[Pest Perspectives] Working Smarter and Using Your Resources

Author’s note: By now, most of you know that I have new job responsibilities at Rollins. While my new position is going to be exciting with a chance to make a real difference in training and technical services in the industry, I feel that I must take a hiatus from this column in order to focus on my new responsibilities and staff. I appreciate the excellent feedback on the column and the nice notes of appreciation from many of you. You will be in good hands as Rollins’ Atlantic Division Technical Services Manager Kim Kelley-Tunis takes over this quarterly column starting in July.

In considering what topic to address in this final Pest Perspectives column, I thought that it might be good to end my tenure with some really common sense technical tips that, unfortunately, are not always too common.

Get Your Inspection House in Order
We all have heard for years that the first real step of good pest management is a thorough inspection. Many companies stress the value of inspection but the poor technician is not equipped to perform a good inspection. Either the schedule forces him to run from stop to stop without taking the time to do the job right or he never gets the proper training. If we are going to shift from a production industry to a professional industry, we need to make sure that inspections are done right. Managers, ride along and help take your company and the industry to the next level. Tools necessary today are more than a D-cell battery flashlight. Use good lights, moisture meters and digital cameras, and other tools as appropriate.

Pest Identification is Still Important
While that sounds like the first day of an IPM course, it is surprising how technicians and managers alike stop short of proper identification. While it is good to narrow a pest down to a beetle, going a bit further is important. Drilling down to species is not necessarily vital or even interesting to the consumer; however, knowing whether the beetle is an occasional invader or a pest of consequence is vital. There are many resources that can help, from www.pctonline.com to university sites.

Recertification is Just the Minimum Education
Any frequent attendee at industry pest management meetings can confirm that we still have a good number of companies that meet just the minimum for state certification. The only way that small companies will keep in touch with the latest technologies is to support training, either online or in person. Meeting the state or province minimum training requirements will not suffice as a few hours a year of the same old discussion about label sections and roach ID will not help improve the knowledge base. Regulatory agencies also must show some initiative in what is important as well. Discussions about liability issues should not be taboo; they should be encouraged since issues such as accident prevention pay dividends towards protection of the environment.

Keep Materials and Supplies Costs in Perspective
Basic management of P&Ls requires a keen eye towards materials and supplies. That is just good management. There is a pitfall, though, in that shaving a few cents per gallon by using a different product might be short sighted. It isn’t just the price; it is also the efficacy. Saving pennies per general pest control visit using a product that leads to increased callbacks is just not smart business. Too many times, though, only the materials and supplies are scrutinized and vehicle, labor and lost productivity costs are ignored. The old rationalization that the company doesn’t pay technicians for callbacks so there is no cost is just not true. Take a hard look at the P&L and connect the dots; never look at M&S without seeing the whole picture.

Pay Attention to Administrative Staff and the Digitally Savvy
The eyes and ears of the organization is administrative staff. They get the complimentary calls and they get the complaints. They know the trends in calls and they know when mosquito season starts. Yet if the operation doesn’t incorporate the administrative staff as the key to information gathering, then there is a gold mine waiting to be tapped. They see trends before managers see them. Try talking to the administrative staff each day to get their thoughts. They know.

Additionally, from administrative staff to technicians to managers, invest in anyone who likes the high-tech world. Give the “digital age” people at your firm an opportunity and they will surprise you with their enthusiasm.
 

Final Word. In this column, I tried to show that “technical” can blend with “operations” to yield success. Technical and operations do not have to be mutually exclusive. Peppering a good dose of each into the mix will make a profitable mixture. I hope that you enjoyed the run. I sure did.

Greg Baumann is vice president of training and technical services for Rollins. Learn more at www.facebook.com/OrkinPestControl.