Learn about the best pest control software in terms of key features and benefits to pest control company owners
Pest control companies that are looking for an edge in business need to ensure they provide superior service every step of the way—from acquiring new customers to scheduling appointments, managing the schedules of their technicians, documenting work performed and seamlessly invoicing and communicating with their customers.
In addition to having the proper licenses, pest control equipment and trained professionals, one of the most critical aspects of running a pest control business is having the best pest control software—which is critical to managing every aspect of day-to-day operations. Gone are the days when companies can get by using a mishmash of paper, lots of disconnected spreadsheets or, worse, outdated and complex software to manage their business.
This article from Evolve describes the best pest control software in terms of key features and benefits to pest control company owners and managers. Evolve has provided top pest control software since 2014.
When searching for the best pest control software, the main criteria should always begin with one primary goal in mind: serving customers in the best way possible.
With that in mind, here are top software features for the pest control industry in 2019:
Good pest control software provides a complete view of every customer, from the time they are first identified as a lead, to the date they sign up for service and every subsequent service appointment and touchpoint after that.
The CRM portion of top pest control software contains important information about each customer. This should include their contact and billing details, along with a complete history of their purchases and scheduled appointments. You should also be able to export data to your preferred accounting software such as Quickbooks or Wave.
Pest control managers and technicians should be able to quickly and easily access and edit customer information—whether on a laptop or a mobile device.
Finally, it’s essential to provide customers with an online customer portal, where they can manage their account information and the services they purchase. Smart software systems also keep track of when renewals are due and automatically notify customers—to encourage them to continue or add to their service agreements.
Scheduling pest control jobs is obviously essential—yet this can easily become one of the most complicated aspects of running a successful pest control business. The best software ensures this is a seamless process, from creating initial work orders to setting up and confirming service appointments. On the other hand, the wrong software can lead to costly delays and even mistakes in properly managing your schedule.
Not too long ago, pest control companies relied mostly on their gut instincts and lots of paperwork when creating daily pest routes. Not anymore! Thanks to modern pest control software like Evolve, it is easy to manage and prioritize extremely complex schedules.
For example, Evolve’s route optimization tools help dispatchers create optimal appointment times for their pest control technicians. This includes features like GPS tracking, interactive mapping routes and travel time estimates.
To ensure the best customer experience, the best pest control software like Evolve also provides reminders to customers that include emails and alerts in the form of text messages and voice notifications.
Completing a job no longer means just handing a customer an invoice. The best companies also thoroughly document their work, in order to maintain the highest levels of service and ensure they meet the proper treatment standards.
In addition, leading pest control companies recognize that customer satisfaction depends on their knowing exactly what was done, why the work was performed, and any additional recommendations for improvements or follow-on service. Evolve software allows technicians to share forms and invoices, photos, videos, written and audio notes from each visit with their customers.
Timely payments are an important aspect of running a profitable pest control business. The right software enables simple billing and collection of payments, including mobile credit card processing. Technicians should also be able to track any expenses in the application.
From the perspective of both management and front-line employees, there are other benefits of using good, affordable pest control software. The ideal software you choose you should be:
1. Intuitive and easy to use. Nothing is more frustrating than adopting a new software that is overly complicated, slow or hard to figure out. Growing pest control companies need software that is user-friendly and does not cause people to feel frustrated, annoyed and unproductive.
2. Mobile friendly. With the continued rise and improvements in mobile technologies, it’s imperative to choose pest control software that is made with mobile users in mind. Technicians should be able to quickly access the software from a smartphone, and possibly a tablet depending on their preferences. Either way, there is no excuse for not having software that is lighting fast and responsive on mobile devices. Evolve’s software was designed exclusively for use with Apple iPhones and iPads to provide the best possible experience for both technicians and customers.
3. Reliable. There is nothing worse than being in front of a customer and having to apologize for an app that loads slowly—or that is so hard to use that technicians have to continually apologize to customers when performing the work. Instead, technicians should count on the best pest control software to always be available and have all the information they need at their fingertips. The best apps for field service software are now offered as cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS).
4. Self-Contained. The best pest control software is an “all-in-one” solution in terms of the customer’s experience. That means it provides all the essential functions necessary to do the job, and does not exclude or skimp on anything needed to perform the work, process payments and more. It can certainly integrate with other systems as needed—such as accounting software—but any vital functions should be available within the central software itself.
5. Designed to grow your business. Top pest control companies have learned a secret to growing their businesses—which is to expand beyond pest control to provide other valuable services to homeowners and commercial properties, including lawn care, HVAC maintenance and mechanical services. The best field service management software enables this type of expansion across various disciplines, by providing a full range of features and functionality to cover every type of service needed across multiple lines of business.
Evolve is proud to have developed the best pest control software that is also a robust solution for service providers in the lawn care, commercial/mechanical and lawn care industries. We make it easy for our customers to cross-sell and up-sell services, with features like built-in Configure Price Quotes (CPQs).
We invite you to contact us to learn more about how Evolve can become one of the most important assets to grow your business.