[Boox Excerpt] Technology and training leaders

Editor’s note: In conjunction with the 80th anniversary of Cook’s Pest Control, a biography of John Cook titled “Employee Number 2: The Story of John Cook and Cook’s Pest Control,” has been published. Lyn S. Cook authored the book, which also recounts many of the company’s secrets to success. The following excerpt is taken from the chapter titled “Technology & Training.”

In addition to advertising, marketing, and museum exhibits, John Cook, Sr., eagerly invested in other innovative ideas relating to technology and training. With business booming in northern Alabama and expanding into Tennessee, John found it increasingly difficult to stay in touch with his employees and keep track of things needing his attention.

TECHNOLOGY. Always ready to try new ideas, in 1959, he equipped all service trucks and managers’ cars with Motorola two-way radios. These were similar to radios used in police cruisers, mounted under the center of the dashboard with a microphone on a cord and a little speaker to play the scratchy, squeaky radio calls from one car to another. Cook’s was the first pest control company in Alabama, and one of the first in the country, to stay in touch by radio.

It required a large investment, but John knew the expense would be worthwhile if it meant serving customers more promptly and efficiently. In 1968, John invested in the far more expensive technological innovation of computerizing his business. In the beginning it was a giant headache. Other than big number-crunching institutions such as banks and insurance companies, few businesses used computers. The first practical personal computers were still 10 to 15 years in the future.

Yet John foresaw tremendous potential in the computer to help plan service technicians’ routes and schedules. He believed adding routes and improving the technicians’ efficiency was the core of his business and the key to growth.

The company enlisted the help of Herbert Teague, a computer consultant, to write a program devising the most efficient service routes. The process was slow, tedious, and sometimes frustrating. According to John Cook, Jr., “writing the software and developing this system were major accomplishments, even ground-breaking, for its day.”

Herb sometimes thought John was asking him to perform the impossible. “He was the most patient man, and the most tenacious,” Herb commented. “I’d say, ‘We can’t do it!’ and John would respond, ‘Well, let’s sleep on it.’ Then the next morning he’d ask me again. Most of the time he was right: we could do it.” Finalizing the program took Herb and John a year, but they succeeded and the renewed efficiency in the district offices was well worth the effort.

TRAINING. In the 1950s, John purchased reel-to-reel audiotape machines for use in Cook’s training program. He recorded instructions on how to inspect a house for termites, sell the job, complete forms, and service different types of building construction. “Not being an entomologist,” John said, “I was eager to learn, and I wanted my employees to learn too.” Employees also benefited from recordings of famous motivational speakers such as Earl Nightingale and Zig Ziglar.

In 1955, John started holding regularly scheduled training sessions for new employees. In order for the employees — and the company — to succeed, they had to be competent in their job skills and considerate in their dealings with customers. From his architectural background, John knew the importance of assessing the needs of the customer, thinking ahead, and establishing solid goals. John set goals and standards, and he encouraged everyone to work together as a team. He explained, “Unless the whole team knows and understands where you’re going and why, they can’t effectively help you get there.”

During the 1960s, John and his management team attended conferences held at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., to expand their knowledge. They usually drove to the winter conference. “One year,” John recalled, “we had six cars in a caravan with 30 employees dressed in new blue blazers. Purdue knew we were there!” The conference participants from Cook’s returned home eager to share new ideas with their fellow team members.

Some of those early training sessions could have been called “Bugs 101” since, in addition to covering company policies, they taught technicians the basics of entomology. John also taught his employees about architecture. The Mallis Handbook of Pest Control, one of the industry standard references, states, “Much training and on-the-job experience are needed to properly treat a building. Knowledge of building construction is necessary to identify the critical areas where termites can enter.” John’s expertise in building construction gave him a leading edge. Architecture and entomology became a winning combination for Cook’s.

