[Viewpoint] Doing More With Less People, Time

Everyone multi-tasks these days, both at home and at the office. People eat and talk on the phone while driving. My mom writes out bills while eating breakfast. I’m writing this column while watching game two of the World Series. In fact, someone here at our office (who shall remain nameless) once read the entire Sunday New York Times while driving through Florida. 

So it’s no wonder that multi-tasking has made its way into many people’s work lives as well. As an editor, I often have to juggle several different balls at once — PCT magazine, writing Internet stories, proofreading ads, helping out our conference division with meeting planning — the list goes on and on. But — surprise, surprise — I’m not the only one doing more than one thing at once. Pest control owners and operators, as well as service technicians, are often juggling more than one thing at a time throughout their day.

Universal technicians, as these multi-tasking technicians are called, perform both termite and general pest control. (It varies from company to company on whether these technicians perform liquid termite treatments or only termite baiting work.) In addition, universal technicians may or may not perform commercial work, but most of the companies that PCT Internet Editor Brad Harbison and I spoke to for this month’s cover story have universal technicians performing residential work only.

I’ve read newspaper articles (probably while I was eating lunch) about how people perform better when they concentrate on the task at hand and don’t try to juggle too many things at once. But I’m not so sure.

I think technicians who are able to vary their day — by being able to perform both GHP and termite control — may be better workers. I know I become bored easily when my job is the same day after day (fortunately it’s not often like that). To me, the idea of checking hundreds of termite bait stations day after day after day could get monotonous if I didn’t have an opportunity to break up my day. I think technicians would rather be out talking with customers, encountering new situations and selling (which also increases their revenue).

For the technicians out there who disagree with me (and I’m sure there are), please let me know. I’m sure there are those that feel that being a specialist in one particular area of the business is more beneficial to them than “spreading themselves too thin.” I’m interested in hearing the other side of the story so please let me know your thoughts. Visit www.pctonline.com/messageboard to share your thoughts and observations with others.

Also please also check out www.pctonline.com/universal for additional information about this story.

Whichever path your company decides to take — universal technician or not — be sure your technicians are happy. That’s ultimately the best situation for you, them, your company and your customers.

The author is editor of PCT magazine.