Online Booking & Requests
Customers can request their own reservations online. This saves your staff time on the phone.
This page is for your team. If you're looking for what pet parents see, that's the Parent Portal section.
How it works
When a customer requests a reservation through the portal, Petsoft checks that a run is available for those dates. Petsoft creates the reservation only if a run is available. If a run is not available, the portal tells the parent that the date is at capacity. You do not receive the request in this case.
If the Require Pet Review Before Booking rule is on, your staff must review pets added through the portal. Staff must complete this review before the customer can reserve those pets.
How do I approve a request?
New requests appear on the Pending tab of the Reservations board. The nav item shows a badge with the count.
- Click the Pending tab or the badge.
- Review the dates and the pet's information.
- Choose:
- Approve — the request becomes a confirmed reservation. Petsoft emails the customer a confirmation.
- Decline — cancels the request through the standard cancellation page. This page manages any deposit refund.
- Edit — change the dates or service, then approve.
A request with a status of Pending Approval does not generate a confirmation email when the customer submits it. Petsoft sends the confirmation only after you approve the request.
How do I get customers to use it?
Go to Organization > Settings > Portal to find the tools for sharing the portal:
- Registration Link — your unique sign-up address, with a Copy button.
- Short code — also called the Invite Code. Customers type this code on the registration page.
- QR Code — with a Download QR Code button. Print it for your front desk, or put it on your business cards.
This page shows your registration link, short code, and QR code in one place. It also has Code Management below, for when you have shared a code too widely.
Some things that work:
- Put a button on your website. A big "Book Now" button that links to your registration link.
- Use the QR code. At the desk, on a card, on the kennel door.
- Add the link to your email signature.
When customers use the portal, they enter their own information. Your staff does not have to enter it.
If you need to stop using the old code, click Regenerate Code in Code Management on the same page. Doing this stops any printed QR codes and links that use the old code from working. Print new QR codes and links before you click Regenerate Code.
Can I set my own rules?
Yes. You can find these rules in three different places.
| Rule | What it controls | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Disable Daycare Reservations in Pet Parent Portal | Whether customers can reserve daycare online | Organization > Settings > Rules |
| Require Pet Review Before Booking | Whether a pet added through the portal needs staff review before it can be reserved | Organization > Settings > Rules |
| Advance Booking Weeks | How many weeks ahead customers can reserve daycare online | Daycare Availability > Settings (the gear button) |
Read the daycare rule's name carefully. It is a disable switch. Turning Disable Daycare Reservations in Pet Parent Portal on stops parents from reserving daycare. To let customers reserve daycare, leave the rule off. Petsoft describes the rule this way: "Pet Parents will not be shown the option to book daycare reservations."
On the Rules page, set your toggles in the Enabled column and click Save Settings. Changes take effect immediately.
What the review rule does when it is off. Pets added through the portal still appear under your Pending review tab, whether this rule is on or off. The rule only decides whether the customer must wait for your review before reserving that pet. Petsoft describes the rule as follows: "When this option is NOT set, pets will still appear under the Review tab, but customers will be able to schedule reservations for that pet prior to review."
Holiday rules also restrict availability. See Holidays for details. On the Runs page, you can limit each run to certain services.
Online booking approval flow
Still stuck?
Our team is happy to help. Reach out and we'll get you back on track.