Searching for a KennelMaster Alternative? Why Pet Manager is on Your Radar

If you’re running a kennel or cattery in Australia, there’s a good chance you’ve come across KennelMaster. It’s been a stalwart in the local industry for years, a familiar name for many facility owners. But as technology evolves and customer expectations grow, many business owners are starting to look for KennelMaster alternatives that offer more flexibility, mobility, and modern features.

If you’re in that boat, you’re not just looking for a change; you’re looking for an upgrade. You want a system that not only does what your current one does but also opens up new possibilities for efficiency and growth. This is where Pet Manager enters the conversation as a leading cloud-based alternative.

The Desktop vs. The Cloud: A Generational Shift

The most significant difference between a system like KennelMaster and Pet Manager is the underlying technology.

KennelMaster has traditionally been a desktop-based software. This means it’s installed on a specific computer at your facility. It’s robust and it’s familiar, but it can come with limitations. Access is typically restricted to that one machine, remote work is difficult, and updates can be manual processes.

Pet Manager is a fully cloud-based system. This means you can access your entire business from any device with an internet connection—your desktop at the front desk, a tablet in the kennels, or your phone from home. Data is backed up automatically and securely, and updates are rolled out seamlessly without you having to do a thing. This isn’t just a technical detail; it fundamentally changes how you can run your business. Need to check tomorrow’s arrivals while you’re at the grocery store? No problem. Want to give your staff mobile access to feeding schedules? Done.

This flexibility is crucial. A survey by IWG found that 83% of businesses believe flexible working policies lead to increased productivity. Giving yourself and your team the ability to access information from anywhere is a massive step forward.

Feature Comparison: Modernising Your Operations

Financial Management & Payments:

KennelMaster handles billing and accounts, but Pet Manager takes it a step further by fully integrating with modern payment and accounting systems.

With Pet Manager, you can integrate directly with Xero, automating your bookkeeping and saving your accountant hours of work. You can accept online payments for bookings and deposits through Stripe, which are automatically recorded in the system. For Australian businesses, there’s even an integration with Tyro EFTPOS terminals, sending the payment amount directly to the machine and eliminating “fat finger” errors. This creates a seamless financial workflow from booking to reconciliation.

Client Communication & Engagement:

How you communicate with clients has a huge impact on their loyalty.

Pet Manager has a built-in communication suite. You can send automated, customisable emails and SMS messages for booking confirmations, reminders, and follow-ups. A standout feature is the Pet Postcards, where you can send a quick email update to a client with a photo of their pet having a great time. It’s a small touch that creates a huge amount of goodwill and has been a game-changer for many facilities that use it. As one user commented, “Our clients absolutely love getting the photo updates, it really puts their mind at ease.”

Multi-Service Management:

Many kennels are diversifying their services, adding daycare, grooming, or training to their offerings.

Pet Manager is designed for this from the ground up. It has separate, dedicated modules and schedulers for different service types. This means you can manage a complex business with multiple revenue streams all within one cohesive system. You can set specific staff rosters for grooming, manage 5-week puppy school courses, and handle daycare packages with prepaid tokens—all without needing separate software or messy workarounds.

A Dose of Reality: The Great Flood of ’22

Remember the floods that hit parts of Australia? We had a customer whose facility was on high ground but was completely cut off by road closures. Because they were using cloud-based software, they were able to contact every single client with a pet due to check-in, rearrange bookings, and manage the chaos from their home, using just a laptop and a mobile phone. Their old desktop system would have left them completely stranded. It was a stark lesson in the importance of remote access in a crisis.

The Australian Advantage

While Pet Manager is a global company, its roots are proudly Australian. This brings a few key advantages for local businesses. The support team is in your timezone, so you’re not waiting until midnight for a response. The system is built with an intrinsic understanding of the local market, including things like public holiday surcharges and local payment systems like Tyro.

Why Look for an Alternative?

Making the decision to switch software is never taken lightly. But if you feel like your current system is holding you back, if you’re manually entering payment data into your accounting software, if you can’t easily check your bookings from home, or if you want to offer your clients a slicker, more modern online experience, then it’s time to explore your options.

A system like KennelMaster has been a reliable workhorse for many. But a modern alternative like Pet Manager isn’t just a replacement; it’s a strategic upgrade that can make your business more resilient, efficient, and profitable.

Don’t just manage your business, empower it. Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Pet Manager and experience what a true cloud-based solution can do for you and your clients.