[PCO Profile] New Building, New Future

In 1971, after working for other pest control companies for several years, Bob Stevens opened All Pro Pest Services in the metro Atlanta area. His wife, Carol, also was committed to the success of the new company and before long, she quit her corporate job to help run All Pro. Grounded in the faith that all things come from God, the Stevens’ laid the foundation for a company that was destined to grow by treating customers and employees according to the Golden Rule.
But All Pro today has only a faint resemblance to the original company, thanks to Bob’s willingness to turn the reigns and resources over to his two sons, Mark and Mickey. “Dad has been open minded and encouraged us to form the company in our own vision and we give him great credit for his confidence in us,” Mark said.

THE FUTURE. The company’s mission statement is to be the largest independently owned pest control company in the Atlanta metro area by hiring the best qualified employees who will implement the best quality service to the customer.
That vision continues to evolve as technology evolves. The company has recently moved into its new 28,000-square foot, high-tech building that houses 50 offices, three conference rooms, a fitness center, food court and technician training facilities.
Those systems fall under Mark’s area of responsibility. Technology is the operational core of the company and began with the custom software that runs and monitors all of the company’s activities. The company invested significantly in the development of this proprietary software.
The system sets up routes; tracks payments and missed services; tracks reservices; and monitors phone calls. It performs 12 to 15 major processes each night so that all schedules and routes are set the next morning. “We want our employees to go home at night and not worry about administrative tasks like scheduling,” Mark said.
“Quality control is very important to us,” Mickey said. “We are able to monitor all aspects of the employees’ performance each day. For example, all phone calls are recorded and can be used in subsequent training meetings and all trucks carry GPS monitoring systems. Each technician is given a daily report card based on such things as paperwork, performance, etc., and these reports are used as documentation for personal improvement, promotions and pay raises. The employees do not object to monitoring because they know they’ll be compensated for their performance.”
The Stevens say the best predictor of employee performance happens during the hiring process. All employees are drug tested, background checked and driving record reviewed before hiring. They must be non-smokers and well-groomed.
When you talk to either of the Stevens, you hear little about killing pests. “This business has two important groups — our customers and our employees,” Mark said. “And every effort within the company is made with these groups in mind. Our system enables a customer to make one call to schedule service, check on payment or learn more about the company’s services. If a customer is on the schedule and if something occurs that prevents the service, we contact the customer and reschedule at their convenience. Every customer on the schedule is accounted for every day so that no customer is left behind.”

CUSTOMER FOCUS. Though the company has automated much of its interaction with the customer, that doesn’t prevent personal attention. “We’re constantly asking ourselves, ‘How would I want to be treated?’ That determines how we treat our customers,” Mickey said. “Our first goal every day is to answer every call that comes in and the second goal is that if it’s not possible to answer a call when it comes in, every call is answered by the end of the day.”
As for employees, the Stevens understand their importance in the company’s success. In the new building, employees can use the new fitness center for free, enjoy the food court (both inside and outside), watch TV and listen to music in the food area. Frequent cookouts and Friday morning breakfasts are some of the other perks of working for All Pro. The company provides an extensive menu of benefits for the company’s employees that include health, dental, life, disability insurance, 401(k), paid holidays, paid vacations and family time off (see related story below).
The company’s services are split 35 percent pest control and 65 percent termite control, which result in an average of 12 to 15 percent growth each year. One of the practices that the Stevens say contributes to their growth is the fact that for outside vendors, they deal only with people who know the pest control industry, i.e., attorneys, insurance agents, IT help and marketing. “This reduces the learning curve when we need assistance from these type of experts,” Mickey said.
One goal of the business that both brothers say is important is having one voice in everything they do. The new building and the high-tech systems go a long way to meeting that goal. Mark and Mickey say that what separates All Pro from other companies can be said in one word: attitude.
“We still believe attitude is very important. Our informal slogan is ‘Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?’ The culture of how and why we perform our jobs is as important as the actual doing it,” Mark said. “When you have that, a good attitude and the help of God, everything else will follow.”
“Do we know it all? Absolutely not,” Mark added. “We are always looking for a different/better way to do what we do that will make our operation more efficient and effective.”
Mickey quickly gives credit to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which has been invaluable (in a friendly way, he noted) in helping the firm develop policies and procedures to keep in compliance. “With our systems in place, we can incorporate their suggestions almost instantaneously. Because we view the DOA as an important resource, we have no reservations about even our employees calling them if they see a reason. Dad always said we have to deal with the DOA with respect and value what they say.”

The author owns Compelling Communications and helps pest control companies attract and keep customers. She can be reached at jvanklaveren@giemedia.com.