[Cover Story] Creating a Culture of Success

When a technician is merely doing the job and not thinking it, the consequences are serious. Costly callbacks and even lost accounts are just a matter of time. “You can keep or lose an account based on one incident,” said Keystone Pest Control President John Pirrone, Hayward, Calif.

Operating on autopilot is more common than not. “As an owner I deal with this all the time,” said David Castro, president, Merlin’s Pest Control, Dover, N.J. So does RMC Pest Management Consulting President Bobby Corrigan of Richmond, Ind. Corrigan is known for solving problem accounts, but often he finds a simple answer: “Technicians never bothered to look beyond the equipment they installed months ago.”

Routine monthly and quarterly inspections are the bread and butter of most pest management firms. But doing the same job day after day can become, well, routine. “Sometimes the production work takes over your mind,” Corrigan said.

Pirrone agreed. Technicians on the same route often assume things “are the way they should be and they don’t look” further. They often take for granted that nothing has changed, which is a big mistake, he said. More often than not, technicians don’t inspect a structure as thoroughly on the tenth visit as on the first.

Unless a customer complains, technicians check their equipment and a few hot spots, then leave, added Corrigan. “That’s when it becomes auto pilot.” By relying on clients who say they have no problems and equipment that shows no activity, technicians get a “false negative” for pest activity. They overlook pest-vulnerable areas and then are surprised when they are called back, he said.

The monotony of production work and the ongoing time crunch play a factor, said professionals. So does human nature. “The biggest problem that people have is habits,” which makes seeing changes and potential problems difficult, said Terry Wheeler, owner of Ace Pest Control, Amarillo, Texas.

SWITCHING OFF AUTOPILOT. So, how can professionals engage technicians who check out on the job? Many say training — but not just any training — is key. Technicians need to understand 70 percent of the job; the other 30 percent is creative thinking, said Dan Collins, president, Collins Pest Management, Evansville, Ind. “That’s why we can’t hire people who want to work on an assembly line.”

Castro agreed. Rigid, step-by-step training that gets practices “down to the iota” inadvertently puts blinders on technicians, he explained. “Most of them are going to be soldiers following orders,” which just doesn’t work when dealing with highly adaptive pests and ever-changing environments.

He advocates a framework that encourages problem solving. Give technicians the basics of how pests behave and how to apply this knowledge to a structure, Castro said. Also emphasize often-overlooked pest vulnerable areas, said Collins, who says he believes if technicians know to look in these areas they will. “Many times they’re not trained that way,” he said.

Training that draws on others’ experience is particularly useful, added Pirrone, who holds impromptu meetings to let technicians share insightful control solutions. Castro expects employees to bring new insights to monthly meetings. He says a technician pays more attention on the job because he wants to bring something to the table where “everybody pats him on the back for noticing.” Sharing the experience is critical, Pirrone added. Otherwise “everybody has to learn the hard way on their own.”

A calculated change in routine also provides new perspective, said Wheeler. Everyone develops physical patterns when treating and inspecting: If a technician is right-handed, he enters a house and goes to the right; if he’s left-handed, he starts to the left. Change up the pattern, emphasized Wheeler, who often walks structures in the “opposite” direction to see a situation differently. Collins will “start somewhere different” when baiting stations at large food plants. “Don’t do the same thing over and over and expect different results,” said Collins, quoting Albert Einstein. Added Wheeler: “You’re going to see things you wouldn’t see if you take the same pattern all the time.”

Of course, being thorough takes time, so provide technicians adequate time to service an account and charge appropriately for it, said professionals. Collins’ average residential call takes one to one-and-a-half hours, and “I charge for it, too.” Technicians also need the right equipment, such as easy-to-use, accessible ladders. “You can’t do pest control without a ladder,” Collins said.

Corrigan recommends adding a checklist of pest-vulnerable areas to service tickets and indicating the amount of time proactively spent checking these areas. The list helps hold employees accountable and provides a competitive advantage. It defines a level of service you don’t get from every pest control company, he said.

Chuck Davis, president, Providence Pest Solutions, Charlotte, N.C., rides with his technicians to provide them a new perspective. He also relies on the experience of other trusted professionals. “Have a small network you’re not afraid to talk to,” said Davis.

Wheeler suggested changing technicians’ routes occasionally. It’s like putting them on a new account: They don’t know specifically what the other technician did, “so they’re going to be more thorough in their inspection.”

