Bringing Customers into the Fold

One of the primary reasons it can be so difficult to manage cockroaches is that customer collaboration is essential … but not always forthcoming. You can ask people to wash their dishes, take out their trash and wipe up their greasy messes, but whether they actually comply with your request is a 50/50 proposition.

Part of the issue, says Dennis Kuchta, owner of Wise House Environmental Services, at least in the case of multi-unit properties, is that it’s typically not the people causing the problem who call about it; instead, it’s their neighbors.

“I just left a multi-level structure in Boca Raton with a lot of German cockroaches that we’ve been battling for some time now. The challenge is narrowing it down to where the problem units are,” Kuchta explained. “The people who won’t tell you they have German roaches tend to be those whose apartments have conducive conditions. Whether they’re hoarders or just don’t want to be bothered with cleaning up their place, they don’t want you to come in, so they keep quiet. The infestation grows and spreads to neighboring units, as roaches spill into the hallway, elevator, and cracks and crevices. We’re in the process now of identifying the source so we can help the other residents, as well as those in the problem unit or units, gain control.”

Mark Peterson of Absolute Pest Control offered additional insight. “Unfortunately, a lot of people who grew up in homes with cockroaches think it’s the norm to have them running around. Once we meet these folks, it’s up to us to make them aware that it’s not normal and, in fact, can be a health hazard. We begin the education process with every customer immediately.”

That process entails the Absolute service technician sizing up the situation at the initial inspection and explaining to the customer that they will return and treat once the conducive conditions have been addressed. “We typically get good cooperation at that initial stage and find a 180-degree difference when we go back. At that point, we’re able to start fresh and provide an effective treatment. A high percentage of customers follow through with that knowledge, too. We don’t get callbacks from those who do their part.”

EDUCATE AND ERADICATE. Darrell Seelinger shared that many of the customers who call Oakland Pest Control (Macomb Township, Mich.) for service don’t know about the health risks of cockroaches either. They don’t know that the cuticles, feces, saliva and eggs of cockroaches contain substances that can be highly allergenic to humans, with the potential to trigger asthma and other respiratory symptoms, nor that they carry bacteria that can cause salmonella, staphylococcus or streptococcus if deposited in food.

It’s not surprising that these customers may not be as likely to participate in the pest control experience. Not understanding the risks, they may not see the value in expending effort to keep food off their counters, take out their trash and minimize clutter. So Seelinger fills them in.

“I’m as committed to educating as I am to eradicating,” he explained. Seelinger, who has found real estate agents to be great referral sources for cockroach work, went on to say, “Customers need to understand not only the risks cockroach infestations pose but also the critical role they need to play in getting rid of them. I can use every product that’s available, but if I don’t get customer cooperation, the cockroaches will just keep coming back.”

His education emphasizes sanitation, maintenance and due diligence in monitoring boxes that come into the house or apartment from grocery and big-box retail stores. “Sometimes just conveying this information during the initial phone call is enough,” he said. “I ask the customer when and where they’ve been seeing cockroaches, along with a few other questions, and then recommend several measures they can take to try to eliminate them. Sometimes just making them aware of issues within their control is enough to help them resolve the pest problem. If it’s not and they call back, I head over to their place ASAP.”

CUSTOMER INTEREST IS ON THE RISE. In spite of the instances where people simply don’t know about the health risks of cockroaches, the PCT State of the Cockroach Control Market survey revealed an upward tick in consumer awareness. Nearly four out of five PMPs (79 percent) said their customers consider cockroaches a public health pest. That’s an increase of 5 percent over last year.

Many customers also inquire about the products being used to manage their cockroaches and other pests. The most commonly asked question by far (cited by 88 percent of PMPs) relates to the safety of products being used around pets and/or children. Other concerns include speed and longevity of control, and how the products work.

Perhaps as knowledge increases, customer collaboration will improve.