PEST CONTROL
PERSONAL ATTENTION The culture of a pest control company
is often overlooked when choosing a supplier. The small business is built on the foundation of being able to give time and attention to its customers. Technicians often have the ability to make decisions and vary the rules depending on their client’s needs, which may not be possible in a large company where standardisation is important.
The smaller contractor often has a greater stake in the success of the contractual relationship and is willing to spend time and commit high-level personal attention to achieve this.
SPECIALISATION Many small businesses are small
because they are specialist; experts focusing on a particular area of pest control. This gives them a competitive edge over larger companies by doing well at tasks that are ignored or of no interest to larger companies. There are some excellent small pest control companies with huge expertise in specific pest species, particular areas of operation or specialists in a particular niche.
Technicians employed by small businesses are also capable of handling a variety of situations as the resource levels available to them mean small business owners invest in training across a broad range of pest control problems i.e. they don’t have to contact a head office budget holder for authorisation.
There is often a single point of direct contact offered by a small business, which eases communication for the customers and comforts them in supplier relationships. The individual is more likely to know the customer’s history, able to make a judgment call when needed and well versed with each subsection within the business, primarily because of the flatter organisational structure. This also improves accountability.
CHANGE MANAGEMENT Small businesses can change
direction quickly. Training can be quickly procured and delivered with better, immediate reach throughout the organisation. A large company will
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need to invest a lot of time, money and effort to make even a small change due to its organisational structure. Despite this, some small businesses are resistant to change and may not be receptive to new technologies or methods of working.
AUTONOMY A small business enables fast
feedback from field technicians to management of ‘on the ground’ conditions, for example an increase in localised infestations. This allows for unbiased, almost immediate changes to servicing, delivery of information and prevention levels and techniques.
Trust is one of the most difficult concepts to prove or sell. Big brands have it by definition, so any independent will always be trying to catch up. Those with demonstrable industry qualifications and the proper insurance can represent themselves to a customer, then trust can be earned, but it takes time.
SUPPORT While large companies have access to
extensive in-house technical support and back-up, small companies are joining forces to help each other out. BPCA servicing companies are only allowed to use other BPCA members to sub-contract their work, so clients can rest easy that work is always being carried out by companies meeting the same standard.
This is further enhanced by the density of service staff within specific regions, with localised knowledge superior in many of the smaller operators to national providers, and now technical support is also available to all. Small companies obtain much of their technical support from higher up the supply chain, with manufacturers and distributors offering excellent support schemes, or through the BPCA.
PRODUCT CHOICE Technicians working for larger
FINANCIAL ASPECTS Cost is a key driver, but not the main
one. Also, ask yourself the question – what are you actually buying?
Larger companies have increased overheads, which are reflected in the prices. They do, however, offer significant economies of scale. They set employee targets, for example in add-on sales, while smaller organisations may be less inclined to set such goals.
BRAND Reputation is key for any organisation.
But many small independent companies operate within a geographic area so brand is central to personal recommendations, repeat business and developing trust.
contractors will, on occasion, have a prescribed, sometimes limited range of products available to them, while independent pest controllers have the freedom to source professional products from a wide range of suppliers.
Being restricted to certain types of pesticides and hardware would be counter-productive - it’s more important to use something that works quickly, safely and efficiently in a specific situation rather than trying to ’shoehorn’ a solution out of what may not work very well but it’s what is available in the stores.
Standardisation is great if you’re an accountant or a buyer but, in reality, getting the job right first time is the cheapest option.
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