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Do you own or run a pest control business? Running a pest control company can be a rewarding and challenging experience.
Just about every home and business has a bug or rodent of some sort, making pest control services high in demand all year round. That said, the potential for earning big in this industry is huge, with established pest control contractors raking in over $75,000 per year.
On the flip side, running a pest control business can present a lot of challenges.
Every day, you’ve to work hard to keep the moving parts of your business running smoothly. From dispatching field agents and establishing the best routes to receiving incoming orders, sourcing parts, and managing invoices—a pest contractor’s plate is always full.
So how can a pest control contractor manage all these tasks and remain productive all along? The answer lies in automation. Keep reading to learn how you can automate your pest control business to increase efficiency and productivity.
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Table of Contents
1. Automate Field Operations with FSM Software
Pest control companies provide a wide range of field services, which means they’re likely juggling many tasks, individuals, tools, and mobile devices.
At any given time, a pest control manager might be responsible for:
- Managing new orders
- Scheduling field operations
- Dispatching field specialists
- Tracking technicians’ productivity in the field
- Managing payments and receipts
All of these moving parts need to be organized, tracked, streamlined, and updated. Without a central system to manage these tasks, it would be nearly impossible to manage the business effectively. And this is where FSM software comes in.
Field service management (FSM) software was designed to help field service managers, and business owners effectively manage all the moving parts by automating specific tasks while providing remote access to the office, customer insights, etc.
When integrated with an accounting system, like QuickBooks, an FSM solution can increase operational efficiency. For example, a pest control solution for QuickBooks can greatly increase a contractor’s efficiency by flawlessly syncing what’s happening in the field with what’s being recorded in the books.
However, integrating pest control software for QuickBooks is often plagued with syncing issues, not to mention that the less sophisticated ones can be confusing and inefficient. The trick is to find an FSM solution that works well with your accounting system.
2. Streamline scheduling & Routing
If your pest control business is growing and you have several field technicians, you’ll want to streamline the scheduling process. By investing in scheduling software, you could avoid problems like:
- Missing scheduled appointments
- Double-booking technicians
- Forgetting to include travel time between jobs
- Wasting time between appointments
With scheduling software, you can easily assign shifts in a click or even open shifts up for grabs. Some scheduling systems even offer advanced features that allow you to plan the best route for the job, making your technicians even more efficient.
3. Automate Email Marketing
With over 4 billion people using email, it’s no surprise that email marketing has earned a top spot as one of the highest ROI-generating marketing channels.
Pest control contractors can leverage email automation to take their marketing to the next level. Email automation can be achieved by using a CRM system for creating pest control drip campaigns.
With a good pest control CRM, you can set email triggers based on specific actions. For instance, you can schedule the system to send email reminders before a pest control visit or set it to send confirmation emails whenever a customer schedules an appointment.
4. Invest in Tools to Boost Customer Service
According to Business Wire, automation can improve customer experience by up to 90%. If your business handles hundreds of customer requests every day, it can be hard to attend to all queries on time.
Automation, especially chatbots, allows your staff to serve more customers and keep them updated on their requests’ status. For example, Chatbots can help answer small queries quickly. This ensures customers are not waiting for hours to complete simple tasks like rescheduling an appointment or asking for pricing info.
Have you automated your pest control business? If so, what software solution are you using? Share with us in the comments section below.
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