COMING INTO FOCUS

PCOs are beginning to use digital cameras in numerous capacities. Is this a smart investment for your pest control company?

In recent years, the words "digital camera" have been appearing on more and more PCO checklists of must-have tools. Digital cameras offer a number of benefits over traditional film cameras, the most obvious being immediacy. A picture taken on a digital camera can be reviewed on the spot, as opposed to traditional cameras that require film to be processed either by the shooter or, more likely, sent out to a photography lab.

Moreover, once a picture has been taken by a digital camera and then downloaded into a computer, PCOs can use software programs to fix imperfections (e.g., lightening dark photos) or enhance photos using various graphic elements, said Jim Rose, professional marketing division, Cannon Inc. Rose explained the benefits of digital cameras at the Pestech2001.com conference in San Francisco in January.

"You can change color balance, resize photos, crop photos and also change backgrounds," Rose said. "These are things you either can’t do or can’t do easily with film cameras."

Initially, the value of digital cameras was recognized by innovative and technology-savvy PCOs, who realized these devices could greatly help in pest identification. For example, let’s say a PCO inspecting a warehouse comes across a cockroach species they never have encountered before. In years past, that PCO might have had to collect the insect in a vial and deliver it to an insect identification expert, such as a university extension entomologist or pest management consultant.

With the advent of digital cameras, that same PCO could simply snap a few photos of the cockroach in question from different angles, download those images into a computer (if using a laptop, this could be done on-site), then e-mail those photos to the same insect identification experts. The quality of photos taken by digital cameras should be good enough for most experts to properly identify an insect, according to Mark Lacey, a pest management consultant and president of IPM Network, New Castle, Del.

"I can count the individual hairs on an antennae of a fly from photos taken on a digital camera," Lacey said. "The resolution on digital cameras has increased hand over foot in the last year."

But PCOs are finding out that insect identification is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the value digital cameras can have to their businesses.

EXPANDED USES. Cameras have long been important pest control tools; however, because developing film is a time-consuming process and picture quality is by no means guaranteed, cameras have been underused in the pest control industry. Their primary use was in the documentation of termite damage.

The arrival of digital cameras has forced the pest control industry to reexamine its use of cameras. During an inspection, a PCO can take photographs of not only insects, but of any physical damage (e.g., rodent gnaw marks, termite-damaged wood, feces, etc.) he or she might encounter. The images are saved in the camera and can be shown to a customer either on a PCO’s laptop computer or, if the PCO’s camera has the capability of saving the images to a floppy disk or burning them into a CD, they can be downloaded to a customer’s computer.

Any pictures taken on a digital camera during an inspection can have multiple uses. For example, a well-written and detailed proposal is critical when selling pest control services. By adding pictures to that proposal, a PCO may be able to "seal the deal" by giving the customer visual proof of pest presence or damage. The advantage of using a digital camera is that the photos can be neatly inserted into the text and because the images are instantly available, a proposal can be put together within hours, not days or even weeks of the inspection.

Bobby Jenkins, president of ABC Pest Control & Lawn Services, Austin, Texas, says his company has found digital cameras to be particularly helpful when creating proposals for big projects with high-dollar services (e.g., bird and bat control jobs). These proposals use digital photos to show current status, where a problem is and what needs to be done to solve it. Jenkins said that all of ABC’s sales representatives are equipped with digital cameras.

"As (ABC) continues to expand, digital cameras are going to become more and more of a sales tool," Jenkins said. "That ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ is very powerful when it comes to any kind of sales opportunity."

Photos taken with a digital camera during an inspection are also critical for record-keeping purposes.

"What we envision using the camera for is photographing sites before conventional termite work is done and keeping a file of job sites, so that if (the customer) does any remodeling or if any conditions of the treatment site change, we’ll have the record on digital file to refer back to," said Gerry Wegner, technical director, Varment Guard Environmental Services, Columbus, Ohio.

The ability of digital cameras to record and document images immediately is especially critical for PCOs dealing with termite damage claims, according to Adam Jones, vice president of quality assurance, Massey Services, Maitland, Fla.

