Dog Walking and Differentiators

My husband and I recently adopted a puppy.  Before his arrival we did our research on what every new puppy owner should know, and probably drained Amazon’s inventory for all things dog-related.  After hours of reading, talking to our fellow dog-owner friends, and making sure we had all necessary supplies, we proceeded to the next step in the process: securing a dog walker.  Since both my husband and I are gone during the typical 9 – 5 day, we knew we needed to partner with a service provider who could help us during this time.  Not only would they need to have specific expertise in working with dogs, they would also need to be able to fill a role that we both did not have the capacity to do ourselves.

To tackle finding the perfect company, I resorted to a Google search.  Immediately, a well-known business in the area popped up as number one in my search results.  After thoroughly looking through their website, reading independent reviews online, and speaking with our neighbors who have utilized this particular company in the past, we decided to move forward with them.  They seemed like a popular brand, and the most well-known company is obviously the best choice, right?

We quickly learned this was not the case.  Lack of communication, missed walks, and inconsistent billing forced us to reconsider.  This time around, we performed a complete due diligence around our search for the right fit.  We could not afford to make the same mistake twice, and the fact that we were paying a hefty amount of money for a service that was not close to meeting our expectations was extremely frustrating.  After diving into our search at a much deeper level we came across a lesser known company.  This company utilized the latest GPS technology to ensure you knew when and where your pet was walked each day, also offering the ability to schedule and pay securely online.  Elaborate biographies for each dog walker were on the site so that as an owner, you knew who was walking your dog and what their background was.  The owner of the company even took the time to come out for an hour-long meeting to get to know me, my husband, and of course our dog.  All of these things provided us comfort to move forward with this lesser-known company and subsequently fire the popular brand, as they just were not living up to our expectations.

I liken this scenario to Citisoft.  We might not be the biggest firm or the first company to appear in a search query (although, we’re making our way up there, see this news), but we are most definitely on the same playing field.  What are our differentiators?  They are much like the lesser-known but highly preferred company I recently switched to:

Seasoned industry veterans – With an average of 16 years’ industry experience, Citisoft employees are positioned as strong leaders for numerous types of initiatives across the investment landscape.

Long tenured employees – Citisoft treats employees with respect and provides interesting and engaging opportunities, and therefore we have a high retention rate of happy employees (as evidenced by Citisoft’s ‘One of the Best Small Consulting Firms to Work For’ 2016 Consulting Magazine recognition).  This ensures consistent resources remain on projects which results in better results for our clients.

Proven methodologies – Since being founded in 1986, Citisoft has refined and created a set of proven and successful methodologies that can be tailored specifically to each individual client’s needs.

Client-Centric Approach – Citisoft takes the specific needs of each client into account and works collaboratively to achieve project goals.  By prioritizing the unique needs of each client, we have built longstanding relationships and a long list of repeat clients.

The cherry on top for our dog-walking switch?  In addition to all of the more attractive attributes noted above, our new company has much more affordable rates.