My client wants a specific sitter, and only that sitter, what do I do?

I recently came across a familiar situation. An existing client was going out of town, needed a sitter and called shortly before her trip to inquire about availability. I explained that we were happy to help and that the sitter she wanted was not available but that her second sitter would be happy to help. I should explain that my policy is to assign two sitters to each client. This ensures availability and minimizes the number of people the pets need to get used to. I explain this to every client during the initial meet and greet. She said she understood but really wanted her previous sitter and that she would find another solution and reach out earlier next time to ensure that sitter was available.

Any pet care business owner knows this is a quandary. No one wants to lose a job but you have a choice to make;

Option #1 – Move schedules around to free up the sitter she wants causing churn in your schedule and possible inconvenience to your other sitters or other clients.

Option #2 – Give up that particular job and hope she does schedule with you in future as she said she would.

Option #3 – Politely insist that all of your sitters are awesome (and they are) and tell her that you’re sure the dogs would also love the second sitter given a little introduction time?

Ultimately it comes down to how sustainable and how flexible you want your business to be. While #1 makes that one client happy in the short term, it will in fact lead to less flexibility in future which will hamper your ability to run your business. It also means ignoring your own policies which, while there are exceptions, is generally a bad idea. The best response in my opinion is a combination of #2 and #3. You can gently remind a client of the value of a second sitter in meeting their needs while adhering to your policies. They may listen or they may choose to find an alternative but whatever they choose to do, you’ve handled it in a professional way that’s fair to your client, to your sitters and to your business.

As a new business owner especially, turning down jobs is a tough thing to do. Your inclination is to move heaven and earth to meet every customer’s request. But think carefully about this. Decisions you make in the early stages of your business can lead to challenges when you have more business that you can handle (and that time will come). There is no wrong answer here, just a choice, just make sure you make it based on both present and future needs.