The advantages of grooming software are many. A growing number of new grooming business start with a computerized system from day one. Many of them come from other industries that wouldn't be without information at their fingertips. When you visit grooming businesses without software you can tell the difference. If I ask how many clients they have, the computerized business can give me an exact number, and those without a computer guess. What's your average service fee I may ask, again the same disparity. Groomer software is not just about organizing large amounts of client information and the daily operations, but information for the groomer-manager-owner necessary for decision-making with greater confidence.

At minimum today's grooming businesses could benefit from appointment software if they forgo complete operations software. It's so much easier to manage appointments and you can easily take the information with you, or even dial-in to your computer from an Internet connection anywhere to find important information. Computerized businesses also tend to sell better and for more. Once again, most of the people buying grooming businesses today are computer-friendly people, and many are shocked to see today's groomers that are still holding out on computerizing their operations and appointment management.

Today most software publishers offer a free trial period. In fact, they usually allow you to download the trial now! Why not give them all a try before you make your decision?

Be aware that some companies identify their software as "groomer software" and it's nothing more than an appointment manager. That's important, shouldn't the software be more accurately described as appointment management software? Sure. We expect groomer software to cover operations needs beyond appointment scheduling only including sales management.

If you plan to process credit cards, interface with programs such as Quickbooks, process credit cards and ATM and have a point-of-sale system for your retail, you need to ensure the software you are buying supports your requirements. Do you homework, and discuss your needs with the vendors. You may need additional hardware too.

If you are a mobile groomer look for mobile versions of popular groomer software. There are not many to choose from today, but we predict more are coming.

Don't forget to backup your computer often and store the backup in a safe place. We occasionally make a full backup and place the discs in our fire safe. A small office fire resistant is affordable and a blessing should something happen to your business or computer. Your records are vital, don't rely on having no copies made and stored somewhere safe. So many times we have heard about computer crashes on the GroomerTALK Message Board and the groomers say, "Next time I will make back-ups of my computer." Please learn from them.