Setting up agreements and policies

Before a new customer drops off their pet, you probably want them to agree to your rules. Things like vaccination requirements, cancellation policies, and liability waivers. Petsoft lets you turn those documents into digital agreements that customers sign through the parent portal.

Creating an agreement

Go to Organization > Agreements and click New Agreement.

You will need:

• A title, like "Boarding Agreement" or "Daycare Waiver"
• The body text, which supports basic formatting
• A version number, so you can track changes over time

Write the agreement in plain language. The person signing it is probably reading it on their phone while standing in your lobby. Short paragraphs and bullet points work better than dense legal blocks.

Requiring a signature

After you create the agreement, toggle Require Signature to on. This means new customers cannot book a stay until they have signed the current version.

When a customer creates their portal account, they will see the agreement right after they verify their email. They scroll through it, check a box that says they agree, and submit. Petsoft records the date, time, and IP address of the signature.

Existing customers are not forced to re-sign unless you release a new version. When you update an agreement, you can choose whether existing customers must sign again or whether the new terms only apply to new signups.

Multiple agreements for different services

Some facilities have one general agreement. Others have separate documents for boarding, daycare, and grooming. You can create as many agreements as you need.

If a customer has signed the boarding agreement but not the daycare agreement, they can book boarding but not daycare. The system checks each service independently.

Terms of service

In addition to customer agreements, you can set a Terms of Service page for your portal. This is different from a customer agreement because it applies to everyone who uses your portal, even if they never book a stay.

Go to Organization > Agreements > Terms of Service to edit it. Most businesses copy and paste language from their website or ask their lawyer for a standard template.

What customers see

When a customer logs into the portal, any unsigned agreements show up as a banner at the top of the page. They cannot dismiss it. They have to sign or contact you to opt out.

You can check a customer's signature status from their profile. Open the customer, go to the Agreements tab, and you will see a list of every document they have signed, with dates.

Printing agreements

Some customers want a paper copy. You can print any agreement from the admin side by opening it and clicking Print. The signature block will show the customer's name and the date they signed digitally, even on the paper version.

If a customer refuses to sign digitally, you can print the agreement, have them sign with a pen, and then upload a photo or scan to their profile. This is not ideal for record keeping, but it works in a pinch.

Agreement creation workflow

New vs. existing customer signatures

Digital vs. paper signatures

Aspect	Digital signature	Paper signature
Speed	Instant	Requires printing & scanning
Record keeping	Auto-saved with timestamp/IP	Manual upload required
Customer convenience	Sign from phone or computer	Must be in person
Legal audit trail	Built-in	Depends on upload quality