Riley Achterberg runs Foxglove Mobile alone: one van, four days a week, in the North End and on the Bench in Boise. Riley does not want a second van. Riley wants Fridays off and a calendar that fills itself, and for two years that second part was a part-time job.
“Every evening I’d sit in the van with my phone and book people,” Riley says. “Who’s due, who wanted a Tuesday, who I forgot to text back. I was doing an hour of admin for every seven dogs.”
The thirty seconds that matter
The change at Foxglove was small. When Riley takes payment in the driveway, Bramble offers the next visit on the same screen: same stop on the route, same time of day, six weeks out. The owner taps yes while the dog is still showing off the haircut.
That is the moment people are happiest with a groomer, and it turns out to be the moment they will commit to a date. 86% of Foxglove’s clients now rebook before the van pulls away.
The rest fills from the list
- New clients join a waitlist from the booking link, with their neighborhood attached.
- When a regular moves or cancels, the nearest household on the list is offered the slot by text.
- Riley sees the result in the morning. Most gaps are filled before 9 AM.
Because rebooked stops keep their place on the route, the map stays tidy. Tuesdays stay in the North End. Wednesdays stay on the Bench. The longest leg of Riley’s week is 14 minutes.
Where the evenings went
Foxglove has been booked eight weeks ahead since last October. Riley has not typed a reminder or a “when works for you?” in a year, and the phone-in-the-van hour is down to about five minutes of checking tomorrow’s loop.
Fridays are for the foothills. The dog comes too.
Clients rebook before I’ve rolled up the hose. I’m full eight weeks out and never sent a single reminder text myself.
Riley Achterberg
Owner, Foxglove Mobile
