Every pet business in the UK operates differently. A doggy daycare centre in the Cotswolds relies on managing a total headcount for the day, while a mobile groomer in Manchester has to manage their diary down to the minute.If you’re using a “one-size-fits-all” booking system, you’ve likely felt the frustration of trying to force your business into a workflow that doesn’t fit. At PawPal, we’ve solved this by offering two distinct types of booking logic within the same app: Standard (Session-Based) and Availability-Based (Dynamic Slots).Here is how to decide which one will save you the most time.
1. Standard Booking: The “Session & Capacity” Model
Standard booking is built for businesses that think in blocks of time. Rather than worrying about exact start times for every individual dog, you are looking at your total capacity for a specific period.How it works: You define set sessions for example, a “Morning Session” (08:00am–1:00pm) or an “Evening Session” (2:00pm–6:00pm). You then set a capacity for that session based on your staff levels or license (e.g., 15 dogs).Best for: Doggy Daycare, Boarding, or Group Dog Walks.The Benefit: It keeps your admin simple. You don’t need to manage individual 15-minute intervals; you just need to know if you have a “space” available in the morning block. It ensures you never breach your local council licensing limits.2. Availability-Based Booking: The “Precision” Model
For 1-1 services, time is your most expensive resource. You can’t just say “I’m free in the afternoon”; you need to know exactly when one dog finishes so the next can begin.- How it works: The system looks at your working day as a blank canvas and carves it into precise slots based on the service duration. If a full groom takes 90 minutes, the app only shows the client start times that can accommodate that full hour-and-a-half.
- The “Buffer Gap” Feature: This is the game-changer for groomers and trainers. You can build in a mandatory Changeover Gap (e.g., 15 minutes) between appointments. This gives you time to disinfect your equipment, travel to your next location, or grab a quick coffee without the next client arriving while you’re still mid-clean.
- Best for: Dog Grooming, 1-1 Training, or Pet Photography.
- The Benefit: It maximises your billable hours. The system does the “diary tetris” for you, ensuring your appointments are packed efficiently while still giving you that vital breathing room between jobs.
The Best of Both Worlds
The real strength of the PawPal app is that you don’t have to pick just one. Many UK pet pros offer a mix of services. You might run a Standard capacity-based daycare during the day, but also offer Availability-Based 1-1 grooming slots in the afternoon.PawPal allows you to assign different logic to different services. This means your daycare stays within safe capacity limits, while your grooming diary remains perfectly optimised with automated gaps.Which Logic Fits Your Business?
- Choose Standard if you manage Space (e.g., “I have room for 12 dogs today.”)
- Choose Availability-Based if you manage Time (e.g., “I can fit a 30-minute nail clip between my 10:00 and 11:30 appointments.”)
