the same pending submission; completed, archived or inactive forms cannot be resent. Send Form creates a new pending submission.

Is there an Auto-send after booking toggle?

No. On the form's Settings tab, set When to collect to Send after booking or Required before booking to send it automatically. Send manually sends nothing on its own: use Send Form on the client's profile.

Can I preview a form as a client would fill it in?

Yes. Use Preview as client on the form summary card, Preview at the top of the form builder, or the booking-flow simulation. You can type into it. Forms do not hide or show questions based on earlier answers.

Do required fields stop staff saving a pet or owner?

No. Fields required for customers carry an amber hint on the staff forms, and your team can still save a partial record.

Can staff fill a form in for a client?

Yes. Use Fill for owner on the staff booking form, or Fill on Behalf on the customer's Fields & Forms tab. A form your team fills in counts as completed for Once per client.

How do I stop emails when a client fills an intake form?

1. Open Settings, then Notifications.
2. If Intake Forms is not on screen, type intake form in Find a notification, e.g. intake form.
3. Switch off Email you: intake form submitted.
4. Select Publish Changes, tick the box in Before You Publish, then select Publish Changes.

Completing a form on a client's behalf does not send this email. See Intake Forms Guide, Sending Forms to Clients and Form Responses.

Still have questions?

If your question is not answered here, search the help centre for the topic, select Get Help in your dashboard to contact support, ask your team, who may have met the same question, or ask us about more training.

Related articles

• Getting Started with Customers & Pets: adding customers
• Managing Customer Profiles: editing customer and pet information, photos and notes
• Pet & Owner Profiles: the profile tabs
• Pet Activity Timeline: the feed of notes, appointments and photos
• Emergency Contacts: setting up and finding emergency contact details
• Recurring Series Timeline: managing, checking and cleaning up recurring series from the pet profile
• Pause or cancel a recurring series: Skip these dates to pause for a holiday, End series (all future) to stop the series
• Sales & Payments: transactions and payment methods
• Cleaning Up Records: archiving, restoring and deleting records
• Custom Fields and Intake Forms: profile fields and the form builder
• Intake Forms Guide: creating forms, templates and previews
• Sending Forms to Clients: when to collect, sending and resending
• Form Responses: viewing and attaching submissions
• Notifications: the email you get when a client fills in an intake form
• Memberships FAQ: billing, included uses and changing a member

Need help? Contact support or select Get Help in your dashboard to chat with our team.