The problem
Walks booked by text mean a slot can be promised twice, and a cancellation at 8am leaves an unpaid gap. If 3 walks a week are canceled too late to fill, at $20£15€18A$29C$28 each, that's $60£45€54A$86C$85 a week, about $258£194€231A$372C$365 a month lost.
What the AI does
KennelBooker's dog walking page lists a daily limit that counts dogs, not bookings, so a client booking 3 dogs uses 3 places; once the cap is reached that day stops taking bookings, online and off. Walks can be booked through the online portal, confirmed automatically or held until you approve them, and a regular booking Monday to Friday makes one multi-day booking. Cancellation fees can be a fixed amount or a percentage for walks canceled inside your notice window, and those bookings still show in revenue reports. Set the cap to what you can safely walk, allowing for any limit in your insurance or local rules.
A worked example
A walker in Reading takes up to 12 dogs a day in small groups at $20£15€18A$29C$28 a walk. About 3 walks a week are canceled the same morning, and two clients have been double-booked this year.
Before
3 same-morning cancellations a week at $20£15€18A$29C$28 unpaid: about $258£194€231A$372C$365 a month lost
After
Clients agree a cancellation fee when they book; if 2 of the 3 a week still cancel late and pay it, about $172£129€154A$248C$243 a month recovered
What it's worth
About $172£129€154A$248C$243 a month recovered, at $20£15€18A$29C$28 for 2 late cancellations a week x 4.3, if those clients still cancel late and pay the fee (an assumption). A cancellation fee carries almost no extra cost, so it is counted in full. KennelBooker's smallest plan, Dachshund, is $58.51£43.99€52.35A$84.46C$82.70 a month excluding VAT, about $70£53€63A$102C$100 with VAT.
How to set it up
- Start KennelBooker's 14-day trial and set up your walk lengths and prices, such as a 1-hour group walk and a 30-minute solo walk.
- Set a daily dog cap you can manage safely, allowing for your van, your insurance and any local limit on dogs per walker.
- Write your notice window and fee into your terms, then set the matching cancellation fee in KennelBooker.
- Publish walks to the online booking portal, holding new clients' bookings for approval until you've met the dog.
- Move regulars onto multi-day bookings so their whole week is confirmed in one go.
What goes wrong
- A fee only holds if the client agreed to it before booking. Send your terms to existing regulars before you start charging.
- Charging a long-standing client because their dog was suddenly ill can lose the client. Decide your exceptions in advance.
- Plans are sized by boarding rooms and daycare spaces; the page doesn't say walks are limited by plan, so confirm it in the trial.
- SMS reminders use credits bought separately; email confirmations are part of the plan.