Understanding Slot Based Appointments

Slots are a flexible way of setting a groomer’s capacity and booking grooming appointments according to how much work they require. The slots system is used instead of booking appointments at specific times with specific durations.  

Helpful Hints: Before you begin.

• In the beginning, you don't have to make your slot system perfect, because it is very easy to increase or decrease the number of slots a groomer has on any given day, as well as the number of slots any particular pet requires for their service. Whoever books the grooms can easily handle all of this on the calendar and make adjustments according to what is already booked and the groomer's requests. If you determine a groomer is full for the day, you can easily remove any excess slots.
  
  
• You can hone your slots over time. So don't be afraid. Take a crack at it!
  
  
• Eventually, you may want to create a reference sheet for your receptionist/reservation specialist to refer to when making and accepting new appointments.

How to: Understand Slots (Slot-Based Appointments).

At your business, you will determine about how much work (or time) 1 slot is, and how many slots are required for any service for any particular animal.

For example, Penny, a Basset Hound who is groomed regularly requires 2 slots for your Grooming Services | A La Carte service.

But Roxy, an English Golden Retriever who just came from the shelter may require 5 slots for the same service.

You will set how many slots are required for each dog, for each slot-based service they get, and the system will remember how many slots they used last time. You can always change the number of slots at any time, as you probably would the second time Penny (above) comes in. As always, you can also easily adjust the price per dog and the system remembers that, too (Auto-Charge Last Time).

How many slots do your groomers need each day?

A general guideline is to make 1 slot = the amount of work required for the quickest service a groomer at your business does.

For example, if your groomers do a-la-carte nail trims or ear cleanings themselves (i.e. not done by general staff), those services would be 1 slot each. Maybe a snappy dog who needs to be muzzled and restrained would require 2 slots (twice the work).

By the same logic, if nail trims are 1 slot, a haircut for a Standard Poodle might require 15 slots. Therefore, if your groomer’s maximum workload is around 3 Standard Poodles in a day with no other little services thrown in, your groomer’s slots should be set around 45.

Nail Trim / Ear Cleaning = 1 slot

Long Hair Large Dog Bath = 5 slots

Standard Poodle Haircut = 15 slots

Total Groomer Daily Capacity = 45 slots 

If, on the other hand, your groomers only do full grooms (haircuts), leaving smaller services to be handled by general staff, you might then say that 1 slot is the equivalent of a Shih Tzu and a Standard Poodle is 4 slots.

Shih Tzu = 1 slot

Standard Poodle Haircut = 4 slots

Total Groomer Daily Capacity = 12 slots 

Something like that. If you wanted to, you could keep things as simple as:

Bath = 1 slot

Haircut = 4 slots

Total Groomer Daily Capacity = 16 slots

It's all up to you!