The Customer Is Not Always Right!

I find myself becoming more easily frustrated and occasionally angry with those few customers who "know" more about pest control than we do. But after some thought, I realized that my feelings are misdirected. I concluded that it is more appropriate to direct my frustration to the small segment of the pest management industry that panders to archaic perceptions of some customers who are convinced that "hosing them ‘til they drop" is the best approach to pest management.

Some people in the industry still appear to be stuck in the Middle Ages struggling with prehistoric technology in order to manage pest populations. These are the individuals who attend continuing education seminars in order to obtain CEU credits but not in order to learn. They continuously ask for more information on IPM as if there is some prescriptive method of treatment that will solve every pest problem — but if the recipe is not concise, they are at a loss as to what else to do.

OUT-OF-DATE TREATMENT METHODS. These companies still are spraying baseboards in order to control cockroaches, aerosoling in order to solve indoor fly problems and treating carpets with pounds of powders and gallons of liquids in order to control fleas. They look forward to the day when chlordane will be reregistered for termite soil treatments. They continue to cater to customers who still are convinced that spraying a lot of pesticides — particularly the "good" stuff — will solve their problem.

Unfortunately, it is easier for these companies to just say "yes" and do whatever these customers request than it is to do the correct thing. Many customers have not yet realized that the industry and pest management practices have changed, and while our industry’s obligation to solve their pest management problem remains the same, we now have the means to achieve this goal with minimal risk to their health and environment.

However, there remains a small element within the industry that does not understand that thought is necessary in order to apply their knowledge and expertise and continue to change with the situation. More important, they are obligated to change the paradigm and to educate their customers.

Placating the persuasive customer by doing what he or she wants (because they insist that they "will get someone else to do the job" or that "no one needs to know...") can result in disastrous consequences. If, for example, when a customer insists that a product be used in way not in accordance with the label (e.g., applied to a site that is not on the label) and the technician makes the application, his/her action is a violation of the law. Regardless of the customer’s desire in this situation, the technician must have the fortitude to say "NO."

As a company, we have shifted almost exclusively to baiting in our residential accounts. Often our technicians are confronted by tenants who have prepared for the ritual cleanout by removing all of their food, utensils, dishes, pots and pans from the cabinets. Thus they are expecting, and frequently demand, spraying and fogging. Occasionally they actually become irate when the technician explains that he cannot spray and fog because the company now uses bait and the equipment to perform any other service is not available. We attempt to put a positive spin on this situation by thanking the tenant for their careful preparation that will allow us to perform a more thorough bait treatment.

A ‘REAL WORLD’ EXAMPLE. A situation that occurred in June at the company I work at is an interesting example of customers demanding a service from us. One of our technicians responded to a call about flying ants. Upon arrival, he was prepared to treat the area where the swarm was emerging, but he could not pinpoint the location. The customer who requested the service commented on her sensitivity to pesticides and informed the technician that another individual in the office had asthma and also was sensitive to pesticides. However, despite their sensitivities, she insisted that the baseboards be sprayed.

The technician refused to spray the baseboards for obvious reasons. The customer was so upset that the technician would not perform the service as requested, she contacted a supervisor to demand that this technician no longer be allowed to service her office. The technician was concerned that he had cost the company the account and that he had done the wrong thing, but he was reassured that no one could have done a better job.

There are no cookbook answers for these situations but company policies regarding treatment "dos and don’ts" is a step in the right direction. Technicians should count on the consistent support and training of their companies.

Not too long before this incident, I had my own experience with a customer who insisted that we spray the inside of her house because she had seen a few dead carpenter ants. Because "that is what the previous company did the year before and she didn’t have a problem all year," she wanted the same type of service again. The irony is that she hired our company to service her home because she was concerned about the excessive use of pesticides. There were several reasons not to spray the inside of the house including that she had seen only an occasional ant so there was no need, there were hardwood floors where the ants had been spotted, all the carpeted areas were stained all the way around the baseboard and the technician had instituted an exterior baiting and treatment program.

I quickly realized that I can’t stand someone telling me how to do my job, and if I didn’t do it her way, she would do it herself. My decision was to apply more bait, recommend removal of dead stumps and other contributing factors and intensify our exterior treatment program. Subsequently, I learned that after having spent two hours with her, she hired another company to come spray the inside of her house!

This example just goes to show you that the customer, who thinks they are right, can always find a pest control company that agrees with them. Unfortunately, we’ll never know what, if anything, resolved her problem. But at least I can sleep at night knowing that we made appropriate recommendations and didn’t have to worry about replacing her carpet.