Up for the Challenge

As it has been for the past few years, labor remains one of the biggest single expenses for pest control companies around the country.

The ability to find and retain employees is at the center of most companies’ labor issues, but mix in the cost of inflation — specifically related to rising gas prices — and you have all the right ingredients to give any pest management professional a headache.

“We want to make sure that our employees are making a livable wage, but with the drastic inflation for food and living costs, it’s really hard to keep up with that,” said Wendy Lund, administrative director at Accel Pest & Termite Control, Virginia Beach, Va.

And that’s why productivity and efficiency continue to be buzzwords. Companies are still searching for ways to increase productivity, according to a recent survey of pest control company owners, executives and technical directors.

The good news? Sixty-one percent of PMPs reported that productivity had increased over the last 12 months thanks to a number of factors such as increased route density, choice of equipment and tools, training and clear communication with employees about productivity goals. Overall, labor savings, or reducing amount of time it takes to complete a task, remains front of mind for many PCOs — 59 percent said it was very important to improve labor savings at their company.

“We’re also looking at our customer retention. That’s the other key driver — the easiest way to grow revenue is retain your current customers,” said Curtis Rand, vice president of operations at Rose Pest Solutions, Northfield, Ill. “So, we’ve got to make sure that’s a focus.”