Meet Daniel

GoodFriend Regional Onboarding Champion + Devoted Dog Dad 

Boasting a diverse professional background, talent for talking tech, and love of animals, Daniel Berkon is an essential part of our team at GoodFriend where he shines as the Regional Onboarding Champion AKA “go-to” for pet professionals. 

“With GoodFriend, I get to connect with groomers and trainers on the challenges they’re facing and talk through how our platform can help,” explains Daniel, “I’ve always enjoyed meeting people and problem solving, and as a pet parent myself, I really enjoy being able to bring more people onto the GoodFriend platform.”

Pandemic Pet Parenting

Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. metro area, Daniel and his wife moved south to Spotsylvania, Virginia in order to get a house with a yard for his dog. This devoted pet parent spends most of his free time hiking, gaming, curling up on the couch to read with his three cats, and playing fetch with his Irish Setter, Ember.

“We got Ember during the pandemic and I was really worried about her not getting enough socialization. To help, we stood outside of our local grocery store letting people say hello to her. She loved all the attention and it was really effective,” says Daniel, “After having her with us 24/7 through the pandemic, we still take her everywhere because she’s part of the family.”

Supporting Pet Pros

The pandemic has impacted both pet parents and the pros that provide them care in a myriad of ways. Designed with the needs of both pet parents and pros in mind, GoodFriend allows pet care professionals to reach more pet parents, simplify scheduling, book appointments and receive payment all in one place. As a Regional Onboarding Champion, Daniel works directly with pet care professionals ensuring that the process of joining the platform, profile set up, and booking runs smoothly.

“One of the first questions I get is about the cost. Once I let them know that GoodFriend is completely free for providers, we start discussing their specific needs,” Daniel explains, “Groomers and trainers often have to stop their work to take scheduling requests on the phone. Having GoodFriend handle those tasks allows them to focus more on the pets they care for, which is better for everyone.” 

Onboarding Tips from the Champion 

Build out your profile

Your profile is an opportunity to make a great first impression to the pet parents searching for your services on GoodFriend. It puts a face to the name giving a sneak peek of the experience pet parents can expect if they book with you. 

• Choose a profile picture of your logo, storefront, or your team in action
• Fully complete your About Us section showing your personality, years of experience, certifications, and specialties
• Add your website and social media links so pet parents can learn more about you

Set your hours and availability

Make sure to set both your hours and availability on your profile. Though they appear in similar formats, hours and availability are not the same. Hours are your business’s hours of operation (e.g, Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.) and availability refers to the openings available for pet parents to make appointments. 

Check your email

As pet parents submit appointment requests with your business, email alerts will start to come in. Check your email at least once a day to make sure that you don't want to miss any appointment requests from pet parents.

If you have any questions about joining GoodFriend or setting up your profile, contact Daniel at daniel@goodfriend.com.