There is a last minute owner who plans to drop off her dog in a few hours but she hasn't officially booked the stay. Should I book it or ask here to do it prior to dropping off herdog?
It would be considerate of you to go ahead and initiate the booking, as you mentioned that it is a last minute stay and she is probably busy preparing for the trip. That way, when she arrives to drop them off, you can quickly remind her to confirm the stay which would be faster than her going through submitting the request and having you both confirm, etc.
Thanks. I was hoping there was a way to handle it quickly but I totally forgot about the owner needing to confirm the stay. I'll get the process going now
It is sometimes confusing to me who should press "book it now." I feel like if I do it (as a sitter) I may appear presumptuous, pushy. But, the pet owner may feel the same way. They may think since the sitter hasn't done it, there may be something still in question.
I recently sent an enhancement request to allow the pet owner and sitter to click respective "I'm ready to book it" buttons. IMO, this might help indicate who's waiting on whom. What either person sees could be enhanced with prompts such as "The requester has indicated they're ready to book it. If you are, press 'Book it now.'" I think it would help guide the conversation. I could say "I notice you haven't checked off the 'I'm ready'. Is there something else I could help with? (Then it could more quickly lead to archiving the request -- which I also feel apprehensive about doing when I'm unsure whether they're waiting on me.).
In your case, since the dog owner has already said they'll drop off the dog, I would press "book it now" and let them know that they'll need to accept the booking before dropping off the dog.
BTW: I'm quickly discovering 80% of last-minute requests have other drama associated with them. I'm becoming more assertive about my expectations, limiting my exposure to wasted time. That's why I would be clear that the booking must be accepted prior to the dog being dropped off. (There have been reports of owners not booking. Then it turns into days of nagging them to book the stay which is already occurring.).
My problem is resolved! I initiated the booking and she confirmed within minutes. Thanks for the help
If we talk and it's a go, I always hit Book It! I don't think it's pushy as they have already sent me a request for service.
Frequently it's not clear "it's a go." For example, someone had 2-3 other sitters to consider. If I knew that I would archive it. I think mutual "It's a go" indicators would make it clearer who's waiting on whom. If we're not waiting on me, I should still be shown in search results, etc.