Who Answers the Pet Resort Phone During Holiday Drop-Off?

Who answers the pet resort phone during holiday drop-off?

Someone whose only job at that moment is the phone, or a system that answers every call, chosen before the rush starts. When the front desk is checking in a line of dogs, the person at the counter often cannot also give a new booking request their full attention. Decide ahead of time who or what picks up, so the line at the counter and the line on the phone both get handled.

Why do holiday drop-off days strain the front desk?

Because the same few people often do everything at once. Around Thanksgiving and the December holidays, many families may arrive within the same few days, and each check-in can involve vaccine records, feeding notes, belongings and payment.

Each of those steps can need real attention. A missed medication note or a missing record can matter more than a missed ring, so staff are right to focus on the dog in front of them. Meanwhile the phone can keep going with new booking requests, last-minute openings and "can I add a bath" calls. A front desk can usually do one of these jobs well. Doing all of them at the same moment is where calls tend to slip.

What happens to the calls nobody picks up?

Many of those callers may simply try the next kennel on their list. An owner with travel dates to fill can be calling several places, and the first one that answers may get the booking. A voicemail greeting that promises a callback later can lose to a business that picks up.

Here is one example of how big the gap can be. For one client, a dog daycare, about 3 in 10 weekend callers used to reach nobody. The first Saturday with our receptionist, 97% of calls were answered.

That is one business, so treat it as an illustration, not a forecast for yours. The best check is your own phone: ask who actually answered the last busy afternoon. For the booking side of the season, our post on dog boarding holiday booking calls goes further.

Which calls need a person right away, and which can wait?

Sort them by whether a dog or an owner is waiting on an answer right now. Calls about a dog already in your care usually need a person quickly. New booking requests and add-on questions can often be captured and answered without pulling someone away from the counter.

A simple sort, written down so everyone treats the same call the same way:

• Needs a person now: a worried owner about a dog already staying with you, a medication or health question, a pickup or drop-off problem.
• Can usually be captured: a new booking request, dates and dog details, a pricing question.
• Can often wait for a callback: an add-on such as a bath, a change to a future stay, a question about hours.

Write your own version with your team. Your kennel knows which calls are urgent far better than any template does.

What should a booking call capture?

Enough that your team can follow up without starting from scratch. Keep the list short and ask the questions in the same order every time. A caller who is asked the same few questions clearly is more likely to feel looked after, even when nobody at the counter could pick up.

• Owner name and best callback number.
• Dog's name, breed and size, and whether the dog has stayed with you before.
• Arrival and pickup dates.
• Any add-ons wanted, such as a bath.
• Anything staff should know before the stay, such as feeding notes or medication.

Your team still confirms vaccine records, availability and payment details afterward. The goal of the call is to catch the request, not to finish the whole check-in.

Can you separate the front counter from the phone?

Often, yes, even with a small team. The idea is that the person with a dog and an owner in front of them is never also the person the phone depends on. A few ways kennels can do it:

• Name one phone lead for each peak window, and give that person no counter duties.
• Offer timed drop-off slots, so fewer families arrive at the same moment.
• Forward calls to a second phone when the counter gets busy.
• Use outside help for overflow, such as an answering service or an AI receptionist.

If you are weighing outside help, our page on dog boarding answering service is a good place to start. Whatever you choose, test it. Call your own number from two phones at once, and listen to what a caller hears.

What should you set up before Thanksgiving week?

Do it in a quiet week, before the first rush. A short checklist:

• Write down which calls need a person now and which can be captured.
• Fix the short list of questions every booking call should ask.
• Name a phone lead for each busy day through the December holidays, and a backup.
• Choose your overflow path and test it with two calls at the same time.
• Decide who returns captured calls, and by when, so none sit overnight.
• Call your own number during a busy hour and hear what an owner hears.

Small changes made early are often easier than fixing the phones on the day the lobby is full.

The short version

At holiday drop-off, the front desk can be busy with dogs, records and payments while the phone keeps ringing. Many callers who reach nobody may simply call the next kennel, so a phone that depends on the person at the counter can lose bookings. Before Thanksgiving, sort your calls by urgency, fix a short list of booking questions, separate the counter from the phone, and test an overflow plan, so every caller reaches someone.

HiGrovi is the AI receptionist for home and pet service businesses. It answers every call in under a second, 24 hours a day, and books the qualified ones or routes them straight to you, so holiday drop-off is just another day your phone gets answered. Call 410-348-8088 or book a demo.