Something New for Customer Service

Allie Allen, BCE, Executive Director, QualityPro 

This year, QualityPro celebrates its 20th anniversary, meaning we’ve been around almost as long as LinkedIn. Our program has seen the rise and fall and consistent change of client expectations as new outlets and new techniques become available, and our program has continued to grow. Twenty years of supporting the best of our industry as these companies provide consistent excellence to their clients has given us a seasoned perspective on what that excellence means, even as the specifics and outlets have changed. 

EVOLVING CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPECTATIONS 

Customer experience has come a long way since the days when clients could find service providers in the phone book. The last two decades have seen the rise of online sales, social media, and the proliferation of digital platforms where clients can go to seek services, receive marketing, and communicate directly with service providers. The 2021 Harris Poll “Gaps in Consumer Experience” report, a survey of marketers and consumers, found that in the last decade, the primary change in customer experience has been the growing number of places potential clients must keep track of to find the services they need—and therefore the number of outlets companies must keep track of to keep up with marketing and communicating with their clients. According to the survey, the primary disconnects between consumers and providers are lack of a personal touch and the perceived lack of consistency between communication on different channels and the services actually provided.  

Striking a balance between consistency and personalization is vital, especially post-COVID, now that most business is conducted digitally. As we remind all QualityPro technicians in the first chapter of the training manual, two-thirds of clients who quit doing business with a company do so because of an attitude of indifference from a company representative. QualityPro requires our companies to maintain clear communication practices regardless of outlet, specifically to ensure that clients understand what they’re getting from one service appointment to the next. We also encourage companies to think of their “customers” specifically as “clients,” because theirs is an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time sale. A common misconception we are working to correct is that clients can only have a personal relationship with a specific service technician. Our companies are the protectors of property and public health; everyone involved in buying and selling pest management services should feel the same personal connection to what we do. 

SOMETHING NEW FROM QUALITYPRO 

QualityPro’s mission calls us to operate at every level of the industry, celebrating the professionalism that all our people show every day. The changing world of customer experience has challenged us to reimagine how we think of not just the technicians serving as the public face of our industry, but also our companies’ office and sales staff—the heard but unseen triage clinic of the pest management industry. QualityPro exists to certify and to ensure the knowledge, expertise, and skill our clients not only expect but deserve.  

In May 2023, QualityPro convened a task force to create a Customer Service Credential, bringing together subject matter experts from across the industry. The panel included managers and trainers from companies of all sizes and was directed to identify the core skills, knowledge areas, and behaviors that contribute to effective customer service. The result, the QualityPro Client Service Professional Credential, is a comprehensive exam covering every area of customer service that an employee of a nationally accredited QualityPro company should know.  

The credential is intended to recognize a customer service professional’s training, knowledge, and skill. Our clients are clear and vocal about the fact they expect a uniform, transparent, and accessible level of service, and QualityPro Client Service Professionals will be tested on their ability to provide it. Our goal is to demonstrate for our clients and our employees that these skills are a major area of focus and that we take those who employ them as seriously as everything else we certify. 

The QualityPro Client Service Professional credential is the first of a wave of new materials coming to QualityPro as we look ahead to our next 20 years and the challenges our industry will face. We’re always innovating to give companies new tools, credentials, and resources to more effectively communicate with clients the value of the services these companies provide, the highly trained technicians they hire, and the commitment to excellence they embody for our industry.  

QualityPro is administered by the Foundation for Professional Pest Management, an independent organization that has been developing good business practices and standards since 2004. Designed specifically for pest management companies in the U.S. and Canada, we are proud to certify more than 500 of the best companies in the pest management industry. QualityPro is endorsed by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA). For more information, contact us at qualitypro@pestworld.org.