Hey guys. I need to build an app for a dog ...

[DJ_Porter]

Hey guys.

I need to build an app for a dog waste removal company.

The main concern is that when clients schedule a service it’s not miles across town then back again for the next service. So I’d like to set geofencing to services that are already in the area.

Or maybe an easier way is to time block specific areas of the town and allow up to X number of clients to book in that time slot.

Example: SE part of town times are available from 12:00 - 2:00 PM. Allow up to 9 clients to book in that time slot and send notifications that the service provider will be in that area during those times.

But how do you make sure that the time block for the area is adhered to?

IDK. What are your thoughts? Can this be done?

[Aleksi_Alkio]

When creating a booking app, you need to remember that overbooking can happen quite easily. Can you avoid it somehow? You can create different kind of mechanism into the app to avoid those situations, but you can’t be 100% sure about it.

[Stephen_Mattiso]

Firstly, your insane if you want to allow Clients to book a specific time to have poop scooped!

Unless you’re able to charge $60 per scoop, that will be a low/no-profit nightmare.

You’re right, you will burn all of your time and profit running back and forth.

SO many variables, weather to say the least will change your schedule daily/hourly.

IMO you must set these Clients up on a Route, I would use an existing Postal code/Zip code that is already sorted in a door to door route.

Increasing Route-density is the key to profit in this regular scheduled service business.

It will also greatly simplify your App. I would tell all new Clients that you’ll be by for their first scoop ASAP, or now, or whatever you can do, but from there on, the only way you can profitably service them is by fitting them into YOUR Route.

It’s the only way!

You’ll make WAY more money than on a time schedule and have almost no scheduling/rescheduling, etc hassles.

97.3% of your Clients will understand, the ones that don’t are doing you a favor by telling you up front that you don’t want their business.

Also, I would only take Clients who agree to, and pay up-front, per dog, once per week minimum, 4 weeks minimum.

Give 5-10% discount for paying yearly up-front.

[DJ_Porter]

@Stephen_Mattison thanks for your input. The reason I want to build a time slot is to be able to make the ROUTE from the clients in the time slot. Maybe I wasn’t clear. Sorry. Maybe time slot is to narrow : Day might be better.

You make a good point that I could use zip codes. But in this service area zip codes are a really large area.

I would never let clients books specific times. My idea was to allow clients in a specific geofence/zip code to book for services to be preformed during a general time period.

Another thing is I feel like a need a narrower time frame because I can t expect customers to keep their dogs put away for the whole day. I’d like to narrow it down to about a 2-3 hour window.

[DJ_Porter]

timetopet.com - Schedule Blocks Schedule Blocks timetopet.com

[DJ_Porter]

This is the feature I’m looking for.

[Stephen_Mattiso]

@DJ_Porter

That sounds better.

Tuesday, 9-11am, 11-2am, or 2-4pm, that sounds doable, but I would really hope that 90% of your Clients will not need to put away their dogs, that would be a major hassle for you and them.

I suppose I wouldn’t turn away the work at first, but these would

be the Clients to avoid when you have more than enough biz. STILL, due to weather, or whatever, your schedule WILL still change from day to day, hour to hour.

If you lock yourself into

a 2 hour range, or even a day range, you WILL regret it.

You just need to be firm up front and find Clients that will work on your schedule.

Then just focus on increasing route density, get every neighbor you can around existing & new Clients.

One stop, multiple Invoices.

Easy to quadruple your income this way. We had a poop scooper for years and it never mattered to me which day of the week he came, as long as he came regularly and got all the poop!

[DJ_Porter]

@Stephen_Mattison thanks for your input.

[DJ_Porter]

How do you deal with dogs potentially biting the service provider?

[Stephen_Mattiso]

@DJ_Porter

You weed that very small % of hateful pets out of your route as soon as you can afford to do so.

LOTS of dog poop out there!

[Stephen_Mattiso]

@DJ_Porter To use Zip Codes for Routing, you will need to get your Client Zip+4, this will sort things door to door perfectly.