Tell callers where things stand
When your holiday slots are gone, the most helpful thing a caller can hear is the truth: which dates are full, whether you keep a waitlist and when your next openings are. Add it in Spikey as short-term guidance in Instructions, with an end date, so it stops applying once the season is over.
Short-term guidance applies from the next call after you save it. Update it as your book fills, rather than once at the start of November.
Turn extra calls into a waitlist
Every answered call becomes a request in Calls, with the time it came in, the pet, the service and the times the caller can do. During the rush, that list is your waitlist.
When a cancellation opens a slot, look through Requires Action and offer it to the caller it suits. Spikey does not keep an automatic waitlist or offer openings by itself; your team decides who gets the slot.
Check your minutes before the busy weeks
More calls mean more minutes. Included minutes apply to each billing period and do not carry over, and extra usage is charged at your plan's rate. Look at how many minutes you used last month and estimate the season from there.
If you expect to go well past your allowance, compare the plans. Starter includes 200 minutes for $60 a month, then 25¢ a minute. Growth includes 800 minutes for $180 a month, then 20¢ a minute. An optional extra-usage limit pauses new calls once it is reached.
Set a callback routine you can keep
Pick two short windows a day for returning calls, such as before the first appointment and after the last one. Suggested replies make simple answers quick: each one opens your own messaging app with the text drafted, ready for you to check and send.
Be clear when you are full. A friendly reply with your first January opening serves a customer better than a callback that never comes.