How All Pest Control Companies Can Utilize New Technologies

Editor’s note: The following article from Anne Lackey, co-founder of HireSmart Virtual Employees, addresses competing technology against larger pest control companies. Lackey can be reached at anne@hiresmartvirtualemployees.com.

When you start a new business in the pest control industry, it can often feel like you're surrounded by giants: giant corporations, names and entrepreneurs. These giants have obtained a market share that seems out of reach to single owners and small pest control businesses.

Not so fast! Even the giant dogs were puppies once. They had to find their legs, just like you, and discover what works and doesn't. However, you can succeed by looking at their successes, implementing underutilized tools in the industry, and turning to technology to give you a head start as you grow big enough to run with the "big dawgs."

STRUCTURE: Most small companies start worrying about structure once they have several employees, a strategy that is doomed to fail. Small companies should have an idea of what their future will look like with one, two, three, or more employees. Develop the structure while you're a one-person team to quickly expand without threatening the safety or the environment with undertrained and underutilized technicians.

It starts with on-site record keeping using a cell phone's Notes application. Use the speech-to-text function to dictate everything you do when you reach a job, thinking about what you want a future employee to do. You can also use the function to track your time on jobs and other work you do in one day.

PROCESSES: Some of those notes will turn into processes. If you track what you do on every job in detail, you can utilize that to create the process of attending a job site as a set of expectations for some future employees. Further, you can see what you aren't doing that you would like to do. This information could easily be put into ChatGPT or Claude to create a process for you by saying: "Take this list of tasks and make a process for visiting a job site as a pest control professional…" and copy and paste the information you have collected.

CAPITAL: Of course, when you need to expand, the capital is often unavailable. This can be solved by looking at a revolving line of credit that allows you to spend what you need in a cycle and pay for that once you have received payment. Additionally, the time to create a request for a business line of credit is when you don't need it and things are slow. In winter, you might take some time to go ahead and apply for some credit to see what you can qualify for. This also helps you plan your business strategy as you move forward.

TEAMS: The sooner you can create an office team, the better your business's chances of success are. This is where technology can really help small companies. The question is, "When is the right time to create an office team?"

For some, the answer is easy — yesterday. For others, the answer is sooner than they want to think about. Either way, most small business owners do not have the time to find an office location when it was previously their truck — nor do they have the time to see, interview, vet, pay, offer benefits, and train office staff, even if needed.

Hopefully, the first thing you invested in was a program that electronically coordinates your routes and invoices. So the question is, do you need a physical location?

Take a paper and write why you want a physical office location. Include who will have a desk at this office and the equipment they will need, such as computers, copiers, and scanners. Don't forget to include utilities and facilities like restrooms, sinks, coffee stations, and other requirements the state might have. Once you have this list, estimate what you think this is going to cost you.

Once you have your number, flip the paper over and consider what you would need to work with a virtual worker employed by a third party. In this scenario, your office is virtual, with a local phone number and a well-compensated worker with benefits you don't have to provide.

How can you afford a seemingly extravagant expense? Easy! Most companies providing virtual workers do so with native English speakers from countries like the Philippines and Asian locations. These English speakers are compensated according to the local economy, where the dollar is stronger, allowing small companies to move into this solution for $10 or less an hour. Further, this means the pay for virtual workers far exceeds the national average, giving them a life beyond what they normally would have achieved.

For virtual hiring companies, these employees are educated with computer skills. They have been vetted for criminal backgrounds and are easy to educate online.

For pest control companies, this path presents one unique challenge. What is required by your state regarding call center locations outside the state? Don't worry. The "big dawgs" are trying to figure that out as well. You need to understand if a license is required to set appointments and answer the phone even if no information about the service is provided. This is new territory, and small companies can take advantage of the fact that most states have not organized their rules and regulations to cover it.

While the "big dawgs" seem to run the yard, small dogs are quicker and more able to adapt to new technology and make critical decisions easier than them. If you can integrate technology and innovative thinking, you might find you are the next "big dawg."