The online booking portal is your customers' own area of KennelBooker. Pet parents can use it in a web browser or in the Pet Parent app to:
Create an account or log into their existing account
Check your availability
Make bookings and add extra services, products and packages to them
Sign your digital booking waivers and answer your Q&A questions
View and edit their own details, their pets' details and their vet details
Upload documents (such as vaccination certificates) and pet photos
See their past and upcoming bookings, and cancel or change them if you allow it
Pay for bookings online, if you've set up online payments
You set up everything about the portal on one page: Settings > Online Booking Portal.
Online booking portal: switching it on and linking it to your website
At the top of Settings > Online Booking Portal, in Online Booking Portal Integration:
Enable - Online Booking Portal/Mobile App: switches the portal and the Pet Parent app on or off. While it's off, the rest of the settings on the page are hidden.
Test Online Tool: a button that opens your portal so you can see what customers see.
Online Tool Button: HTML code for a ready-made Book Now button you can paste into your website.
Direct Link Shortened and Direct Link: the web address of your portal. The short link looks like kennelbooker.com/login/your-business-name. Add either link to a Book Now button or menu item on your website or social media pages.
Use one online booking tool for all of your locations: only shown if you have more than one location. Lets customers choose which location they're booking with.
To add the link to your website, open your website editor (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and so on), add a button or menu link, and paste in your Direct Link. See the Wix and WordPress articles in Related articles for step-by-step help.
The quick links at the top of the settings page jump to each section described below. Click Save at the bottom of a section after changing it.
Online booking portal: customer signup
In Booking Wizard Workflow > Customer Signup:
Disable New Customer Signup Screen: stops new customers creating accounts online. You can then create customer accounts yourself and send them a link to set a password.
Require customers to answer Q&A once the create their account: customers answer the questions from your Q&A settings page when they first create an account or sign in for the first time. With it off, they only answer the Q&A when making a booking.
Messages shown to customers when they turn off email confirmations, SMS confirmations or postcards on their account, and a message shown when signing up (above the Pets section on the signup screen).
Blocked Message: the message customers see if you've blocked them from booking online. You block individual customers from their customer profile screen.
Online booking portal: booking wizard steps
In Booking Wizard Steps you choose which steps customers go through when booking:
Show the 'Q&A' step on the Booking Wizard
Show the 'Add Services' step on the Booking Wizard: customers can add your additional services (extras) to their booking.
Show the 'Add Products' step on the Booking Wizard: customers can add products to their booking.
Show the 'Packages' step on the Booking Wizard: customers can add credit packages to their booking.
The steps customers see across the top of the booking screen depend on these settings and your services, for example Booking Dates, Vaccination Details, Online Booking Waivers, Services & Optional Packages, Product Sales and Booking Summary.
Online booking portal: vaccinations step
In Vaccinations Step you decide whether customers can enter their pets' vaccination dates online. You'll still need to check vaccination dates when pets check in.
Allow Customers to enter Vaccination Dates when booking online (for boarding, board and train and daycare bookings).
Require vaccination dates to be entered on the customer signup form.
Make it mandatory for customers to add the dates for vaccinations.
Require scan/photo of each 'Pets Vaccination Cert' be uploaded to the pets profile before a booking can be made, with a message to show customers. KennelBooker can't check that an uploaded certificate is valid or in date, so staff still need to check the documents.
Require Vaccinations for bookings for grooming, universal, walks, drop-in and homestay, each switched on separately.
Online booking portal: wallet funds
In Wallet Funds Option:
Allow customers to use funds for their bookings: customers can use wallet funds on their account to pay for bookings online. Choose the Default Payment Type for Wallet Funds, the payment type the payment is recorded under.
Allow customers to purchase Wallet Funds online: customers can top up their wallet funds in the portal. This needs online payments set up, and a product chosen in Wallet Funds (Default Product). KennelBooker creates a sale for the amount the customer chooses; when it's paid, the sale is marked as cancelled and the payment is credited to their account. If you charge tax exclusive, the customer pays tax on top.
Online booking portal: chat
In Optional Features, Enable Chat Feature lets you message customers. To start a chat, open the customer's page and click Start Chat. When you send the first message in a chat, the customer gets a push notification in the Pet Parent app and an email, and they can reply in the web portal or the app.
