Hello, AI Here. Can I Help You?

The four college interns who joined Rose Pest Solutions this summer grew up with Wi-Fi, iPads, Alexa and reels of social channels. So, when Curtis Rand and managers at the Northfield, Ill.-based company were thinking about how to deploy this talent to promote the pest management industry as an appealing career path, they recognized these digital natives could introduce new ways to leverage AI at the company.

Rose Pest Solutions’ Leadership Intern program is new this year and was designed to expose students to the business of pest management, and now more than ever, technology is ingrained in everyday operations of the program.

“They have all of this tech experience,” says Rand, vice president of operations.

By taking a problem-solving approach — a key skill for any career in every industry — the interns investigated AI-enabled tools to streamline communications filtering into the company’s central customer care center, which fields calls from 12 offices.

Rose Pest previously moved to the a system to divert incoming calls to a single customer service center. The system has since introduced a feature that analyzes and interprets every phone call, along with categorizing them into buckets like new leads, service requests and billing inquiries.

Another mission for the interns: Explore how Rose Pest Solutions could adopt a text feature to convert cancellations into win-backs.

Giving the interns tech-related responsibilities, along with learning the Rose Pest operations, is a talent acquisition tool, Rand says.

“I think technology can help recruit young people, especially those who might be into gaming, and can find something relatable in the industry,” he said.

AI ALL OVER.

If you think you’re not using AI, take a closer look at your software platforms, apps and GPS tools. AI isn’t just ChatGPT — though PMPs note how ChatGPT has helped write job descriptions and marketing emails.

AI is the backstage operator of lots modern technology.

Take the phone system and call analysis tools Rand describes. The AI-powered feature transforms every call into actionable intelligence. “Based on tone and key words, it flags callers that might be at risk of canceling — it’s amazing what AI picks up,” he says.

This way, live customer care staff can expedite informed responses.

The text platform Roses uses identifies customer groups to upsell or win back. “For example, we can target canceled customers from 2023, and their AI will text them to offer a solution to win them back,” Rand says.

The company just started using the feature, and while there isn’t enough data yet to determine its value, Rand says “it’s another form of AI that can benefit our organization, so we’re taking a look at it.”

Holper’s Pest & Animal Solutions in St. Louis is also flexing its phone system’s AI capabilities. “Now, AI summarizes the calls, and I’m amazed at how accurate it is,” says Cheryl Chappuis, co-owner. “It can take 20- and 30-minute calls and condense the transcript into a few sentences that get to the point.”

This reduces lag time and gives customer service representatives specific, concise talking points to address during live calls.

AI-enabled communications, from phone to text and email, alleviate a significant labor burden in a service industry that is focused on serving customers. Addressing demand by fielding requests and delivering solutions is the core of every pest control operation. And these tasks can consume valuable time and talent.

“With the rising cost of labor, we want to minimize the impact this has on customers from a cost and service perspective,” says Billy Oleson, president, Pest Stop Services, Olympia, Wash. “We’d love to answer the phone with a live human every time and there’s a fine balance.”

AI filters and prioritizes customer action steps.

“Our automated communications allow us to increase production, keep costs competitive for clients and always answer the call, thanks to an overflow answering service that is AI-based,” Oleson said.

No one who calls Pest Stop gets stuck on a “please hold” reel.

“AI picks up and answers as many questions as possible to give customers an avenue to self-serve so we can focus on requests that are more complex,” Oleson says.

PING ME.

While an automated “hello” might have felt like a cold shouldered, robotic way to welcome new customers when many PMPs started their businesses years (decades!) ago, customers today expect it. And many prefer the ease of communication. Some would rather be prompted by an AI tool, chat online with a bot or text for service.

“Businesses will need to continue to trend their communication based on customers’ changing behaviors and the limited time they want to communicate back with a service provider,” says Brantley Russell, vice president of operations and business development at Jury Pest Services in North August, S.C.

Many clients prefer pings to talking.

And many wouldn’t pick up the phone if office staff called to say, “Your technician is on the way.”

“Those notifications are sent via text to let them know we are enroute,” says Russell, saying the reminder holds its value as a courtesy.

What next with AI? “I think we’ve only scratched the surface,” Chappuis says.

Ultimately, AI-enabled tools to reduce the administrative side of customer service allows pest management companies to redistribute time and labor to an aspect of the business that will probably always be in-person and personable: visits from a service technician to manage pest problems.

Oleson says technology isn’t pushing people out of the business.

When he introduced a new software platform to Pest End’s longtime admin staffer, she initially felt it was a threat to her job. He shared the vision, and they worked through onboarding together. “Now, if you asked her if she would go back to the old way, she’d say, ‘No way. My life is easier.’”

Rather than spending a day and a half setting routes for three technicians, she finishes the process in 20 minutes. “As an office manager, she is used to being everything to everyone — and the skill that serves Pest Stop the most is her ability to interact with customers, listen and solve problems. Now she can be more involved in the area where she is the most useful and provide the greatest return for the company.”