Pest control is a part of life few residents or small business owners can avoid. The hiring process to accommodate the insistent needs of customers who want pests out of their homes and offices is challenging enough without also attempting to maintain management oversight of where employees travel, products used, etc.

Employees in the field are essential to managing a pest control business and the field staff required to perform extermination procedures fluctuates. Using up your own time to provide oversight of employees, inventory, managing schedules, etc. can sound impossible without hiring a manager to shadow every single employee.

Using CRM Runner, an online CRM system, to manage field staff addresses the major challenges of running a pest control operation.

The best CRM online system makes field service management during the peak pest control season easier.

The height of pest control season is summertime. An increase in numbers of pests during the warmer months results in a spike of scheduling issues. Extermination businesses often need more people in more places during this time of year. Likewise, in winter, when there are fewer work orders for pest control and field technicians, forming an updated schedule to address the needs of the company comes with unique, fluctuating challenges.

Making it easier to maintain clear communication with staff when it comes to job scheduling changes during the height and the low of pest control seasons is invaluable to extermination businesses. CRM Runner makes it possible to keep both your customers and your staff informed of appointments and changing requirements throughout the day any time of year.

With a CRM field management system, tracking supplies and pest control equipment in addition to field staff is simple.

Clearing a customer’s home or business from unwanted critters requires a great deal of manpower, equipment and supplies. While keeping track of the location and schedule-keeping of employees, managers also need to track the chemicals and hardware used when addressing their customers’ problems.

CRM Runner’s field management software maintains oversight on business inventory across all relevant locales as well as the usage rate of supplies and service vehicles of each employee. The online CRM tracks the inventory at the office or warehouse, when it leaves to the job site, and the return to the company. This reporting occurs in real time enabling supervisors to halt or adjust job progress as required with a quick review of the CRM report.

The real time feature of the CRM system includes instant communication with pest control employees and their assigned clients.

Short of traveling with your staff to every location, a challenge faced by any business with field technicians is knowing what was completed on any given day by any particular employee. The option of traveling with even one employee is costly and unsustainable.

For field service management purposes, supervisors greatly benefit from the ability to view and track multiple employees and locations along with the accompanying ongoing operations. CRM Runner is an all-in-one system making it possible to keep tabs on the day’s progress at the click of button or a glance at the mobile app version of the CRM system. The CRM utilizes GPS tracking to report on the whereabouts of people and equipment. The system includes day-end reporting where technicians upload data and images from each site for manager verification. Additionally, managers will have the advantage of a time tracking system to get a clear view of how much time is spent per job.

Pest control is a highly saturated field; optimizing your business’ efficiencies will leave less room for error and more opportunity to increase revenue.

Evaluating staff requires oversight which cannot be provided from the office. A business run on the skills and time management of field technicians thrives on happy customers telling their friends about the excellent service of their exterminator. Set your pest control business apart from competitors with optimal efficiency; have your staff where they need to be when they need to be there to meet your customers’ needs. An all-inclusive CRM management system will make a huge difference in identifying your top performers, products, and most needed services to keep your customers coming back to your company. CRM Runner will save you money and resources on low quality performers, supplies, and lost clientele due to inefficient service.

To learn more about CRM Runner and how your business will grow through increased efficiencies, sign up for a 30-day free trial here.