Answer "How much is a groom?" by size, coat and condition

It arrives at 9 pm with a blurry photo and nothing else: how much for a groom? No size, no breed, no idea when the dog was last brushed. You could ask three questions back and lose them, or guess a number and eat the difference when a matted doodle shows up in the van on Thursday.

The honest answer depends on size, coat and condition, and your price list already knows that. What tends to go wrong is the delivery. Either the reply is so hedged it sounds like a dodge, or it quotes the small-dog price from memory and the pet parent remembers that number at pickup.

This kit works from your own price list, typed in once: size bands, coat add-ons, the de-shed add-on, the matted-coat surcharge and the travel fee if you drive. You describe what the pet parent told you in general terms, never the message itself, pick the channel, and say whether this one is salon or van. Back comes a main reply with a real number or range from your list, one sentence on how condition changes it, and the one question you need answered next, plus a shorter variant and one for a second channel. Paste it into your booking app and read it once before you send.