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In Focus: Get Closer to Your Customers Mike Ayars, Pest Control Magazine There are three key trends shaping the technical side of pest control, says Mike Ayars, president of Marathon Data Systems, Oakhurst, NJ, and each has the capability of limiting risk, increasing sales or providing more information for and about customers. Each relies on an integrated office management software system. Some companies are using these methods already. The trends are: 1. Virtual branch offices The costs of establishing a new branch office can be enormous, and can carry tremendous financial risk, Ayars says. Typical expenses include office space, support staff, furniture, technical and communication equipment, supplies, etc. That's why some pest management firms are opting to go the "virtual" route. "Office management software systems can let a technician access the corporate computer system via a personal computer and simple Internet connection," he explains. The "branch office" technician remotely downloads route sheets and service orders in the morning, then posts his or her service data to the main software system the same way at night. This simple system can cost as little as the expense of a computer and an Internet connection, and also can vastly limit the financial risk normally associated with establishing new branch offices, he notes. While the information can be printed remotely using standard forms, some pest management firms have developed customized service ticket systems that give detailed account history and other information to technicians, plus customized messages for customers. 2. Managing the customer relationship Because it is so much more expensive to develop business with new customers than with existing ones, customer relationship management systems are taking on more importance, says Ayars. Typically, this involves three steps that depend on having basic information about a company's customers: Identify the best customers by tracking servicing times, billing rates and other pertinent data. One key measure to develop is the value of each customer on a dollar-per-hour basis, which is something that good software systems should be able to provide. Increase service and sales to key customers by carefully tracking all customer contacts, sales and any opportunities to increase sales. Robust software systems can make it easy to accumulate sales histories for customers and identify areas with potential. Move less-profitable customers to more profitable status by knowing their dollar-hour value and by adjusting prices accordingly. Management software can identify these price increase points automatically. Some can even generate the price increase explanation letters. 3. Customers come into the loop Internet technology allows PMPs to give their customers fast access to their account information by combining handheld barcode techniques, office management software and available web-based data. How does it work? Ayars says technicians using handheld devices can track data at individual bait and monitoring stations throughout an account's site. At each station, technicians can receive instructions for action and also can input results. There are similar handheld applications that can be used to generate WDI/WDO reports, as well as other customer information. This data is uploaded to the office management system. PMPs can use a variety of handheld devices and barcode systems to integrate with their software. The office management software can combine this remote data with other file material such as proposals, contracts, actual site diagrams, contact histories, digital photographs and other information. This goes into the main account file. The online element of this system starts when web-based account files are set up. The PMP selects which information from the master account file will be made available online for customers to access, and what will stay confidential. Clients who log into the system to check their account status see those materials that have been selected. Ayars predicts that these three trends will have tremendous impact on the pest management industry in the future, as PMPs try to expand into new branches with minimum risk, develop richer and more profitable customer relationships and satisfy the information needs of their ongoing clients. |
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