Many PMPs choose to forgo using any type
of software, and stick to manual input methods when it comes to daily business
tasks. Software exists in the field to make our lives easier, allowing us to
focus more on the quality of work we perform everyday, as opposed to getting
bogged down in repetitive or time-consuming tasks.
There are a multitude of options for PMPs to
consider when it comes to choosing a software solution for their business. One
thing that's rarely taken into account though when making this choice, is what
kind of features are customer-facing -- that is, what are functionalities
available for the consumer to interact with, as opposed to just the
service provider back in the office? After all, why choose a software
solution that your customers might end up hating to interface with?
To learn more, we teamed up with Software Advice, a company that researches and reviews pest control software,
for a new report that dives into this very topic. They identified the most
requested technology preferences of residential service customers. These
include the ability to track the technicians before they arrive at their
scheduled appointment. The popular taxi-alternative Uber utilizes a technology
just like this, which has catapulted them across the country. Another
top-requested feature is a robust customer portal that includes online bill pay
and appointment scheduling. Software Advice developed their report to help residential service companies
identify and understand which software capabilities will not only improve the
customer's experience, but possibly even motivate the customer to hire one
service provider over another.
We spoke briefly with pest control market researcher, Justin
Guinn of Software Advice, who compiled the report after surveying more than
8,000 residential service customers in the United States:
Considering the data from your report, what
would you say are the implications that pest control business operators should
consider?
“In short, residential service business
owners, including those in the pest control industry, need to consider current
and potential customers’ perception of their company. For better or worse, a
typical measure of this is technology. While your business might be
operating just fine with little-to-no technology integration, consumers might
take this as an indicator of an outdated business. Nonetheless, our data points
to the fact that they’d be more inclined to hire a business based on their
software usage and offerings. For example, a majority of our respondents (58 percent)
say the use of technician tracking capabilities by a service provider would
increase their likelihood to choose that business for the job. This is a
feature that allows customers to pinpoint exactly when their service provider
will be arriving, whether it's on-time or even a little late. It eliminates the
need to be home in that three hour waiting window for the technician to show
up.”
What's one of the most surprising findings
that came from the consumer responses?
“Surprisingly, over a quarter of our older
millennial respondents (25-34 years old) indicated that residential service
companies utilize technology poorly to improve experiences. This was
surprising at first since millennials are supposed to be tech and software
hounds... How could they not like it folded into their residential services
experience? Well, a likely answer to why the data came back this way is that
millennials have much greater expectations when it comes to the functionality
of technology. They expect things to integrate and work seamlessly, not to
mention, be aesthetically pleasing. The takeaway here is it’s not so much about
simply offering the software functionalities to consumers, but having the right
technology and software for your business and your target customer audiences.
It’s about doing it right, whether that means signing a signature on an iPad,
or paying a bill through an easy-to-use customer portal.”
What should be the residential service
industry's priorities moving forward?
“Moving forward, residential service operators should consider the
positive benefits of adopting customer-facing software; not just in terms of
business operations, but also as a means of gaining a larger client base. More
specifically, the industry should be targeting customer pain points that we now
have the technology to fix. Technician tracking is a perfect example of this. I
understand unexpected things can of course come up in the field that can have a
domino effect and delay other jobs. But given the GPS technology available
today, and the propensity of smart phones, reducing the window of arrival
should be prioritized for the customer. This, for example, can have a multitude
of benefits; both customer-facing and operational. Geofencing technology was
highlighted in our study for this very reason. Essentially the same technology
that connects Uber drivers to riders, geofencing is a tracking mechanism that
sets digital boundaries in which technicians may cross in and out of. As they
do so, their GPS enabled devices notify and log the information back to the
main office. This is the technology that would enable the “technician tracking”
functions that respondents said they wanted. Aside from notifying customers
about updated arrival times, geofencing has many operational benefits as well.”
Find out more about the Austin, Texas-based Software Advice and
the pest control software solutions they
review, and check out their full report for further information.