Online booking portal: availability settings
In Availability Settings:
Add 'Availability Check' button to Signup Screen: a quick boarding availability check on the login page, before customers log in or sign up.
Add 'Availability Check' button to the booking page: customers can check availability on the Add Booking screen without going through the whole booking.
Show 'Availability Messages' on the Booking Tool: tells customers you have space on the dates they asked for.
Disable Availability Checks Online (for Boarding Only): customers never see that you're full and can send in booking requests even when you are. Useful if you'd rather rearrange bookings or put requests on your waitlist.
Show availability space count for Daycare bookings on the tool: shows how many daycare spaces are free.
Waitlist: Add ability for customers to add themselves to the Waitlist: when there's no space, customers can add themselves to your waitlist.
Ignore Split Availability for Online Bookings: only accept online booking requests you can fit in one run for the whole stay, so pets don't have to move runs.
The availability checks on the login page and booking page and the split availability setting are for boarding.
Online booking portal: restriction settings
In Restriction Settings:
Turn on Restrictions, then for each service set an Hourly Checkin Block (stop customers booking within X hours of check-in) and the message they see if they try.
Future booking block: stop customers booking more than X days ahead, with one setting for boarding, board and train and homestay and another for daycare and nightcare, and a Future booking block - Message.
Online booking portal: customer registration form
In Customer Registration Form you choose which fields customers see and which they must fill in:
Customer Information: hide emergency contact fields, vet information and the customer ID number; Hide Booking Costs from customers; Hide Outstanding Balance from the customers Dashboard; and make address, mobile number, insurance, emergency contact, vet and How Heard required. For How Heard you can allow free text or set up to nine options for a drop-down list.
Pet Information: hide fields on the pet profile (breed, cross breed, date of birth, sex, spayed/neutered, weight, insurance, microchip, feeding, medical and allergy information, photo sharing consent, passport, tattoo, size, colour) and make breed, colour, sex, date of birth, spayed/neutered status, size, weight and microchip required.
Booking Screen Sections: Allow customers to see activity recorded against bookings and Allow customers to see booking notes field.
Optional Features: Allow customers to view and upload documents/vaccine certs, Allow customers to edit images of their pets and, for boarding, Allow Customers to select preferred room types online.
Online booking portal: cancellation settings
In Cancellation Settings, for each service: Allow Online Cancellation and a Cancellation Block (stop customers cancelling within X hours of check-in). A separate setting puts any payments on a cancelled booking onto the customer's account as wallet funds automatically. This doesn't refund Stripe payments, and bookings with a package get no credit.
These settings don't set a cancellation fee. Cancellation fees are set for each service on its own settings page (for boarding, Settings > Boarding > Boarding Cancellation Settings > Enable Cancellation Fee). See "Allow Customers to Cancel Bookings Online" and "Cancellation Fees/Cancellation Charges" in Related articles.
Online booking portal: terms and conditions
In Terms & Conditions you can add terms to the summary page at the end of the booking: Show T&C's Checkbox, Make T&C's Checkbox Mandatory, the Checkbox Text (default "Please agree to our terms and conditions") and the Terms & Conditions Text. Customers see a shortened version with a Read More.. button. You can use this alongside digital booking waivers.
Online booking portal: point of sale
In Point of Sale, Sell products on Online Booking Portal lets customers buy products you've added on the Products settings page. If you take online payments, they can pay for them online.
Online booking portal: discount codes
In Discount Codes / Coupons, switch on Enable Discount Codes/Coupons and add codes customers can enter when booking online. For each code set the Code Name, the Service, the Type (Percentage Based or Monetary Based), the Amount, optional Valid From and Valid To dates, the weekdays it's valid on (daycare, grooming, training, walk and drop-in bookings only), and Apply once per customer.
Online booking portal: booking question
In Booking Question you can add a question to the final step of the booking, for example "Will you be bringing your own food?". You can have one question per service, with up to eight answers.
Online booking portal: service descriptions and fully booked messages
Service Descriptions: a description for each service, shown in the Booking Summary panel when customers book that service. Additional Information is shown on the customer's portal dashboard, for example directions or pricing information.