"With claims, time is of the essence," Jones says. "The quicker we can adjust a claim and get it resolved for the customer the cheaper it is. Having to develop photos and then send them back and forth to the insurance agent takes time. Probably the biggest advantage we’ve found with digital cameras is in their ability to speed up this process."

Digital photos can also be great customer service tools. For example, a PCO servicing a warehouse can snap a few photos of problems, like unsanitary conditions or other conducive pest conditions (e.g., evidence of excess moisture), and give them to a warehouse manager, quality assurance manager, etc.

AN OFFICE AID. Digital cameras have proven to be as helpful around the office as they are in the field. In addition to taking photographs of unusual or hard-to-identify insects, PCOs — or training and technical directors — can develop state-of-the-art training presentations with photos they have captured on a digital camera.

Another useful office application of digital cameras is making identification badges. Prior to digital cameras, most PCOs did not have the equipment necessary to make badges at their office in an efficient manner. By using digital cameras, the entire badge can be made on the computer, saved on disk and either sent via e-mail or otherwise delivered to a business that does laminating.

Digital cameras can also be used to take photos for various marketing materials, such as brochures, company newsletters, faxes and direct mail. For example, Jenkins says that although his company has its brochures produced by an outside source, many photos (e.g., pictures of ABC technicians doing work) are taken by someone at ABC and then e-mailed to the company creating the brochures.

CONSIDER THE COSTS. Regardless of the potential of any product, PCOs always have to consider cost. A digital camera can cost less than $300 or as much as $10,000. More expensive cameras are capable of producing pictures with higher resolutions, may have video capabilities, have some type of magnifying abilities and are generally more technologically advanced. PCOs need to consider how they plan on using digital cameras in deciding which type of model to buy.

Although a digital camera is a big investment, some say it will more than likely pay for itself. For example, Lacey recalled an account he was working on for a pest control company in which he inspected a plant with a bird problem. Within 24 hours of the inspection, Lacey compiled a report of his findings and recommendations, documented them with photos and he gave them to the plant supervisor. This report convinced the plant to contract for bird control services.

"You may have to spend $700 on the front end (for a digital camera), but if you can sell one account worth several thousands of dollars because of photos you have taken, then you have more than paid for that camera," Lacey said.

Another way digital cameras can save money in the long run is on film expenses. Not only will a user save money by not having to buy roll after roll of film, he or she can take multiple pictures of the same object and simply discard the ones they will not use.

WHAT’S NEXT. Digital cameras have begun showing up in more and more pest control companies. Many pest control business have at least one camera company wide and many, such as Massey Services, have at least one camera at each branch office.

"Who knows? In the future you could have a technician take a high-resolution photo, put it in palm pilot and send it over the Internet to his company’s technical director, who says ‘I know what that is,’" Jones said.

The author is managing editor of PCT magazine and can be reached at bharbison@pctonline.com.

TIPS FOR SELECTING A DIGITAL CAMERA
When deciding which type of digital camera to buy, a PCO must consider how he or she plans on using this tool in his or her daily operations. PCOs who need a camera simply for record-keeping purposes might find a low-resolution camera, and thus less expensive model ($200 to $400), suitable. A low-resolution camera takes pictures that can be used on Web sites, but the quality of such photos is not high enough for use for print purposes, such as brochures, company literature, etc. However, for a PCO interested in using a digital camera for multiple purposes, such as taking high-quality insect photos for presentations, a more expensive camera that can produce the high-resolution photos will be needed.

Digital images are made up of "pixels." A pixel creates the image displayed by a digital camera. By describing the color and brightness of each pixel, the entire image is displayed. Images look better if there are more pixels and those pixels are smaller. But more pixels means that more space is necessary on the digital camera to store and save the photo.

For example, a one-megapixel camera is needed to create high-quality 5- by 7-inch photos. "Megapixel" refers to cameras with more than 1 million pixels, resulting in an image size of 1024 pixels by 728 pixels and better. A one-megapixel camera will start at about $500. This type of camera is more than sufficient for posting photos to a Web page. For 8- by 10-inch prints, two- or even three-megapixel models will be needed. These models begin at $1,000.