How Technology Can Impact Pest Control in 2020 and Beyond

As we approach the end of 2019, it is an important time to understand what technologies could impact the pest control industry in the near and mid-term and what type of investments should be made in preparation.

This year saw the commercial rollout of the next generation 5G network, which is already super charging the bandwidth and capacity of mobile phones, and is also laying the foundation of infrastructure needed for emerging tech for the business world, such as autonomous vehicles, remote surgery, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning at scale and much more.

While it may seem far off, the realities of today’s emerging technologies have far-reaching benefits that can significantly help improve pest management organizations, from improved employee and business productivity, to advanced technology that can significantly enhance road, driver and ultimately community safety. Infusing our business with technology is easier and more accessible than ever before. 

Here are three technologies business owners should keep in mind for 2020 and beyond.

Video data. Video has been around for longer than the Internet, but how businesses use it continues to evolve. As wireless networks advance, increasing capacity and bandwidth, video data, beyond standard fixed surveillance, is being used for near real-time visibility into business operations and additional context to verify job completion in combination with fleet management technology. For instance, with the frequent stops required by pest control technicians in a given day, video data can be used to help improve the customer experience by recording job completion.

In-cab vehicle dash cams, which bring video into the vehicle, are becoming standard in order to further protect drivers and businesses. Video technology in combination with advanced AI and machine learning (ML) can also intelligently record driving patterns and identify harsh driving behavior, helping save a fleet manager time and effort. This can allow fleet managers to correct and coach behavior and prevent future accidents. Additionally, in the event of an accident or other harsh driving scenarios, video data provides a business with a snapshot of a specific incident that can help absolve employees when they are wrongly accused. 

AI and IoT. AI and IoT solutions will continue to play a major role in 2020, as the solutions become more accessible and integrated. Full AI is still in the future, but AI/ML algorithms can help automate office work and enable workers to focus more on business strategy and new business. Moreover, the IoT solutions in fleet management software provide businesses with better visibility into vehicle health and the status of work equipment from a single platform. IoT sensors both in the vans and on the equipment can provide a business with visibility to pre-plan vehicle repairs saving businesses time and effort. These sensors can also perform condition-based monitoring, which enables a service call only when necessary, instead of regularly scheduled maintenance, and saves the business time and money from unnecessary vehicle maintenance.*

Both AI and IoT solutions represent evolving technologies, which as they progress will help improve business efficiency and ultimately market competitiveness. When making technology investments, it is important to identify the most cost effective solutions based on the benefits of the advanced technology. Understanding your business challenges is the first step to exploring solutions and discerning what level of technology is right for your business.

Commercial Electric Vehicles (EVs) at Scale. The popularity of commercial EVs is growing, but over the course of the past decade, it has been slow to really impact the market. However, analysts expect EVs to grow exponentially in the near term as companies feel pressure to operate efficiently from both an environmental and business standpoint. 

Fleet management technology is adapting amidst these new requirements and developing innovations to track and leverage data unique to EVs, such as charging time, average kilowatt per hour consumption and the location of the closest charging station. Companies that choose to invest in EVs will potentially have the ability to report and measure the environmental footprint of their fleets, tracking energy consumption from a per vehicle perspective. Moreover, with the seasonal peaks pest control companies experience during the summer when gas prices also spike, EVs can help companies lower energy costs and operate more efficiently.

As we start the new decade, technology’s role in business will only increase in-step with the benefits to operations and customers. For pest control companies operating fleets of any size, there are many opportunities to leverage AI, IoT and advanced video data to stay ahead of competitors and to improve business outcomes in the years to come.

*https://www.verizonconnect.com/resources/article/iot-condition-based-monitoring/