Service - Fully Booked Messages: change the message customers see when a service is full, for each service.
Online booking portal: analytics
In Analytics you can add tracking codes so you can measure visits and conversions on your portal: Google Analytics Code, Google Ads ID (begins with AW-), Google Ads Conversion Label and Facebook/Meta Pixel Code. If you don't run ads or use analytics, leave them blank.
Online booking portal: advanced settings
Under Advanced Settings (click to open), boarding accounts can switch on Allow customers to select/assign rates to their pets for Boarding bookings and set the heading customers see above the rates.
What the online booking portal doesn't do
Pet parents don't choose a run or room online. They can only ask for a room type if you switch that on; staff allocate runs.
The portal can't check that uploaded vaccination certificates are valid. Staff need to check them.
Cancellation settings on this page don't create a cancellation fee.
Turning off a setting here also turns it off in the Pet Parent app, because the app uses the portal.
Online booking portal: frequently asked questions
Where do I find the link to my online booking portal?
Your online booking portal link is on Settings > Online Booking Portal in Online Booking Portal Integration, under Direct Link (and Direct Link Shortened if you have a short link). Copy it into a Book Now button on your website.
Can I stop new customers signing up online?
Yes. On Settings > Online Booking Portal, switch on Disable New Customer Signup Screen. Only customers you've set up yourself can then use the online booking portal.
Can I block one customer from booking online?
Yes. Block the customer from their customer profile screen. When they try to book in the online booking portal they see your Blocked Message, which you can change on Settings > Online Booking Portal.
Can I hide prices from customers in the portal?
Yes. In the Customer Registration Form section of Settings > Online Booking Portal, switch on Hide Booking Costs from customers. Hide Outstanding Balance from the customers Dashboard hides the total they owe.
Can customers pick their own run or room online?
No. Only staff allocate runs and rooms. You can let customers ask for a room type (for example Suite) with Allow Customers to select preferred room types online; see "Add Room/Run types to the Online Portal".
Can I stop last-minute online bookings?
Yes. In Restriction Settings on Settings > Online Booking Portal, switch on Turn on Restrictions and set an Hourly Checkin Block for each service, with the message customers see.
Can customers book when I'm full?
Not by default: the online booking portal checks availability. You can switch on Disable Availability Checks Online (for Boarding Only) to accept boarding requests even when you're full, or switch on the waitlist option so customers can add themselves to your waitlist instead.
Can customers pay online?
Yes, once you've set up online payments (Stripe, or Paystack in South Africa). Customers can then pay for bookings and buy wallet funds and products in the online booking portal and the Pet Parent app.
Can discount codes be a fixed amount off?
Yes. Discount codes in the online booking portal can be Percentage Based or Monetary Based, limited to a service and dates, and set to Apply once per customer.
Do the portal settings apply to the Pet Parent app?
Yes. The Pet Parent app uses your online booking portal, so everything set on Settings > Online Booking Portal applies in the app too.
Can customers upload vaccination certificates?
Yes. Switch on Allow customers to view and upload documents/vaccine certs in the Customer Registration Form section. You can also require a certificate upload before booking in the Vaccinations Step section. Staff still need to check the uploaded documents.
Online booking portal: common problems
All the settings have disappeared from the Online Booking Portal page
The settings are hidden while Enable - Online Booking Portal/Mobile App is off. Switch it on at the top of Settings > Online Booking Portal and click Save.
New customers can't create an account
Check Disable New Customer Signup Screen is off in Customer Signup on Settings > Online Booking Portal.
A customer sees "We're sorry but unfortunately we are not able to accept your booking."
That's the default Blocked Message. The customer has been blocked from booking online on their customer profile. Unblock them there if that was a mistake.
Customers can't book within a few hours of check-in
Check the Hourly Checkin Block for that service in Restriction Settings. Customers can't book online inside that window.
Customers can't see the extras or products step
Check that Show the 'Add Services' step or Show the 'Add Products' step is on in Booking Wizard Steps. For products to appear you also need products set up on the Products settings page.
Customers can't buy wallet funds online
Buying wallet funds online needs online payments set up, Allow customers to purchase Wallet Funds online switched on, and a product chosen in Wallet Funds (Default Product).
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