Your customers often need pest control services without delay. Your business must be ready to schedule these jobs efficiently. Managing scheduling can become a full-time job if you don’t have technology to help.
Pest control scheduling software helps simplify this complicated yet tedious task through organization and automation.
Your business will be more efficient. And employees and customers will enjoy a smoother experience. As a business owner, you can focus on growing your business.
However, there are a few things you should know before you choose a scheduling software solution. You need to understand the basic issues that affect scheduling accuracy and timing. With these challenges in mind, you’ll see how software can help address bottlenecks.
Keep reading for insights, tips, and more.
Key Factors Impacting Pest Control Scheduling
The pest control industry faces a few common scheduling challenges.
There will be seasonal spikes, and overall demand is increasing. You may also face limited availability of technicians. Or, you only have a few employees with specialized training.
Let’s review these factors in more detail.
Seasonal Spikes Make Scheduling Complicated.
Many home and business owners will call on you as spring arrives. Yet, a rise in pests is occurring during colder months.
Pests are becoming a bigger problem year-round. As a result, the off-season for pest control may be shorter or less dramatic.
However, you can always expect intervals of more and less demand. More home and business owners will likely call on you throughout spring and summer.
In an industry that fluctuates seasonally, you need a robust pest control scheduling tool. It will support your business no matter where you are in the demand cycle.
Customer Preferences Put Certain Days and Times in High Demand.
In addition to seasonal fluctuations, you also must consider customer preferences. Many may have limited time to meet with technicians. You may have to work around their schedule, which means specific days and times may be more in demand than others.
High interest in evening or weekend spots may exceed your capacity. As a result, you need to know your technicians’ availability in real time. Pest control scheduling systems enhance scheduling transparency. You’ll have accurate information to avoid overbooking your employees.
Urbanization Is Increasing the Need for Pest Control.
Another component to consider is the overall demand for services. Recent census data shows that 80% of the U.S. population lives in an urban area.
With the growth of high-density urban areas, pests can become a bigger problem. More pests mean more demand for your services.
FROM ONE OF OUR PARTNERS: Pest Control Industry Trends & Statistics
Technician Availability Can Be Inconsistent.
Your technicians won’t always be available for scheduling even on slower days. Employees take time off, and unexpected absences happen. You’ll need a way to account for those things when they come up.
This is where software is a huge help. You can view scheduled jobs and reassign them to avoid inconveniencing the customer.
Hiring and retaining workers may be a challenge, too.
An NPMA survey of the pest management industry showed that 53% of companies had labor shortages and hiring issues. Also, 30% of those business owners said they had trouble finding people with the right skills.
If you’re hiring those new to the business, they’ll need training. It may be a few months before they are ready to handle jobs independently.
Inconsistencies in staffing make it crucial to have a scheduling tool. Without one, you risk overbooking your team or making appointments with no available technicians.
Some Jobs Need Specialized Skills.
Not every job is the same. It depends on the pest type and how extensive the infestation is. Often, you need to assign a tech with specialized skills.
If only a few of your team members can work on these more specialized jobs, scheduling can be a headache. Doing it manually can open the door for mistakes.
With pest control scheduling software, you’ll always know which technicians are available. It saves time and ensures that the right worker arrives at the job.
Implementing Efficient Pest Control Scheduling Systems
Now that you’ve seen some common scheduling challenges you may face in your pest control business, you may wonder how software can help you avoid them.
First, let’s briefly describe pest control scheduling software and how it works.
What Is Pest Control Scheduling Software?
Scheduling can be complex. Adopting technology simplifies it.
Pest control scheduling software manages service appointments and calendars. It provides a real-time, accessible view of all jobs. You can make adjustments and notify techs on the spot.
Scheduling software reduces inefficient manual practices. Integrated tools and features help ensure smooth scheduling for your technicians and customers.
In addition to keeping calendars organized, pest control scheduling solutions often include routing features. GPS tracking and routing help maximize employee time in the field.
How Does Pest Control Scheduling Software Work?
Say goodbye to manual schedules. The key function of this software is to reduce the time you spend on scheduling.
