Best Practices For Client And Pet Fields

How your Client and Pet Fields are set up can make a big difference in how user-friendly Time To Pet is for your clients. Here are our tips for best practices for customizing your information fields.

Have As Few Fields As Possible

The fewer fields you have, the easier and less overwhelming it is for clients to fill out their profiles. Using fewer fields doesn’t mean you can’t get all the information you need from clients, it just means using more text areas with general labels than having a lot of fields asking for very specific information. When you want clients to give specific information within these generalized text areas, you can configure the preview text to tell them what information they should include. For example - instead of four fields about feeding instructions, you can use just one.

Pet fields with four separate food related questions and input fields

Pet field with single question and input field for all pet food related questions

Leave Fields Blank If They Don’t Apply

If a field does not apply to a client, leave it blank rather than entering “N/A” or “None”. When viewing client and pet information on the Mobile App, blank fields won’t be shown, making it easier for you and your staff to find the information you need.

two app examples each showing the client profile the one on the left has microchip litter box location and medication fields visible with n/a entered and one on right has nothing entered for those fields so the fields are not visible making the screen less cluttered and easier to read

Have As Few Required Fields As Possible

It’s best only to make a field required if the field is for information that is absolutely necessary for you to have and that applies to all clients or pets. Most clients will fill out every field that applies to them regardless of whether or not the field is required, but some clients will skip required fields that don’t apply to them and then become confused when they’re unable to save the rest of the information they entered.

Don’t Use Yes/No Fields When You Need More Information

The best use of Yes/No fields is for questions that only need a Yes or No answer. If you will have a follow-up question to the Yes or No question, it’s simpler just to use a text box or text area that covers both questions, so clients can leave it blank if it doesn’t apply to them.

two client fields first one asks does your pet have a medical condition and second one read if yes describe your pets medical condition there is a red x in upper right corner to indicate this is not recommended

single client field that asks client to describe any medical conditons the pet has with a green check in upper right corner indicating this is the recommended way to configure client fields

Put Pet Care Instructions In Client Fields Instead Of Pet Fields

For clients with multiple pets, being able to enter one set of pet care instructions is typically easier than having to enter instructions for each individual pet, especially when the instructions are the same or similar for all pets. Having all pet care instructions in one place will also make it easier for you and your staff to find the information when you’re at a visit.

Include A “Notes” Text Area As Both A Client Field And Pet Field

Clients may have additional information that you need to know about their pets or home that doesn’t fit into any of your other fields.

Have A "Vet Not Listed" Option in the Vet List, or Don't Make Vet Fields Required

The "Primary Vet" and "Alternate Vet" fields are populated by the vets you have entered in the Vet List. Clients can only choose from these vets when completing these fields. To prevent clients from being unable to save their pet information when their vet isn't currently on your list, you should either make these fields not required or add a "Vet Not Listed" option to your Vet List. Your clients can then leave their vet information in the "Notes" field of the pet profile, and you can add their vet to the list for them.