Frequently Asked Questions

Critter is a CRM and marketing automation platform built specifically for pet care businesses. It combines customer relationship management, email and SMS marketing, lead generation, referral programs, and AI-powered analytics into one tool designed for dog walkers, groomers, pet sitters, daycares, and other pet care professionals.

Critter is built for pet care businesses of all sizes — from solo dog walkers and groomers to multi-location pet care companies. If you manage client relationships and want to grow your pet care business with marketing automation, Critter is for you.

Unlike generic platforms, Critter pulls in data from the pet care software you already use — like Time To Pet, Precise Pet Care, MyTime, Scout, PetPocketBook and Paw Partner — so your customer and booking data flows in automatically. Every feature is designed around how pet care businesses actually work, from pet profiles and service-based segmentation to lifecycle communications tailored to your industry.

Sign up for a 14-day Critter trial — no credit card required. Connect your pet care software or import a CSV, explore your business snapshot, then review the journey, rules, and drafted follow-ups before turning anything on.

No. New CRM businesses start with a 14-day Critter trial, with no credit card required. Explore your connected data, customer journey, email tools, lead generation, and Togo. SMS is not included during the trial.

After the trial, businesses with a qualifying active Time To Pet connection can keep read-only Insights. Sending and automation pause until you choose an eligible paid plan.

Setup guides you through your business details and data connection. Import time depends on the amount of data and your provider. You can take a high-level product introduction while data loads, then review your own snapshot and setup when it is ready. Free live classes on Zoom every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus paid done-for-you setup if you would rather hand it off.

Togo is Critter's AI assistant. Ask about client retention, service mix, or revenue trends using your connected data, or get help drafting a follow-up. Togo helps explain the findings and your options; you review proposed changes and copy before acting. Togo is included from Grow, and you can try it during the trial.

Email starts on Starter at $79 USD/month with 1,000 base emails per month. SMS starts on Grow, with 1,000 segments per month, and requires registration and customer consent. An SMS can use more than one segment. Starter and the trial do not include texting.

Critter supports lifecycle automations like welcome sequences for new clients, birthday and anniversary messages, win-back campaigns for lapsed customers, review requests after visits, and more. You can also create custom automation triggers based on client behavior, booking activity, or segmentation changes.

Each of your clients gets a unique referral link they can share. When someone signs up through that link, both the referrer and the new client can receive rewards you define — like discounts or free services. Critter tracks every referral automatically so you always know who's driving new business.

Critter provides embeddable contact forms for your website, an online Meet & Greet scheduler, and referral links — all designed to capture new leads and funnel them into your CRM automatically. Every new inquiry gets tracked from first contact through conversion.

Critter lets you define a custom funnel that maps your client journey — from new lead to loyal regular. Customers move through stages automatically based on their activity, and you can trigger communications and automations at each stage to keep them engaged.

Critter connects with Time To Pet, Precise Pet Care, MyTime, Scout, PetPocketBook and Paw Partner. Available records and sync timing depend on the connector. CSV import is also available.

Yes. You can import contacts by CSV or connect supported pet care software. Critter uses matching rules to reduce duplicates; review the import results before relying on the data.

Yes. You can embed Critter's lead capture forms and Meet & Greet scheduler directly on your website. Critter also provides unique referral links for each client that work anywhere — on your site, social media, or in emails.

Critter uses encryption and security practices to protect your data. Some features use service providers, including Anthropic for AI features. See our Privacy Policy for how data is handled, and contact support@critter.pet for privacy or data-access questions.

New monthly offers are Starter at $79 USD, Grow at $149 USD, and Pro at $349 USD. Enterprise is custom-priced for franchises and multi-business operators. New CRM businesses start with a 14-day Critter trial. Existing customers keep their billed price unless they change their subscription.

Starter includes Grow's features with 1,000 base emails per month, owner-only access, and no SMS. That includes automated journey rules, task lists, lifecycle emails, unlimited forms and programs, reporting, and the website chat widget. Togo is not included on Starter. Grow adds team access, 100 Togo chats, 10,000 base emails and 1,000 SMS segments per month. Pro expands allowances and adds management of up to two businesses and priority support.

Yes. Enterprise is custom-priced for franchises and multi-business operators — it covers 3+ businesses (unlimited), franchise network and portfolio roll-up, central billing across businesses, volume email and SMS, and dedicated support. Reach out to our team for pricing tailored to your scale.

Yes. Review the billing confirmation before changing plans; it shows the price and when the change takes effect. Features that your new plan does not include will no longer be available.

On an eligible texting plan, you can purchase additional 500-segment packs in Billing. Purchased segments do not expire, but they do not enable texting on Starter, during the trial, or while access is paused. Registration and consent are still required.

Yes. If you're not satisfied within the first 30 days, we'll refund your payment — no questions asked.