It works by increasing transparency in scheduling. The entire team can access the same schedule information at any time. They’ll get instant updates to routes and appointment information in real time.
A solution like Briostack enables you to manage technician schedules dynamically. These scheduling solutions allow you to:
- Generate the best recommendations for new work orders automatically.
- Develop and manage schedules for multiple branches.
- View the calendars or mapping view by location or technician.
- Move jobs quickly between branches and field workers in bulk.
- Add a new contact to the system for initial appointments.
Benefits of Pest Control Scheduling Software
Using pest control scheduling software has many benefits. Implementing it should deliver efficiency and organization to your pest control business.
Advanced scheduling software can help you realize many benefits, such as:
Reminders and communication are key features of your scheduling software. There are several ways they benefit both you and your customers.
First, you can keep customers updated with SMS messages. You can send notifications and appointment updates so customers are always in the loop.
Second, you can integrate customizable automated reminders for your customers and technicians. You should also be able to choose your platform—text, call, or email.
These communication features ensure everyone is on the same page. They reduce miscommunication in the field. Customers appreciate a proactive approach, and technicians are aware of their appointments.
Balancing Workload and Resources
As noted, pest control can have peaks in demand. Most home and business owners tend to need you most in the warmer months.
Your schedule will become more complex as your company grows, fueled by demand. With scheduling and dispatching functionality, you can scale your business more easily.
You’ll be able to track appointments and gather insights about time spent on the job. Accountability can lead to greater productivity. This is necessary to balance workload and resources.
Balancing workload and resources is important in running a pest control company. You don’t want to pack schedules so tight that delays are inevitable. It can have a negative effect and may leave customers unsatisfied.
Thus, you need a robust solution to manage peak seasons and high-demand periods. Scheduling tools allow for real-time views of schedules. It’s much more effective than using a paper calendar or spreadsheet.
Route Optimization
Route optimization ensures technicians get to appointments quickly. All your field employees can benefit from this.
For example, Briostack offers this feature by visualizing routes with GPS tracking. Having this capability is a win for you and your customers.
With up-to-date information, you won’t have to plan routes the day before or leave employees to guess.
With optimization technology, you can reschedule jobs to the best-fit routing recommendation. They spend less time on the road and receive turn-by-turn directions to the address of the job.
Additional benefits of route optimization include:
- Increase service calls for technicians since they are driving fewer miles.
- Improve scheduling efficiency without expanding your staff.
- Less mileage on company vehicles decreases the operational costs of your fleet.
On the customer end, the experience is a positive one as well. Tardiness can be a big trigger for dissatisfaction. Getting to homes and businesses on time means less waiting.
Reliability could be a big differentiator between you and your competition. Customers will be more likely to stay loyal and recommend you to others. Adding pest control scheduling software could help you win this market share.
It would be impossible to do all this without scheduling software.
RELATED ARTICLE: The Pest Control Industry is Thriving and Here is How You Can Take Advantage
Customer-Centric Scheduling Practices
Customer-centric scheduling should be part of your customer relationship strategy.
When considering which scheduling platform to buy, look for these customer-friendly features:
- Flexible appointment options to meet a variety of customer preferences
- The option to schedule one-time or recurring appointments
- Transparent communication about when technicians will arrive and service timelines
- A customer portal for updating their information and reviewing and paying bills
Using all of these features not only helps streamline your services but ultimately helps you put the customer first.
6 Tips for Making Pest Control Scheduling Decisions
If you’re ready to add scheduling software to your bank of digital tools, here are six tips to get you started right away:
- Look for intuitive and easy-to-use software so you don’t spend days or weeks learning how it works.
- Ensure it allows for flexible scheduling options with templates to space out recurring services.
- Search for a solution that provides many ways to communicate with customers. The most common are texts, calls, and emails.
- Analyze your historical data to understand your peaks and high-demand times so you can pick a solution that can use these insights.
- Use customer feedback and reviews to identify scheduling challenges. These can translate into features in your new software.
- Select a platform with a mobile tech app so field workers receive real-time job updates and access their schedules at any time.
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