The Pest Control Industry is Thriving and Here is How You Can Take Advantage

The pest control industry has been on a steady, healthy incline for many years. Recently, however, it has seen some of its most rapid growth ever. Research is predicting that pest control – as a global market – will see over a 5.5% expansion through 2020. There are many contributing factors that are leading our industry to exceptional heights.

Some of the oft-cited reasons include a growing pest intolerance in suburban areas, the soaring appeal of green technology, heightened concerns among the general public concerning hygiene and health matters, and the surge of urban developments in the housing market.

The Importance Of Qualified And Experienced Pest Control Services

Recent scientific reports have stated that a higher number of insects are relocating indoors and instigating a greater number of problems for both commercial and residential properties.

Ironically, some advances in environmental and structural technology are also suspected to be catalysts for this general increase in pest populations, changes in pest behavior, and the high volume of them being found indoors. Naturally, the more pests that people find in their living and work spaces, the greater the need will continue to become for professional pest control companies to take care of it.

Adaptive Behavior And Increased Resistance To Chemicals

Resistance is becoming a greater challenge for PCOs with re-service calls on the rise industry-wide. In an ongoing effort to survive, pests change their behavior when presented with consistent and predictable extermination attempts. Essentially, the more commonly and easily accessible the pesticide or rodenticide is, the less effective it is likely to be in its intended use. The more resilient the pests become, the greater the need for higher quality professional pest control becomes.

The best pest control companies are focusing more on product rotation, improved tech training and better customer service to reduce call backs and insure a higher quality of service.

Experts Are In Demand

Many industries are experiencing an employee turnover rate that is unprecedented. For instance, the hospitality and restaurant industries saw a turnover rate in 2017 of over 30%. This means that many existing employees are largely less experienced than employers would hope.

This is one of the biggest challenges facing the pest control industry. What follows are workers who have a hard time diagnosing specific pest problems in homes in addition to showing overall awareness issues. These employees tend to bypass proper prevention methods. Because many pest control companies are having a hard time maintaining their employees long enough for them to become experts, those companies that excel at tech retention are establishing a major competitive advantage in their respective markets.

Achieving Relevancy For Your Pest Control Company

So, knowing that pest control experts are in high demand and that so many verifiable conditions point to wonderful opportunities in the industry, how exactly do new and established companies take advantage? There are many things that can be done. Here are some of them.

Wise Product Investments & Training

The products and chemicals you use in your organization need to be carefully selected and continually reevaluated. The more diverse your ammunition, the more you will be able to prevent resistance development among pests and correctly service a variety of different situations. Many successful companies have implemented switching products often and good ongoing training around how to use a variety of products.

Taking this step to the next level involves effectively communicating this to your customers. Too many pest control companies provide great service but communicate poorly with their customers. Make sure that you are communicating with your customers, that they know about all the great things that you are doing. If they don’t know that you are going above and beyond, they’ll be more likely to go somewhere else.

Stay Informed On Local Pest Population Growth

In order to be more successful, keep yourself apprised of any changes – decreases and increases – in specific pest population metrics in your area. This becomes more meaningful as you continually train your staff on these trends and make sure they incorporate this information into how they are communicating with your customers and prospective clients. The more you know and can in turn educate your customers, the better your service becomes.

Extra Customer Training

One of the best things you can do as an organization to elevate your expert status is to be generous with advice on all fronts. Educate the people you serve by teaching them effective prevention methods they can do on their own. It will be much appreciated and will almost certainly turn into more customer referrals and positive online reviews.

Be Tech Savvy

In order to be as efficient and effective as possible, you need to not only be aware of the technological advances that are affecting our industry but also willing to implement them and adapt your business. It’s easy to get into a pattern of doing things the way they’ve always been done, but more so than ever before, the old ways aren’t sustainable. Be sure that you are using customer portals, automated and smart marketing, paperless documents, automated billing and communication, cutting edge scheduling tools, GPS, and other electronic and technological tools that will improve your company image, and save you time and energy. Technology is rapidly changing our industry and those who are unwilling to adapt will be left behind.  

Know How Changes In The Environment Affect Your Business

Going “green” is becoming more important and more of an opportunity to differentiate yourself. Whether you like it or not, prospective customers are more concerned about and more interested in green pest control. Many of your competitors are making concerted efforts to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

For pest companies, it’s more than simply using safe products. Part of being an environmentally conscious organization also means knowing things like how certain weather patterns and changes affect local pests. Every business owner should be trying to create competitive advantages and becoming an environmental expert in your area will only help.

Conclusion

Make your pest control company the best it can be by considering the suggestions and information outlined here. There has never been a more exciting time to be in the pest control industry, so make the best of it!

If you are interested in how Briostack can help your business, click here to request a free demo.