John and his team continually updated and improved the training sessions. The first month-long training class began in January 1974, and was taught by M.H. “Smokey” Stephenson. Cook’s held classes in Decatur, Ala., for all new employees and John sought to ensure that Cook’s Pest Control employees didn’t perform like those in his famous sleepwalking speech. He instilled in them the principles his father had taught him: “Do the job right the first time. Do what you’ve promised plus a little bit more. Satisfy each customer.”

According to an executive with the National Pest Management Association, “Cook’s Pest Control is known throughout the industry for its professionalism, commitment to quality service, and attention to detail. Their focus on training is paramount within the industry, leading many pest control companies to pattern their business practices after Cook’s.” 

The company purchased some of the first industrial video equipment for use in the training class. Still showing only black and white images, this technology had been available for only a few years and was very much a novelty. When video equipment advanced to color, at John Jr.’s recommendation, the system was upgraded.

After graduating from the University of Alabama, John Jr. was instrumental in selecting new color editing equipment and setting up a small video studio. When the Corporate headquarters relocated to Bradford Square in the 1980s, John Jr. designed a state-of-the-art video studio to enhance the company’s commitment to superior training.

As he had with two-way radios and audiotape recorders, John saw the long-term benefit the latest technology gave to his training program. Producing in-house videos gave the company the latitude to train not only in the Corporate classroom, but in each district office as well.

In 2001, the company incorporated computer-based lessons as part of the training mix. New employees complete half of the month-long training program working on computer-based lessons and undergoing field training at their district office. They spend two weeks attending classes at the Corporate office: one week of general training and one week of specialized training, determined by the employee’s field — pest, termite or sales.

In addition to using classrooms and computers to train employees, the company provides seminars and conferences for educational and motivational purposes, conducted by Cook’s professionals or other industry specialists. Held locally, regionally, or at the corporate office, these seminars update technicians, supervisors, and managers with product and treatment changes. The attributes of customer service and giving the customer good value are always emphasized. Videos, either company-produced or industry-related, are shown in each district office for continuing education. Employees may also increase their knowledge through sales and technical correspondence courses, which the company offers through a tuition-reimbursement program. For self-improvement, Cook’s offers Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University course free of charge to all employees. Many district offices have held their own classes, or employees have chosen to attend the class at another local venue.

In short, John wants his team to be educated and up-to-date on all the latest techniques and products.

Yet the most distinctive aspect of the new employee training at Cook’s has nothing to do with entomology or architecture. The day before he speaks, an announcement is made that Mr. Cook will be coming to share his Christian faith. According to John, “It’s too important a message not to share.” Attendance is optional and it is made clear that working or advancing through the ranks at Cook’s doesn’t depend on an employee’s beliefs. But he wants his audience to realize what faith in Jesus Christ means to him, both as an individual and as a business owner.

Consequently, the Cook’s training program ranges from handling equipment and satisfying customers to thinking about spiritual truth. Trained graduates embrace their new jobs with skill and confidence, and with a gentle reminder that there is more to a satisfying and fulfilled life than a successful career.

‘Employee Number 2’ now available

What do elephants, blue butter and computers have in common? They are all part of the inspiring life of John Cook, owner of Cook’s Pest Control. From a promising career in architecture to an agonizing decision as a senior in college, his career path turned out nothing like he planned.

In conjunction with the 80th anniversary of Cook’s Pest Control, Lyn S. Cook has authored “Employee Number 2: The Story of John Cook and Cook’s Pest Control” as a tribute to her father-in-law and an enlightening history of the company.

“Employee Number 2” relates the many challenges John and wife, Jo, faced in their early years and of their unwavering commitment to company and community. Packed with stories of grit, integrity, creativity and humor, the full-color book is also filled with a wealth of personal and business-related photographs.

“Employee Number 2: The Story of John Cook and Cook’s Pest Control” can be ordered from the PCT Store (www.pctonline.com/store) or by calling 800/456-0707. Cost is $24.95 plus shipping and handling.