What to Consider When Buying a Software Program

It’s been four or five years since most companies have changed or upgraded their software programs, according to the PCT 2022 State of Software in Pest Management study. That’s not surprising, given the real or perceived barriers associated with making such a change. PMPs are most concerned about the time and effort they estimate they’ll spend transferring data (39 percent) or training their teams (20 percent). Price is the primary deterrent to 15 percent, while 5 percent are concerned about the consequences of downtime. Twenty percent cite a variety of other reasons for holding back on a software purchase.

For Bob Wiemer of Pestco Professional Services, it’s the training. “I think I’ve used all of the various programs at one time or another,” he says. “They are similar in that they help automate and streamline processes, but they all work differently, so when you change from one to another, you have to relearn everything. The last time we switched, it caused three months of pain, even though the training by the software provider was great. You come to expect it: It’s just part of the investment you make up front.”

Earthwise Pest Management has been using the same program since shortly after they opened their doors in 2014. “For us, it was about finding a software solution that we were confident could continue to support us as we grew,” says Breanna Hawkins. “Ours has done that, offering us new features and functions over the years to help in the areas that make sense for us. For example, when we were just starting out with a couple of technicians, we were able to route manually. But as our field team grew, we added route optimization, which now saves us at least a day a month of someone’s time — plus, we can keep each technician’s travel under 30 miles a day (a lifesaver when gas was $7 a gallon here in California!) and increase the number of accounts they service, which generates more revenue.”

Why Switch?

When PMPs do opt to move to a different software solution, it’s for a variety of reasons: saving money; creating more efficient workflows; simplifying customer interactions; syncing and sharing data more easily; leveraging reports and dashboards; automating daily tasks; making their businesses more customer-centric; aligning sales, marketing and service teams; improving driving safety; etc.

John Brezden recommends a thorough evaluation of not only the technology but also the customer support that comes with it, before taking the plunge into a new software program. “We had been using the same software for eight years, but it kept getting more and more expensive. We switched to another, but soon found that the level of customer support was inadequate for our needs. We ended up switching back. We pay more, but we have excellent customer service again. When we have an issue, they get back to us the same day or the next morning.”

Brezden is also willing to invest in additional training to get his team up to speed on new aspects of the technology. “A couple of years ago, my IT guy said we were using only about 10 percent of the functionality of our program. That was a wake-up call: I figured we better get our act together and start using the technology to our greatest advantage. Since then, we’ve been intentional about learning everything it can do and seeing how we can apply new functions to our day-to-day operations. Sometimes that means signing up for private lessons. We’ve found them to be well worth the money.”