One of the essential principles of pest control is to focus on suppressing the activity of unwanted insects or animals. However, eradication is difficult, especially when dealing with common or endemic species. You may be able to eliminate a pest from your home one year, but it will likely be back the following year in the same or greater numbers. Pests can also be more prevalent in some seasons and dormant in others. This cycle…
With 40 years in the pest control industry, it isn’t difficult to see that PestPac by WorkWave brings its users the knowledge and experience they need to out-sell-, out-service and out-perform their competition. In fact, PestPac powers over 65% of the businesses named to PCT’s Top 100 list. To bring you even more insight into how PestPac gives your business the tools it needs to grow and thrive, we caught up with some of the…
Field service professionals know the old adage, don’t fix what isn’t broken. But what about not fixing what is broken? When you ignore a problem, the result is always the same: a bigger problem to fix down the road. If your pest control software isn’t doing all that it should for your business, then it’s no longer the right tool for the job. You can count on bigger problems to develop as time goes on…
Whether it’s better to have contracts or no contracts for pest control-related business is a question that does not have the most obvious answer. In short, it depends on a few different factors. Primarily the type of client and what kind of services they are seeking. In this overview, we’ll look at the purposes of a contract, what types of clients a contract will work better for, and the details you should include in a…
Brand reputation is the perception the public has of a company consisting of its employees, partners and products or services it provides. Brand-damaging events can come in many different forms, but maybe none are more inconspicuous than those caused by pests. We take it for granted that our food is produced and stored in a safe manner, offering us the quantity and quality we expect. However, nothing is more worrisome than when information comes to…
Bed bugs are a common problem in residential areas, and they are notoriously difficult to get rid of. They can be found in furniture, mattresses, carpets, and even clothes. Bed bugs feed on human blood and can cause serious health problems if left untreated. Bed bug infestations are typically treated with pesticides that professional exterminators or homeowners can apply. The bed bug exterminator cost varies depending on the size of the infestation and the type…
Termites affect thousands of homes in the U.S. every year. As a pest control professional, it’s one of the most common issues you’ll have to deal with. It’s essential to know about the termite treatment average cost to figure out a competitive price point. You also need to be aware of the different factors that can affect the cost of providing this service to offer accurate quotes to homeowners in need of termite treatment. Table…
Keeping pests out of homes and businesses is a practice that’s practically as old as time itself, but any pest control operator (PCO) can attest that there’s a lot more to pest control than just killing bugs and other pests. From prevention to remediation, today’s pest control companies are always finding more sophisticated ways to do business and, just as importantly, finding ways to carry out their business more efficiently by integrating the latest technology…
Combining the same tools your business relies on to run your pest control business with those you use to process and receive payments enables greater efficiencies that give you the ability to scale your business, attract new customers and provide a seamless experience. The benefits of a truly integrated software solution don’t end when service is completed, though; they continue from service to swipe, from the time your technician finishes the job through to the…
Pest control has always been a highly competitive industry when it comes to staffing, with different companies within the same region often looking to hire from an overlapping pool of qualified technicians. Staffing remains a crucial concern for pest control companies amid the ongoing labor shortage, with many PCOs considering hiring and retaining staff to be their top concern. Many PCOs have encountered unique staffing challenges in the past couple of years as a result…
In today’s market, finding and retaining standout technicians has become more difficult than ever. When you manage to find a qualified tech, bring them on board and spend the time training them to get them up and running, you want them to thrive with your pest control business so they can deliver top-notch service for your customers. Unfortunately, the same labor shortage that makes it so important to hold onto good technicians is making some…
The core of any service business is exactly that: providing service. Your pest control business has plenty of moving parts, and delivering top-tier pest control is the foundation they’re all built on. If you’re not providing quality service, nothing else matters. Providing Top-Notch Service Out in the field, your technicians are the face of your business. They’re often the only members of your team that your customers see face-to-face, which makes them crucial when it…
The past several years have been strong for many pest control businesses, with the industry as a whole showing annual growth of 6.2% between 2016 and 2021. Now, pest control operators (PCOs) are looking to reinvest that revenue into growing their businesses. While obtaining new customers is consistently among the top goals for PCOs, it often proves to be among the most widely reported hurdles they face. That difficulty in finding new customers highlights the…
When it comes to your field service business, the services and software you choose should bring every aspect of your business together seamlessly to drive success. Whether it’s in the back office or the field, the right solution ensures that the moving parts of your business can work together as efficiently as possible. By choosing solutions that integrate in perfect harmony, you create an environment in which your pest control business and all of the…
Even the most straightforward pest control business model has many moving parts. From marketing to finding customers, to scheduling service visits, to dispatching technicians, to providing service, to collecting payments, there are a lot of steps that need to happen between taking a call and leaving a customer satisfied. While all of those steps may sound like a lot, it doesn’t mean that your operations can’t be smooth and efficient. The key to success when…
70% of U.S. households have a pet. This is a significant fraction of the residential market, indicating that, to find and keep customers, pet safety will need to become a priority for many pest control and landscaping businesses. While strides have been made to make insecticides less harmful for both humans and pets, it’s still an industry-wide challenge to provide both highly effective and pet-friendly pest control. Pet owners can also feel the effects of…
The company you keep can have a significant impact on how your business operates, and that doesn’t just apply to who you hire and work with internally. Choosing to partner with the right suppliers and vendors can help your pest control company save on core business expenses, including the chemicals and materials that you use every day. Thinking of the broader opportunities a partnership can provide is essential when considering who you do business with.…
Running a successful pest control business demands that your processes evolve over time, but that doesn’t mean just changing for the sake of change. Instead, the changes you make should be focused around realistic, tangible goals that can benefit your business moving forward. By setting S.M.A.R.T goals and using the actionable insights provided by PestPac, you can reflect on your own metrics and see how they stack up against industry benchmarks. That data is the…
Your customers are more connected to technology than ever before, and that means their expectations for your business have shifted to include the use of current technology to provide them with more efficient service. The use of technology in the field not only builds your customers’ confidence in your business but also gives you the flexibility to run your business the way you want to. As a result, virtually every industry with employees in the…