Adding Clients & Pets (and what each setting does)

Adding a client

From the Clients page, click Add Client. The only field Woofle insists on is the First Name — everything else is optional, so you can jot down a name now and fill in the rest later. That said, two fields are worth getting right from the start because they decide whether you can text the client at all.

Mobile Phone

This is where every text goes. No mobile number means there's simply nowhere to send a message, so the compose window will tell you a number is missing rather than let you send into the void. You can always add or correct it later from the client's record. Home and work numbers are there for your reference, but texts only ever use the mobile.

Send messages

This switch is on by default, and for most clients you'll leave it that way. Turn it off for someone who'd rather not receive texts, and Woofle stops offering messages for them everywhere — the per-appointment texts, and the reminders and re-book nudges too. It's a single, kind way to honour a "no texts, thanks" without having to remember it every time. It controls whether messages are offered; it never sends anything on its own.

The rest of the client form — last name, email, address, alternative contact, vet details and notes — is straightforward reference information. Fill in as much or as little as you like; you can edit any of it later, one section at a time, straight from the client's page.

The Client Portal link

Every client gets their own private portal link, which you'll find on their record via the Client Portal and Copy Link buttons. It's how a client fills in their own details and sees their pet's photos. You don't set anything up for this — it's ready the moment the client exists — but it's handy to know it's there.

Adding a pet

You can add a pet straight from a client's page (look for Add Pet under their Pets), or from the Pets page using the client picker. Either way the only required field is the pet's Name. The rest — breed, colour, gender, date of birth, neutered and vaccination status, temperament and notes — builds up the picture you'll glance at before each groom.

A couple of these earn their keep on busy days:

• Alert — a short flag that shows up prominently at the top of the pet's profile. Use it for the thing you must not forget: "muzzle for nail trim", "nervous of dryers", that sort of warning.
• Behaviour, Allergies and Medical Notes — the safety-and-comfort details that help every groom go smoothly, especially when someone else is covering.

You can also build up a photo gallery for each pet from its profile — before-and-after shots, or a reference for a particular trim.

The settings that drive everything else

This is the part worth slowing down for. On each pet's profile there's a Scheduling section with three numbers. They look modest, but they're the dials behind your calendar and your reminders. All three are optional — leave any of them blank and that feature simply stays quiet for that pet.

1. Recurring Schedule (weeks) — how often this pet is groomed

   Set this to how many weeks usually pass between grooms — say 6 for a six-weekly dog. When you re-book after an appointment, Woofle uses this number to suggest the next date for you, so you're not counting weeks on a calendar. You can always pick a different date; it's a head start, not a rule.

2. Reminder Before (days) — the pre-appointment nudge

   This is how many days before an upcoming appointment Woofle should surface a reminder for you to send — 2 days before, for example. When one becomes due, it appears on your dashboard ready to send with a tap. Leave it blank and this pet gets no reminders. Set it once per dog and you can tune it to each one's owner — some like plenty of warning, some don't.

3. Nudge After (weeks) — the gentle re-book prompt

   This is how many weeks after the last groom Woofle should prompt you to chase a re-book — but only if the pet has nothing already booked in. Set it to roughly your grooming interval (or a touch longer) and overdue regulars float to the top of your dashboard instead of quietly drifting away. Blank means no nudges.

The important thing to understand is that these settings drive things without ever taking the wheel. A reminder or a nudge becoming due doesn't send a text — it just puts a ready-to-go message in front of you on your dashboard, with a Send button and a Dismiss button. Nothing leaves Woofle until you choose to send it. The settings decide when you're prompted; you decide whether to act.

A sensible order to do it in

If you're adding a brand-new regular from scratch, this order keeps things tidy:

• Add the client with their name and mobile number, and leave Send messages on (unless they've asked otherwise).
• Add each pet under that client, with at least a name and breed.
• On each pet, fill in the Scheduling numbers so your calendar and reminders know that dog's rhythm.
• Add any Alert, allergies or medical notes you'll want at a glance.

None of it is set in stone — every field edits later, in place, from the client's or pet's page. You can start light and flesh things out as you get to know a new customer.

Where to go next

Once your clients and pets are in, the settings here start paying off elsewhere. To see the whole picture of how those texts work, read Understanding Messaging in Woofle. And for a closer look at the per-pet timings — getting your reminder days and nudge weeks just right — see Reminders & re-book nudges. As always, everything's gathered on the guides index.