Choosing an In-Home Service
Before launching PET PROS, we worked with other services; These experiences taught us a great deal about client and employee relations, the industry as a whole and specific needs within an expansive market but perhaps most importantly, what to carefully avoid. Witnessing scenarios where vetting was nonexistent and the unfortunate consequences to pets and clients, has helped define the uncompromising standards that form the bedrock of our service model. The following tips are derived from our shared experiences and compiled here to help prepare you in making some important decisions.
- Employ the use of cameras (even if only outside). A bank of pictures can be collected in one visit and used to stage subsequent visits. Neighbors have also been valuable sources of information for who and when someone is or isn't at a client's home.
- Be certain the service agreement you sign specifies the individuals who will have access to your home and security details. Have in writing the individuals authorized for use of codes and clearance for security gates or check points.
- Verify credentials. If someone advertises veterinary expertise, substantiate this with the veterinarians they've worked for. If they’re unable to provide legitimate references from licensed professionals, ask to see diplomas or transcripts. The GA SOS licensing website may also be checked. Per the GVMA.net Rules and Regulations webpage: " An individual may not advertise themselves to be a veterinary technician in the state of Georgia without a valid license issued by the State Board. "
Verify Vet Professionals SOS GA
AVMA - Hierarchy Veterinary Care Team
- If you've hired a service, check in personally with the individual(s) caring for your pets to ensure they’re receiving any monetary tips you’ve intended for them.
- If GPS tracking is advertised, get in writing that it will be ON for every scheduled appointment.
- During the meet and greet ask the person slated to provide your service for direct means of contact (email or cell). Reach out to them just before and during scheduled service to ensure they are the one coming so you're not baited and switched. A provider can service your account using a shell profile of prior or fictitious staff, while sending someone unvetted and unknown to you. Finding out that a complete stranger, whom you and your pets have never met, is in your home while away is beyond disturbing.
- Ask to see driver’s license for anyone entering your home. With full legal name, DOB, a free PeachCourt account, some patience and time, intrastate criminal history can be checked. History outside of Georgia will require further background clearance. * Persons attempting to conceal prior convictions will often misinform their actual birth year *
- Ask for business FEIN. Business banking in the US requires one and if a business is operating solely through personal accounts on payment platforms, this should be a red flag.
If all of this sounds daunting or you simply don't have capacity for the extra work in critical due diligence, PET PROS LLC has already taken the measures required to guarantee none of the above will occur within our purview. Hiring a Pet Pro means peace of mind and the ability to travel being fully present for whatever has called you away from home. This is what Ken, a career HR Professional, Cat Dad and convinced customer has to say:
"I spent my career in Human Resources (with extensive experience in safety and security) and still do consulting work in that field. I’ve been responsible for managing hiring of hundreds of employees during that time, including some circumstances in which employees worked in clients’ homes. One aspect is the immense responsibility that business owners or managers shoulder to take every precaution possible ensuring that only the most trustworthy and conscientious people are hired. I’ve consulted with Pet Pros, LLC, and can attest to the fact that this responsibility is one taken very, very seriously and pursued diligently. My wife and I are satisfied customers of Pet Pros; with the hiring and vetting process used, we’ve recommended them to our friends."
Ken H.
HR Consultant and
PET PROS LLC Client