Client Types & Owner Roles

Public Clients

• Who they are: Everyday pet owners bringing in their pets for spay/neuter or wellness appointments.
• Payment process: They pay at drop-off or pick-up.
• Invoices: HQ does not generate invoices for these clients.
• Use case: Best for one-off or low-frequency visits.

Volume Clients

• Who they are:
  • Shelters
  • Rescues
  • TNR programs/groups
  • Any individual or organization that brings in more than 10 animals per year.
• Payment process: Usually handled through invoices generated by HQ.
• Use case: Designed for high-volume relationships that require recordkeeping and billing consistency.

TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) & Feral Cat Trappers

• Part of volume clients if they trap regularly or for an organization.
• When to classify as Public:
  • If they only bring in one batch of cats.
  • If trapping is not a hobby or organizational role.
• When to classify as Volume:
  • If they regularly trap cats.
  • If they are affiliated with a rescue or TNR group.
• Switching from Public → Volume:
  1. Create a new Volume Client profile in HQ (example: "Sally Smith – Trapper").
  2. Merge the original Public profile into the new Volume profile.

✅ Quick Rule of Thumb:

• One-time pet owner → Public
• Shelters/Rescues/Regular trappers → Volume
• Occasional trapper (single batch) → Public, unless they return frequently

Owner vs. Client

Understanding the difference between a client and an owner is important, because while they are often the same, they are not always interchangeable.

• Client: The individual or organization booking the appointment and responsible for payment or billing.
• Owner: The person or entity who legally owns the animal.

Scenario 1: Public Client

• Case: Jane Smith, a public client, brings in her cat.
• Result: Jane Smith is both the client and the owner.

Scenario 2: Volume Client (Organization-Owned Animal)

• Case: Beagle Rescue, a volume client, brings in an animal from their organization.
• Result: Beagle Rescue is both the client and the owner, since the rescue legally owns the animal.

Scenario 3: Volume Client with a Separate Private Owner

• Case: Beagle Rescue, the volume client, brings in an animal that actually has a separate private owner (e.g., the animal arrived through a transport program).
• Result:
  • Client: Beagle Rescue (responsible for scheduling and billing).
  • Owner: The individual pet owner, recorded in HQ as the Volume Client Owner (VCO).
  • This distinction ensures proper tracking of who is financially responsible (the client) versus who is the animal's legal guardian (the owner).

Key Takeaway

• Public cases → owner = client.
• Rescue/shelter-owned animals → owner = client.
• Transported animals under a volume client → client ≠ owner → use VCO to document the true owner.