Where Software Technology Is Making a Difference

Efficiency, transparency, cost savings and an improved customer experience are benefits mentioned again and again by PMPs who rely on software technology. While each program offers its own features and functions, they commonly offer end-to-end solutions that automate a broad range of tasks to make processes easier, people more productive, customers happier and operations more profitable.

Of the many benefits software programs can offer, respondents to the survey said the primary benefit of using their current programs is maximizing productivity (36 percent), saving time and money (29 percent), streamlining communication (12 percent) and providing real-time data (10 percent). Some of the specific tasks they prefer to have automated include creating reports (66 percent), invoicing and payment processing (64 percent), scheduling jobs (64 percent), optimizing routes (61 percent), job tracking and management (59 percent), and tracking inventory, equipment, material costs and orders (53 percent).

Here’s a look into how these programs are being implemented:

IN THE FRONT OFFICE

There’s a lot to be said for what is possibly the most basic feature of an operations-based software program: It offers access and transparency into any and all accounts. “Everything related to an account — the customer agreement, work orders, notes and even the photos we take — is in one place. We can bring any account up at a moment’s notice,” says Bob Wiemer of Pestco Professional Services in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Of course, the technology goes well beyond account management. PMPs are generating reports for any number of business purposes: reviewing sales figures, analyzing technician performance and productivity, assessing profitability, etc. Interactive dashboards are enabling more informed decision-making. Communication is being streamlined, opening up channels between the office and the field that don’t require trading dozens of phone calls and voice messages. Scheduling is easier. Routing can be optimized. And customer communications, including billing and payment processing, are helping companies boost satisfaction and, in many cases, accelerate cash flow.

Andy Nieves says he’s been able to tighten routes so that BHB Pest Elimination technicians are calling on six to eight accounts where they previously called on four or five. Toby Stoner shares that when the price of fuel went up 45 percent, Stoner Pest Control’s costs went up only 20 percent due to new routing efficiencies. And Breanna Hawkins says that automating payments with a monthly subscription-style payment plan has helped Earthwise Pest Management in Sacramento, Calif., reduce cancellations, overdue payments and customer turnover.

“Our software system charges regular customers on the same day each month for their ongoing pest management, so that instead of getting one larger quarterly charge, they are paying $X a month, because we break that quarterly fee into three monthly payments. They keep those appointments because they know they’re paying for them, and they tend to stay with us longer, because we make it so easy and provide great service,” explains Hawkins. She adds that customers also appreciate the automated message they receive the day before their service and then the text letting them know their technician is on the way.

OUT IN THE FIELD

In the field, mobile apps give technicians an edge by putting all of the information they need in the palm of their hand. “When they arrive at the customer’s location, they check in to let us know what time they got there and they review the work order,” says John Brezden of Brezden Pest Control. “They record what they found through their inspection, note the work they recommended and completed, and document the materials they used. Once they post the completed order, we receive that at the office and can send out the bill the next day.”

Some apps also equip technicians to sell and upsell services in the field. Across the survey, 64 percent of PMPs said their technicians have this capability. “Our technicians, especially on the environmental hygiene side of our business, absolutely use the selling and upselling capabilities,” says Wiemer. “They make recommendations and then enter that order right through their app.” At BHB, technicians don’t necessarily do the selling themselves, but they can communicate potential sales opportunities by flagging certain accounts for account managers to visit.

Wiemer also notes that, through GPS technology, “You can see where every technician is, so if a call comes in from a customer wanting to know when to expect the technician to arrive, our office staff can give them a good estimate.” Same goes for urgent calls: The scheduler can see who is in the area before making an assignment. Technicians get any scheduling updates on their mobile devices, so they know right away if a service call was canceled or added.

Used wisely, mobile apps can improve not only efficiency and customer service, but also job satisfaction among technicians. For the most part, they learn to use the apps quickly and competently, and prefer them to handwriting service orders all day — plus, they can fit more calls into a day, with the potential to make more money.