Commercial Communication

When a pest control technician enters a commercial establishment to perform service, the pest problems encountered will be the easy part. The challenge will come when it’s time to effectively communicate and accurately document what they have observed and performed.

In his presentation at PestWorld 2009, Dr. Ted Granovsky said, "Green is the buzzword of the day and as we move toward that, customer cooperation, communication and documentation become even more important." Granovsky’s firm, Granovsky Associates, is an urban and industrial entomological consulting firm based in Bryan, Texas.

Unfortunately for pest management companies, the technical staff in large retail operations like malls, discount stores, supermarkets, "Big Box" stores and others often have little interest in what you’re doing or what your mission is until a pest problem develops. They want a low profile pest control service, while at the same time no pests. Granovsky said the pest management industry has to change this attitude by better, more detailed ongoing communication and documentation.

He says verbal and nonverbal communication are not the most effective and written communication is a must in all retail operations. "Dress, communicate, work and complete work in a way that demonstrates solid technical training, experience and a professional attitude. A pest control professional must be many things to many people," he says.

How do we document and communicate with clients? Granovsky lists 16 types of information that are helpful for clients to review. (See box at lower right.) "There is no federal mandate that service forms have to be left with the client, however clients many times will request that information." Also, many types of client auditing groups will require client copies of service tickets be left onsite.

Granovsky says his company communicates with its clients using three basic strategies: traditional, a step up and advanced.

Traditional Communication. Service agreements are the first communication after the salesperson makes the sale and includes what you will and will not do. It spells out for both parties the respective expectations of each. Service agreements set limits as to what pests and what control methods will or will not be included in the service and what equipment will or won’t be provided. The service agreement becomes a key document for managing your relationship with the client.

Here are some traditional communication methods you may already perform:

Signage: Tells when service is planned and other information required by state regulatory officials or determined by the pest control company.

Service Ticket: Must be completed after each service and can be produced through a handheld device, making it easy to fill in information, limiting the amount of unnecessary re-entry of data or information.

Log Books: Should contain pest activity reports, service tickets, agreements, IPM components, your company information, insurance certificate, certified applicator license, letters, e-mail address, pesticide labels and MSDS, equipment list and locations, site maps, action list, blank forms, summary of results and other information as deemed appropriate.

Site Maps: Indicate where light traps, sticky traps, bait boxes and pheromone traps are located.

Pest Samples: Granovsky said he likes to use packing slip pouches to collect samples because one side of the envelope is clear plastic and the back can carry the date, location, etc. "We leave envelopes and encourage our clients to collect samples," he said.

Photographs: Digital cameras are a must to record conditions conducive to pests, structural problems, etc. It is imperative to have the correct date and time set on the camera when documenting a pest problem or conducive conditions.

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Information that can/should go to a commercial client

1. Service forms
2. Inspection forms and photos
3. Repairs needed photos
4. Landscaping issues photos
5. Multi-catch data and/or graphs
6. Pheromone trap data and/or graphs
7. Bait station data and/or graphs
8. Sticky trap data and/or graphs
9. CPRs (customer pest reports)
   data and/or graphs
10. QA reports and photos
11. Light trap catch data and/or graphs
12. Design issues and photos
13. Exterior light evaluation
14. Site plans
15. Checklists
16. Observations photos

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Oral Communication: Granovsky advises technicians to speak clearly, being specific and precise. He recommends avoiding the use of industry slang or street language.

Written Communication: Write or print clearly and succinctly. List needed action items in a checklist format. Granovsky suggests providing a maintenance request form for facilities to make it easy to record observations and problem areas between service calls.

A Step Up. What’s the next step for improving client communication? For facility managers, pest management technicians should consider a new way of supplying information. Providing information in a short, easy-to-read format enables your client to actually read the information. Such information could include an overview of a facility when work began and show the progress at the present time in the form of data summaries — tables, graphics and pie charts. This provides the client a summary of how effective you have been as a provider and it helps resell the client on the concept that you are a service provider who knows what you are doing. This information may take the form of handouts on paper, on a CD, via e-mail or on thumb drives.

It’s also a good idea, Granovsky says, to provide a formal annual review that outlines the initial objectives and corrective actions taken. "The main thing," he explained, "is to keep them short but precise."

Advanced Communication. A picture is worth a thousand words and digital photo frames can be used to show the client problem areas. Slides on a hand-held computer, Blackberry, iPhone, etc., can also work but the photo frames might be easier to see for the client because they are larger.

Upload photos to one of the many Internet photo sharing sites and provide the password to the client to show situations in their account. Some popular photo sharing sites include: www.Imageshack.com, www.photobucket.com or www.tinypic.com.

Record video before and after service to share with the client. Many smaller digital cameras do a fine job and provide greater flexibility and close-up photography capability. Third-party evaluations involve hiring or splitting the cost with the client to bring in another firm or individual to conduct a service and facility audit with a written report.

Consider setting up a secure Web site specifically for your high-end clients. Provide a password to the client where they can access all information about the facility.

The author is a frequent contributor to PCT magazine. She is owner of Compelling Communications (www.compelcom.com) Manchester, Mo. She can be reached at jvanklaveren@giemedia.com.