[Add-On Services] Cleaning Up

Customer service is a significant, differentiating factor in the super-competitive, service-oriented pest control marketplace. As every business owner knows, companies that provide first-class customer service are more successful at retaining and attracting loyal customers.
The pest management professionals interviewed for this article have successfully identified ways to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to provide top-notch customer service. By adding valuable services that may not always be directly related to pest control, they have dramatically improved customer loyalty.
There seems to be some basic, common principles shared among these successful entrepreneurs when it comes to adding services to their product offerings. First, many of them are trying to determine how to keep their technicians busy year-round. They don’t want to lose valuable employees due to lack of work during slower pest control seasons. Second, they are looking for ways to satisfy the needs of their current customers by adding services that are a natural fit to their existing business. And finally, they are driven to find new ways to add growth to their bottom line.

IDEA COMES TO LIFE. When Donnie Blake, owner, Okolona Pest Control, Louisville, Ky., couldn’t find quality, timely help for customers’ repairs due to termite damage, he had an idea — “What if we did the repairs ourselves?”
That question sparked OPC Construction and Repair, a rapidly growing subsidiary of Blake’s pest control company. A year ago, Blake recognized that his customers would appreciate his pest control services even more if he could help them expedite the accompanying structural repairs after his job was finished. To make that happen, he created a company that had the same sense of urgency that he did to perform the repairs. It didn’t take long for clients to realize that they could call OPC Construction and Repair for needs beyond termite damage repair. “I started the construction and repair business a year ago with the hopes of being able to provide my customers quality repairs for their termite damage,” Blake said. “What I ended up with was a company that now provides everything from hanging pictures and putting handles on cabinets to entire room additions and even complete home remodels.”
In its first year, OPC Construction and Repair brought in nearly 10 percent of Okolona’s entire revenue. Blake says that not every business idea is worth combining with a pest control company; but with construction and repair services, there is a definite connection between the two as well as a unique value proposition in the service his new company provides.
Like Blake, Kevin Kordek, owner, A-Active Pest & Termite Control, Virginia Beach, Va., said his handyman operation is the perfect complement to his pest control business. Kordek says he started performing warranty termite damage repair and found his customers wanted more. “About 11 years ago, we realized we were getting quite a few requests from customers to do other types of repairs and the business was continuing to grow,” Kordek said. “Right now we have three handymen on staff who do only repair work. Our pest control technicians work only on pest control and there is no cross-over.” Kordek says that the repair business makes a solid profit but requires a lot more work than the pest control business.

TRIAL AND ERROR. “Over the last 15 years or so, we have discovered that some add-on services make sense and some do not,” says Jim McHale, president, J.P. McHale Pest Management and J.P. McHale EnviroCare, Buchanan, N.Y. Right now, McHale offers additional services under the umbrella of the pest control operation, such as mosquito and tick services, as well as tree and turf management, to name a few. Other services that are not as closely related to his company’s core competencies fall under his subsidiary company, EnviroCare. EnviroCare offers a wide range of services from air duct cleaning and deck washing/sealing to gutter cleaning and termite reparations.
When McHale started providing additional services in the early 1990s, his primary motivation was to give his employees projects to work on during the slow season. He started with the deck washing and sealing business but soon discovered that his customers preferred that service be provided in the spring — right in the middle of termite season. He had to hire extra help for the deck business so his employees could take care of termites. McHale remembers, “The next year, we started cleaning air ducts in the fall and winter months. That provided us the opportunity to keep our technicians working through the winter and eliminate costly employee turnover.”
Through the years, McHale has tried other services that have been unsuccessful, such as chimney sweeping, radon testing and sprinkler system installation. “Some projects are too specialized and require training and expertise that my technicians don’t have. So, with a little trial and error we’ve found areas that fit well with pest control and environmental care,” McHale said.

PLOWING FORWARD. Brian Devera, owner, Shamrock Pest Management, Monticello, N.Y., thought that snowplowing would be a great way to make a little extra money during the snowy winter months in New York — and it was. However, plowing started to interfere with the pest control business so he decided that it probably wasn’t such a good idea. Then he hit upon the perfect add-on service for his pest control business — gutter cleaning.
Devera’s business does quite a bit of yellow jacket and hornet control so his technicians spend a lot of time on customers’ roofs. “We already carried ladders on our trucks in order to provide yellow jacket and hornet elimination, so it just seemed natural to offer this service to our customers. We provide a premium service and use only our hands — no machines,” Devera says. “The additional work has added about 20 percent to our bottom line and requires no additional employees. It’s a great solution and everybody wins.”
In addition to his gutter-cleaning offering, Devera also provides a basic house-watching service to his customers who own weekend homes in the area but spend most of the year in the city. “These customers sign a one-year agreement that says we will keep an eye on their house — especially their water pipes during the winter months,” he said. “Just a few weeks ago, we prevented major home damage when we discovered broken water pipes at one of our clients’ homes. Had we not been making a routine check, the damage to their home could have been much more substantial.”

LIGHTING THE WAY. The winter season is a slow time for pest control in St. Louis and, like other PCOs, Mike Rottler, owner, Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions, St. Louis, Mo., wanted to keep his technicians working during the slower months. In 1998, Rottler acquired a franchise called Christmas Décor, a holiday decorating and lighting company. “We originally looked at providing this service to strengthen fourth quarter sales when our lawn care business drops off,” Rottler said. “Now, it’s a service offering that our customers depend on.”
Rottler’s decorating services include top-of-the-line outdoor lights, garlands, wreaths, bows, tree decor and landscape lighting. In addition, Rottler employees will remove lights and decorations at the end of the season and store it until next year. Sales for the Christmas decorating business have grown past expectations and this past year, Rottler hired 14 temporary employees to work for three months.

LISTEN, LEARN AND GROW. All of these pest management professionals agree that had they not listened to what their customers were asking for, they would have missed out on valuable opportunities. Donnie Blake says he never expected his initial “handyman” business to grow to a full-time construction business. “Had our technicians not been trained to listen to our customers, OPC Construction and Repair would still be a small, handyman operation,” he said.
As Jim McHale mentioned, not every idea for a service offering is successful, and a little trial and error is necessary to find the right combination. However, as you continue to grow your pest control business, you too may discover other opportunities to provide additional services to your customers.

The author owns Compelling Communications and can be contacted via e-mail at jvanklaveren@giemedia.com.