Perhaps most important is nurturing technicians intellectually, advised Corrigan. “We put these technicians out on the route and almost let them dry up on the vine.” Regardless of paychecks and work ethics, everyone gets bored. “Once we get bored, we begin to check out,” Corrigan said.

To avoid “autopilot syndrome,” give employees special assignments, take them off the route occasionally or send them to an unexpected seminar, he said. Let technicians know, “I want your opinion. It’s important to me,” Corrigan said. “Believe me, that is such a shot of adrenaline.”

The author is a frequent contributor to PCT magazine.

The 15 Most Overlooked Pest-Vulnerable Areas

Technicians operating on autopilot and squeezed by time often overlook pest-vulnerable areas (PVAs), which can turn into big problems if left unchecked. Here are the top 15 PVAs in alphabetical order, according to professionals recently interviewed by PCT magazine:

1. Attics. Although technicians may inspect and set traps in attics, they may not find the way pests are gaining entrance. “You can trap in the attic, but the whole key is finding where they’re getting in,” said John Pirrone, president, Keystone Pest Control in Hayward, Calif. Until you seal up the access points, you won’t have good success, he explained.

2. Dark, Shaded Areas. Terry Wheeler, owner, Ace Pest Control, Amarillo, Texas, urges technicians to look in shaded areas where pests can escape the Texas heat, such as under the dog house. Indoors, seek out shadowy corners, said Dan Collins, president, Collins Pest Management, Evansville, Ind. Look behind pallet racks, storage racks and water heaters. Don’t forget to check under beds, Wheeler added.

3. Detached Storage Containers. Whether a backyard shed or a semi trailer in the grocery store parking lot, detached storage units cannot be missed, said Collins, who has found “masses of odorous house ants” residing in them. They also offer perfect harborage for rodents.

4. Dishwashers. Roaches and ants love dishwasher pumps and motors, said Providence Pest Solutions President Chuck Davis of Charlotte, N.C., who removes the front plate to inspect units. Dishwashers today don’t require the scraping or rinsing of dishes, “so there’s more food debris in these industrial strength dishwasher pumps and motors,” he said. Not only do pests have harborage and water, but unlimited food, too.

5. Drains. A natural monitor within a building, drains often dry out allowing “all sorts of things” to gain entry, Collins said. He said he’s seen mice, cockroaches and silverfish come up through drains.

6. Drop Ceilings. Especially in restaurants, technicians will place traps at ground level but do nothing in the drop or suspended ceilings — a big oversight, said Collins.

7. Dumpsters. Overlooked outdoor harborage sites, particularly large waste receptacles, are disasters in the making, cited numerous professionals.

8. Freezers. Don’t miss spots because you think they’re too cold. Collins found mice will chew holes in the walls of freezers and walk-in coolers to nest in the insulated core. The pests enter the freezer, grab a frozen Tater Tot, then return to their cozy nest to eat it, he said.

9. Holes. These include construction defects and new holes that have been put in the structure since the last time a technician inspected, such as a new pipe put through a wall. Technicians should always assume the structure has changed since the last visit, Pirrone said.

10. Meters and Panels. Wheeler noticed technicians usually don’t check around a home’s water meter, an easy spot for pests to nest and enter the home. Electrical panels offer the same opportunity, added Collins.

11. Refrigerators. For roaches, the most overlooked area is “almost always the refrigerator compressor,” said Davis, who tackles the appliance as part of his clean-out checklist for student living complexes. Pull the fridge out and remove the compressor cover if there is one, he suggested.

12. Rooftops. Beside stinging insects, many pests forage on rooftops, especially on those of commercial food facilities, Collins said. These plants have rooftop blowouts, which emit flour and grain products onto the roof. “I’ve taken more than 200 mice off of rooftops,” he said.

13. Silos. In commercial food silos, the dust collectors above and air slides beneath product silos are havens for pests like flour beetles, said Collins.

14. Sub-Slab Areas. “Most overlooked” are sub-slab expansion cracks and cracks around concrete columns poured deeper than the slab, noted Collins. These offer pests a direct route into the structure.

15. Utility Lines. Improperly sealed water, drain, electrical, cable and other lines entering a structure, especially those on crawl spaces, require attention, said professionals. “Critters follow structural guidelines,” Collins said. Ants have always followed utility lines, added Davis, but “their resourcefulness is changing.”

Technicians need a “new set of glasses” every time they inspect and treat a structure, Wheeler said. Davis agreed. “You can treat or spray until you’re blue if you’re not getting the source.” — Anne Nagro