Ask The Expert

RICK AGAJANIAN, Chief Product Officer, WorkWave

Q Do small businesses need a pest control software solution? When is the best time to invest in a pest control software solution?

A Regardless of the size of your pest control operation, making the decision to seek out a pest control software solution is always in your best interest. Thinking of software as something that’s only needed after your business grows to a particular size—whether it’s revenue, the number of customers you have or how many employees are on your team—is a common mistake that puts you at a disadvantage from the get-go.

This is largely due to a misconception about what pest control software can do for your business. While many people mistakenly think of software as a tool that’s only necessary when you have a large team of technicians covering a wide area, the reality is that pest control software isn’t just a tool that you use in the field; it’s a tool you can use to market your business, attract new leads and grow your business from the very beginning.

An integrated software solution that helps you market your business to new customers while carrying out service more efficiently can be the key to growing your business more quickly and handling increasing demand without skipping a beat. The best time to seek out pest control software is the day you start your business; the next best time is now.

Q Why does a pest control service organization need an integrated solution, i.e. software and services from a single vendor?

A From marketing and sales to providing service and satisfying customers, your pest control business relies on many moving parts working together perfectly to hone in on your goals. When it comes to field service technology, the services and software you choose should seamlessly connect each of those aspects of your business to drive success.

When you’re able to attain all of the functionality you need to streamline your business from a single vendor, you eliminate the need to work with a collection of individual—and often disjointed—products and services. Instead, you benefit from a seamless connection that ensures the moving parts of your business can work together as efficiently as possible.

The benefits of an integrated solution include significant time savings for your team and fewer issues down the road. An integrated solution that covers all your bases not only eliminates the need for your team to toggle between various platforms, but also reduces the need for in-depth training on different programs. While the upfront investment and training associated with starting on a new platform may seem daunting, the resulting time and cost savings are ultimately worthwhile. Additionally, it virtually eliminates the need to manually sync data across platforms, ensuring your employees always have access to the same up-to-date data and eliminating errors typically associated with manual double-entry.

Q What should you look for when evaluating an integrated pest control solution?

A When considering integrated software options for your pest control business, consider all of the steps that occur throughout your business cycle and view potential software solutions through that lens; your goal is to hone in on a solution that addresses all of your needs, from start to finish.

For modern pest control businesses, this cycle starts with finding customers; your software should provide tools for marketing your business and allows you to access or create the appropriate contracts to sign new customers and get started. From here, check for the tools you need for your field operations, such as scheduling, route planning and optimization, service orders, inventory tracking, and the forms you need to stay compliant.

Don’t forget that the service cycle doesn’t end once service is provided. The right solution will provide the functions you need to accept payment in the field, bill customers after the fact and stay on top of accounting. This is also the stage where you’ll want the right options for collecting reviews from satisfied customers, starting the cycle anew and helping your business to keep on growing.