How to Keep Existing Customers Interested As A Pest Controller

By Chris Keenan on April 6, 2017

The hopes of any business, including pest control, is to consistently attract new customers. You put ads out, entice new customers with sign-on deals and market your company so that you are being reached by new people daily.

The flip side of this is, how do you keep customers you have already served interested? Now, the point of pest control is to take care of the pests and keep them away, but some clients know their home is prone to yearly pests and they more so need your company for yearly touch-ups on the situation.

You were able to entice these customers the first time, but how to you keep them around for subsequent times. Moreso, how do you get a customer back who only hoped to use you once and that was it? Below are some considerations on how to keep in touch and relevant to your existing customer base.

Email Blasts

Email blasts do not need to always offer something (although it helps). They can simply be seasonal blasts discussing the main pests of that season, how to treat them and how you can help. Even just jumping into someone’s inbox can be a little reminder that you are there and ready to help them. They may look out their window, see some gopher holes outside and say “I really need to get this taken care of again,” and because you placed yourself in their inbox at the right time, you will most likely get the call again.

Customer Appreciation Coupons

Giving old customers a little advantage to using your services again always helps. It never hurts to send an email close to the busy pest season with a coupon that is a little more generous than your new customer deals. You want to show the customer you appreciated their patronage the first time around and that you would like to have them back if the need for your service is there.

Sending out two emails, one to engage and a second to remind is a good practice as some people may not need the service now, but will need it later on in the season.

Referral Programs

Referral programs help everyone involved. You get customers by word of mouth, indirectly saving money on marketing, and your customer also gets a benefit in the process. The referral program can be anything from giving the existing customer a percent discount for every new customer they bring your way or any different type of form of appreciation. Referral programs make it so that the customer will want to refer their friends to you because they benefit from the positive review as well.

Holiday Cards

This may sound odd, but sending a handwritten holiday card, birthday card or any other personalized card can make you stand out. A lot of companies may not take the time to really get to know their customers, but a pest control company should always try their best to engage with customers since you will be in your customer’s homes and want as great a business relationship as possible.

Figure out a way to gather this information if you decide to collect birthdays and even throw in a birthday coupon along with the card. Although many customers will simply appreciate the card in itself.

Good Customer Service Every Time

The most simple way to keep customers interested is simply by offering great customer service. From the moment the customer calls your number, to the end of their service, it should all be great, positive and friendly. Although customers tend to be more outward about bad experiences (example: reviews), customers tend to remember good experiences and will give that company their business again.
Offering great customer service can be the easiest and most passive way to keep customers interested because you aren’t responsible for much beyond just being a great pest control company.