If you’re thinking of looking for a pooper scooper service for the very first time, you might also be wondering how to choose the right one since there are many available and a variety of price points. This article addresses all the considerations that you will want to cover before choosing the right pooper scooper service provider for your yard.
Basic Requirements
Well-trained Staff and Oversight
You will want to check to make sure technicians are background checked, trained, re-evaluated and retrained on a regular basis. This means the company is paying attention to who is in your yard, how the pooper scooper services are performed, whether they are performed well, and rectifying training issues whenever there is a service issue.
Punctuality and Flexibility
You might have a certain day of the week in mind and a certain time of day that would be best for the technician to stop by and do the work. You will want to know whether the company can accommodate this type of request and if not, what happens. For example, will you get a notification when your pooper scooper technician is on the way? If he or she is later than planned? Will someone reach out to you proactively to plan around holidays? These are small details but getting them right makes the service invisible and seamless — this is what you’re looking for with a pooper scooper service.
Reliability and Contingency
Ideally your service will have backup staff available in the event your usual person is unavailable. You might be wondering “what usual person?” Since you might not ever meet your technician. Having a usual person is a big plus – your technician may meet your dogs even when they don’t meet you. Dogs recognize and remember people just like you do, so having continuity of service is a benefit as far as your dog is concerned. That said, however, your service should also have backup staff who are available to ensure the work gets done on time, every week.
Customer Service
Your pooper scooper’s customer service team should also feel like a good fit for you. If you prefer texting, do they text? Are they there to answer the phone 7 days a week in the event that’s your preference? Or is there a way to make schedule adjustments online without having to talk to anybody? All of these methods are great, but if your scooper service doesn’t provide the method that’s your favorite, it’s not going to feel like a good fit.
Service Quality
The right tasks and all the tasks. The scooper staff should scoop every poop in the yard. When you go outside after a technician has been by, your yard should be pristine—including any pet waste that had found its way into flowerbeds or porch areas. The scooper should lock the gate as they are leaving and give you written assurance that the work is complete and your property is secure in the form of a door hanger or electronic message.
Service Completeness
The service should include everything that you’re looking for when the technicians comes through. That would include sanitizer and/or deodorizer. The service should include removal of all pet waste (not just storing it in your city waste container for weekly pickup).
Cleanliness and Sanitation
Technician Appearance
Your service technician should only be in your yard wearing branded attire (i.e., company tee shirts or uniform). Your technician should be clean and well-mannered.
Tools and Equipment
You will want to know how the scooper tools are managed. Are they regularly cleaned and sanitized? You’ll also want to ask how technicians use booties, gloves, and hand-washing as part of their regular routine to keep things sanitary.
Pricing and Invoicing for Pooper Scooper Service
Pricing Model
You will need to understand how the pricing model works based on the number of pets and the frequency of desired visits. This is a balance act between your budget and your desire for a perfectly clean yard. The pricing can also vary by the size of yard, as it takes longer to complete the scooper sweep on a very large yard compared to a very small one. As far as extras are concerned such as deodorizer and sanitizer, sometimes the pricing for this is “all inclusive” and sometimes it is “a la carte.” (Click here to see our own pooper scooper pricing.)
Invoicing
You will want to know whether your service can accommodate a weekly or monthly invoice if you have a preference for one over the other. You will want to ask whether services are paid in advance or in arrears.
Cancellation Policy
In the event you have to make frequent last-minute changes to your services, you will want to know whether there are any cancellation fees and how much flexibility the service has to get you right back on the schedule.
Your pooper scooper company should have business processes that put you completely at ease from your very first contact to the last invoice payment. Your pooper scooper technician should be animal-loving, kind, friendly, well qualified, and well-trained. They should deliver a service that removes 100% of the dog poop from your yard. You should be “in the loop” with ETA notifications and proof-of-service on delivery day. Finally, your customer service experience should be warm and professional. With these factors in place, you will truly be able to sit back and enjoy your pets and your back yard throughout the year.
