Benefits of Teaching Your Customers About Pest Control

You’re a pest control company, so your daily job is going out to residences and businesses and eliminating the pest problem they have. This is the number one portion of your job, but did you realize that you could also add a teaching component as well? What, a teacher? Yes, because there is nothing worse than losing a customers trust and patronage because they felt you did not explain both the pest problem to them and ways to eliminate from happening again. Now, many might scratch their head and be like “Well, a repeat problem means a repeat customers which ultimately means more money for us,” and while that is a true statement that they will need some more service, most likely it won’t be with you again because the pest problem came back even after you treated it. While teaching may lead to customers being able to control the situation once treated on their own and potentially they will not need you again, it also leaves open for more positive outcomes in the form of reviews or referrals. Here are some reasons why you may want to consider adding “teaching” to part of your business process.

It Teaches Customers How To Get Involved

While you do not necessarily want to lose potential customers, you also want them to know how to handle situations. As a pest control business, you really want to set your sights on the major cases instead of the small and avoidable ones. A proper pest control treatment will ensure major issues won’t happen again and only minor touch-ups may be needed. Having knowledgeable customers can allow you to keep your focus on larger scale issues and have the customers themselves be taught what to do just to keep the situation and pests periodically under control.

Offers a Chance to Correspond with Customers, If Home.

Sometimes, repeat customers just have you come on a date, treat and then come back without any real face-to-face exchanges. If that is not the case and you are with a customer, you may want to take the time to teach because not only will they learn something new, but you will be able to have a personal conversation with your customer as well. They might have questions regarding a specific pest, the chemicals you use or how to treat on their own and with you being there, you can guide them and offer them the knowledge to allow them to feel more comfortable having you around and feel more secure in having the added knowledge about the pest control situation.

Develop More Rapport with Customers

Bouncing off of the statement above, simply taking the time to show your customers that you care enough to allow them to get involved (if they can safely do it) shows you are a trusted company with knowledgeable employees. An increase in trust will only add to your value in the community and with more customers feeling the trust and using the expertise of your pest control company, the more referrals and reviews–and other positive results you may receive. While pest control seems like a very autonomous business where you arrive, treat and go home, you should really be treating it with more of a customer service type mindset and really getting the customer involved in the process, when applicable.

Puts You in The Spotlight as an Expert in the Business

More likely than not, you are not the only pest control company in the area. If all pest control companies offer roughly the same treatments, pests and discounts to stay competitive, then you need one more piece of a competitive edge to really stand out–becoming a pest control thought-leader is one approach. Being known for your thorough and knowledgeable explanations of the process and how the customer can keep pests under control without having to hire a professional can really help you out and make you stand out as “the” pest control company of your area. While the treatment and results are always important as well as the discounts and benefits, having a knowledgeable pest control team is what puts the customers at ease and can set you apart from the rest. Taking the time to engage your customer and let them be a part of the process and continuous upkeep can offer more benefits to your company and does not take much time, so if you do not have this as a set part of your business, you may want to consider it.