1. Listen to customers to provide tailored service: Tanuj emphasizes that understanding customer needs leads to better delivery, ensuring satisfaction and loyalty.
2. Identify market gaps and fill them with solution: Tanuj’s focus on grooming and high-quality food arose from her own experience, showcasing the value of solving unmet needs.
3. Use memberships to simplify CX and retain customers: Memberships ease financial burdens and improve service continuity, building a stronger connection with customers.
4. Adapt to community preferences to grow your brand: Redesigning product strategies based on local tastes boosted Woof Gang's revenue and reputation.
5. Keep your team motivated to ensure great CX: Tanuj believes that caring for her team leads to happy customers and consistent service excellence.
Tanuj Malik believes that owners want nothing short of the very best for their pets. But when life gets busy, scheduling a grooming appointment or picking up a bag of organic dog food becomes an afterthought. Be inspired by how Tanuj and Woof Gang Bakery are revolutionizing the pet care industry by offering a customer experience that prioritizes convenience and customization.
Meet Tanuj Malik, Owner of Woof Gang Bakery!
Woof Gang Bakery is North America’s leader in professional pet grooming, with more than 350 locations open or under development. Woof Gang also offers a unique retail experience, our gourmet bakery treats are made with love, and we just offer the best quality pet food. Each location is committed to the happiness, well-being and health of pets. And also, how they look!
Tanuj fully entered the entrepreneur space when she moved to Canada 12 years ago. Looking for the next business opportunity, she decided to focus on what she loved most – pets. “As an owner of two dogs, I asked myself ‘what is missing?’ Grooming and quality of food were the two first things that came to mind,” she remembers. She knew firsthand that pet grooming was an inconvenient chore and healthy food options were lacking. In January 2024, she opened Woof Gang, a storefront with a grooming space and retail delivery services in Oakville, Ontario.
Since opening, Woof Gang’s team has grown to 10 members who are local and work in-office and remote based on the nature of the work. “Our grooming services are in-person and people do come to our store to shop as well,” Tanuj notes.
Woof Gang believes that providing excellent CX requires respecting the customer’s time while listening to their needs. “You can’t put a value on time, nobody has time these days,” Tanuj stresses. Booking services, delivery (with custom options), and communication (reminders and follow ups) are managed in ways that prioritize the convenience of the customer. Listening to customers gives insight to providing tailored customer service “The more we listen to them, the better we are able to deliver,” Tanuj adds.
Evolution of CX and Building a Customer Base
Not even a year in operation yet, Woof Gang’s approach to CX has evolved significantly. Tanuj explains, “Our PR and POS systems were great, but we were still developing our customer base.” Now at a point where they have repeat customers, Tanuj and her team have a strong sense of customer expectations, which in turn, enables them to evaluate and take the best approach to address situations. Additionally, they have implemented a membership/subscription model to ease financial burden and improve service continuity. “The membership has made it easier for the customer to stay connected – we send reminders and follow ups about services and products,” Tanuj notes. The goal is to make scheduling appointments and buying pet food effortless, flexible, and burden-free on the part of the customer.
Growing Business Through Social Media and Product Strategy
Tanuj reveals that developing a strong customer base and product line refinement are main factors contributing to Woof Gang’s growth. Utilizing social media through various platforms has increased visibility and reach to scrolling pet owners, introducing them to Woof Gang’s specialized services and goods. Tanuj describes the community in Oakville, where her store is located, as vibrant, pet-friendly, and knowledgeable – understanding residents’ tastes and standards was imperative for Woof Gang to emerge as the go-to spot for pet care. “Making what they want available here was key. Redesigning our product strategy from what we had to what the community actually needs has helped increase revenue,” she adds.
Fostering Customer Retention (In Dog Years)
On average, pets are a part of our lives for 10 to 14 years. For this reason, retention plays an important role in any pet care company’s growth. At Woof Gang, the goal is to meet the customer where they are at, whether they just brought home a young puppy or have a dog in its later years. Of the former, Tanuj says, “They are still understanding their pet and trying to find out which types of foods work for them. Making the connection, offering suggestions, and having the product available is key.” The same goes for customers who have food and nutrition dialed in for their middle-aged pet and are coming to Woof Gang for the first time. “For them, it’s keeping up and making sure we have what they need,” she says.
Preparing for Peak Season
Like the self-care industry for people, the peak season for pet-care companies happens during the holiday season. Tanuj reveals that spikes in business also occur in late spring/early summer when pets begin to shed leaving their owners to look for grooming services. In addition to having a full staff on hand during peak seasons, Tanuj makes sure to stock products that accommodate seasonal dietary changes. She explains, “Pets’ food changes – you don’t want to give them products that make them warm. Rather, you want food and treats with fish that cool them off when running around.”
Looking Ahead: Priorities and Goals
Tanuj has outlined short-term and long-term goals for Woof Gang. She will continue reinvesting profits and building a customer base understanding satisfied, loyal customers are critical for growth and longevity. Another immediate object is increasing Woof Gang’s delivery radius. Admitting their radius is presently small, she says, “expansion would give us that extra boost because we would be reaching more people.” With a long view into the future, Tanuj is focused on profitability through customer retention and evolution of service quality with plans to open a second Woof Gang store.
Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Tanuj’s advice for aspiring entrepreneurs is to start by looking at the market, identify gaps, and think of solutions to fill them. It’s important to focus on something that motivates you. “From day one you are invested,” Tanuj’s states, which helps ensure the long-term sustainability of your business model. She also stresses the importance of keeping up to speed with the latest technologies and leveraging social media platforms for business growth and visibility.
What excites you about E-Commerce? Flexibility and reach. E-Commerce makes it so much easier.
Can’t-Live-Without-Tool? CRM and our social media platform.
Key hiring trait? Empathy in customer service.
Recent book or podcast? Simon Senak’s book Leaders Eat Last helped me a lot. Especially keeping up with the team and making customers the priority. You care about your team, your team cares about the customers.
Favorite thought leader in the E-Commerce space? Jeff Bezos and how he brought in the whole space of E-Commerce. When I say ‘convenience,’ that is what I want to create in the pet sector.
#1 challenge as a leader? Keeping up with the expectations of the customer and making sure that my team can deliver it. This means giving that experience once, then giving it the next 10 times as well. If your team is happy, yes, you can achieve it. As a leader, if my team is there with me, with the same thought in their head… to achieve that would be great.
We're elevating customer experiences at 500 top E-Commerce brands (and counting). Let's see what we can do for you!
Learn MoreBook a call with one of our specialists today to see how TalentPop can assist you with putting together a solution for your customer service needs.
Learn More
.png)
