Lean on Me

Farmers Pest Control in Helena, Ala., was built to be efficient. With just three employees, the company generates $600,000 in revenue a year, or about $200,000 per technician.

“We’re way above the industry average, and the only way that we do that is that we’re efficient across the board,” said Alan Farmer, who owns the company and also works in the field.

Farmer learned to be efficient in the armed forces. “My process was learned from being in the Marine Corps, the smallest branch of the military. We always had to do more with less,” he said.

While not every business leader has this experience to draw on, it is possible to improve productivity, quality and workplace safety using a lean methodology called 5S.

5S creates value with fewer resources and less waste. Initially designed for automotive manufacturing, the simple methodology has been adapted by companies across many different industries.

“It helps you see easily what needs to be done, which helps you be more efficient,” said Luciana Paulise, a quality engineer and productivity consultant.

5S is a set of habits that drive individual productivity and help teams thrive.

“5S is a way of working, a culture that employees develop by changing their day-to-day behaviors and applying them everywhere they go,” wrote Paulise in her book, “5S Your Life: Stop Procrastination and Start Self-Organization.”

The five steps of 5S can help pest control companies become more efficient and productive by helping employees become more engaged, autonomous and innovative.

SORT. The first step of 5S is sorting. The goal is to remove unnecessary items that you don’t need.

Farmer did this by eliminating pesticide products. He is “very selective” about the products he buys and carries in service vehicles. He chooses the most effective products labeled to control a wide range of pests. As a result, training is more focused, and technicians become experts at applying these products.

Farmer pared his service offerings, as well. He typically turns down one-time, bed bug and commercial work. “Time is our currency. We focus primarily on recurring revenue because it does give us the most revenue per hour, which keeps us at maximum efficiency,” he said. Farmer also doesn’t take on customers outside his service area.

STORE. The next step is organizing items so they’re readily accessible and in good working order when you need them. Items used every day take priority, while items used less often are stored and clearly labeled.

“Every detail is important to make sure that they have the right tools at the right time,” said Paulise.

At Farmer Pest Control, “everything is in its place. Our guys know when they open up the back of their truck, they’re already reaching to the right because they know what they need is right there to the right. If technician No. 1 is in technician No. 2’s truck, he should still open up the back of that truck and reach to the right and that same piece of equipment should be there as well. That’s what we do to really maximize our efficiency,” said Farmer.

All of Farmer’s service trucks are identical, down to model and trim packages, and are outfitted the same way, including water tank location, chemical and equipment storage and toolboxes. “It’s the same set up,” said Farmer.

This 5S step also includes replenishing and returning items to their place. For special jobs, a checklist can help ensure technicians have everything they need in their service vehicles before leaving for the jobsite.

SHINE. The shine step is about cleanliness and order. It assigns responsibilities for maintenance to prevent small problems from becoming bigger. This applies to computer desktops, workspaces and service vehicles. Monthly vehicle inspections are an example of this 5S step.

Similarly, technicians at Farmer Pest Control log pest issues throughout the year. This lets them get ahead of pests before they become a major problem for customers and cause callbacks.

For instance, by documenting wasp activity, such as the date calls begin, weather conditions and call volume, the company can take preventive action. “We keep track of all that so we can use that information possibly next year,” said Farmer. Callbacks “dig into our time, so we try to be proactive on that. Those efficiencies, they all add up.”

STANDARDIZE. This step involves engaging the team to develop a system to sort, store and shine. These rules must be visible, accessible and communicated continuously to employees.

Farmer looks at every part of his business to maximize efficiency, even how technicians approach a customer’s home. Arriving at the front door, they are prepared to begin work at that spot; they don’t need to walk back to the truck to grab their equipment.

A diagram shows the process of how to provide service. “It’s very military-like, and the guys love it. They don’t feel like they’re missing anything; they know they’re being thorough. They know when we get to a house, this is our routine,” said Farmer. This helps reduce callbacks.

Standardized processes make it easier to train new hires on how to perform pest control, he added.

SUSTAIN. The final step is to sustain improvements and continue to make micro-changes that hone the process. This involves self-organization, where small teams of employees across business functions are empowered to collect information, make decisions and train others in the 5S methodology so it becomes habit.

Self-organization is “a muscle that you can train,” wrote Paulise. By practicing 5S every day, you increase collaboration and teamwork and reduce stress on everyone, she said.

Because Farmer doesn’t have office staff (he is the office), he’s always looking for technology to make office operations more efficient. Software helps him optimize routes, be 100 percent paperless and communicate via text with customers. He’s found this way of communicating is quicker, more flexible and provides a written record of conversations. His advertising now directs customers to text instead of call.

Farmer is exploring software to help reduce steps to the sale, such as by providing a “schedule now” button on his Google business page.

All of these actions reinforce the company’s emphasis on efficiency. “At the end of the day, our guys are producing more than a typical route person would, and as a result, we’re able to pay them better, so they’re motivated and they see the connection there,” said Farmer. “It’s very important now because it’s hard to find good help; more than it’s ever been.”

The author is a regular contributer to PCT.