Import checklist for mobile groomers
Bring over the records the next groom actually needs.
Start with active clients, their dogs, upcoming work, and the notes that protect the groom. Clean the file before old duplicates and missing details reach the live route.
- Start with active clients
- Review every ready row
- Keep questionable records out
The record after review
A clean import helps before the groomer touches the dog.
The useful result is not a large row count. It is a client and pet record with the right owner, contact details, dog, care context, and handling caution where the groomer can find them before the visit.
Decide what must work on the first live day.
Do not make a perfect archive the price of a safe launch. Start with the records needed to identify the client and dog, prepare the groom, reach the address, honor the appointment, and follow up afterward.
- Active clients and current contact details
- Each active dog and the owner it belongs to
- Health, behavior, handling, coat, and styling notes that still matter
- Upcoming appointments and the service expected
- Current prices, policies, balances, and rebooking context that need owner review
Find the truth in every old tool.
One groom may have a time in the calendar, an address in contacts, a coat note in a text, a price in a spreadsheet, and a deposit in a payment app. List each source before deciding what belongs in the import file.
- Old grooming software exports
- Calendar appointments and repeat schedules
- Contacts, spreadsheets, texts, notes, or paper cards
- Service menus and policy documents
- Payment-provider records for reconciliation—not card-number copying
Clean clients and households first.
Duplicate clients make every later step harder. Choose one current household record, confirm how the client wants to be reached, and keep old or inactive records out of the first launch set unless they serve a clear purpose.
- Full name and preferred name
- Current phone and email
- Service address, unit, gate, parking, and access details
- Communication consent or preferences where recorded
- A clear active, inactive, duplicate, or review status
Keep every dog separate and specific.
A multi-pet household still needs one record per dog. Match each pet to the right owner and move only factual notes another groomer can use.
- Name, breed or mix, size, age or birth date, and sex when known
- Health and mobility cautions shared by the owner
- Handling triggers, observed response, and what helped
- Coat condition, style, products, sensitivities, and last-groom result
- No diagnoses or guesses presented as fact
Rebuild services, prices, and policies deliberately.
Old service names often hide years of exceptions. Use the switch to make each service understandable, choose a starting price or range, and place payment, cancellation, no-show, and deposit language where the business will actually use it.
- Clear service name and description
- Expected duration and add-ons
- Starting price or range with honest change reasons
- Service-area or travel rules
- Owner-approved policy wording
Protect upcoming work before importing history.
The next route matters more than a five-year archive. Review upcoming appointments one by one, including the client, dog, service, date, time or arrival window, address, assigned groomer, repeat pattern, notes, and payment context.
- Confirm the next appointment—not only the recurrence rule
- Check time zones, dates, and arrival windows
- Do not treat an imported time as a reviewed route
- Keep the old calendar available until the new schedule matches
Keep sensitive payment details out of the file.
Never copy full card numbers, security codes, passwords, or provider credentials into a spreadsheet, note, or ordinary import. Reconcile invoices, deposits, receipts, balances, refunds, and disputes with the original provider records.
- Bring over only the payment context the supported workflow needs
- Review open balances and deposits before launch
- Treat recorded paid status separately from processor settlement
- Use the supported payment-provider setup for future transactions
Preview a small sample before the full list.
Use a few real record shapes: one simple client, one multi-pet household, one dog with important care notes, and one incomplete row. Confirm the field mapping and fix the source file before adding more.
- Check column names and required fields
- Review matches, duplicates, skipped rows, and warnings
- Confirm the correct owner and dog stay together
- Do not confirm a row you do not understand
- OpenDog does not promise a one-click import from every source
Reconcile the first live week.
Keep the old source available long enough to compare the first appointments. Ask groomers what is missing, correct the source of repeated errors, and record what did not move so nothing important disappears silently.
- Compare upcoming appointments and assigned groomers
- Open the pet notes before each first visit
- Check reminders, invoices, receipts, balances, and rebooking
- Resolve duplicate or incomplete records before adding more history
FAQ
Common questions from grooming businesses.
Can OpenDog import from spreadsheets or CSV files?
OpenDog can review spreadsheets, CSV files, and exported data as part of setup. What can move depends on the source structure, data quality, duplicates, missing fields, and cleanup needed.
What records should I import first?
Start with active clients, their current dogs, useful care and grooming notes, services, prices, policies, and upcoming appointments. Older history can follow after the live workflow is trustworthy.
Does OpenDog import everything automatically?
No. There is no dependable one-click import from every old system. Review the mapping, ready rows, warnings, duplicates, and missing details before relying on imported records.
Can I bring over saved card details?
Do not copy full card numbers, security codes, passwords, or payment-provider credentials into an import. Use the supported provider setup and reconcile payment history with the original provider records.
What if my old export is incomplete?
Use it as one source, then fill important gaps from the current calendar, service list, notes, or a smaller first-launch file. Keep the old source available until the first live week has been checked.
How do I test the import before launch?
Preview a small sample with different record shapes, confirm the owner-pet matches and field mapping, fix flagged rows, and then test the first appointment, note, reminder, invoice, and rebooking workflow.
Bring over a clean first day—not every old mess.
Start with the clients, dogs, upcoming work, and care details the groomer needs. Review the sample, fix questionable rows, and keep control of what becomes part of the live workflow.