Setting Up A Quality Control Plan

QUESTIONS TO ANSWER. In setting up a QA program there are two fundamental questions that must be answered: What do we want to know and how will we put this information to use? Answers are instru-mental in selecting personnel and deciding on the methods to be used for the QA evaluation.

Selecting the right person as the QA evaluator is critical to the program’s success. The QA evaluator should be selected from people within the company. Preferably, select an individual who has been with the company at least five to 10 years and has experience as a technician and supervisor. The individual must be technically competent, but above all he or she must be a people person with good verbal and written communication skills.

There are several ways of conducting the QA evaluation and the method depends on the type of account, availability of personnel and the purpose of the evaluation. For instance, telephone and mail-in evaluations are adequate for residential and some small commercial accounts. These evaluations typically focus on the quality of service, evaluation of the technician and customer service personnel. This type of questionnaire offers an opportunity for the customer to be candid and also provide input on how your service could be improved.

The on-site QA evaluation is much more detailed and can be conducted by in-house personnel or by a contractor. This evaluation reviews the service in much more detail and does not rely solely on the input of the customer for the evaluation. The evaluation focuses on pest problems at the time of the evaluation and the condition of interior and exterior areas that may contribute to pest problems. It also offers an opportunity to provide notes to the customer and technician regarding things they can do to improve the pest management service to the property.

Once the QA evaluation is complete, all the information (e.g., service tickets, rate per hour, additional and extra service requests) is reviewed to determine if there is a need to make any changes in the pest management services for the customer.

Regardless of company size there is no doubt that a QA program can improve the quality of service and in many cases lead to increased service. Furthermore, QA is an invaluable communication tool that shows your customer you care about their needs and value their opinion.

Dr. Richard Kramer is a board certified entomologist and president of Innovative Pest Management, Brookeville, Md. He also serves as technical director of American Pest Management, Takoma Park, Md.