Software Supports Smooth Operations Across the Industry

When a fire destroyed the better part of Stoner Pest Control in Mifflintown, Pa., in 2020, Toby Stoner wasn’t sure he’d be able to bounce back. “We lost almost everything, including vehicles and equipment; that fire could have easily put us out of business,” he says. “But I took advantage of every tool I could get my hands on. That included the software program we had started using a couple of years before. I really leaned on that technology, and it came through for us, saving us so much money that it ultimately helped save the business.”

Stoner isn’t alone in his praise of the operations-focused software program his company uses every day. Rather, he is among the 75 percent of pest management software users who told PCT their software technology has been essential to their companies’ success. Through PCT’s 2022 State of Technology, PMPs cited a number of areas where software supports their efforts: saving time and money, maximizing productivity, streamlining communication, driving sales, reducing callbacks and more.

“We couldn’t operate without it,” says John Brezden, Brezden Pest Control, San Luis Obispo, Calif. “We use it to schedule, route, run payroll and sales commission reports, send customer email alerts, invoice — you name it.”

Andy Nieves of BHB Pest Elimination in New York City says that, in addition to helping his team manage daily workflows, BHB’s software technology has improved the company’s cash flow tremendously. “Within an hour of service, an email goes to the customer with a link to rate the technician and log in to their customer portal, where they can see the completed service report and pay if they’d like. They often pay right away — certainly more quickly than in the past. What would often take three months in the past now comes in within a month.”

It’s quite a change all around, Nieves says, from how things used to be. “We started digitizing some of our processes several years ago, but we still had a few technicians who didn’t want to let go of their paper slips. Once COVID hit, though, they saw the advantages of moving away from paper. Today, with everyone using it — from those in the office to those in the field — we’re operating much more productively and efficiently.”