Level Up

Knowledge is power — and that’s especially true for pest control companies.

While there may be many levers PMPs can pull when they’re trying to increase productivity, continuing education can be a game-changer. In fact, 58% of PMPs point to training as having a positive impact on their productivity and efficiency.

Ready to focus on training? Here are a few tips from peers:

Start with realistic job exposure

Sure, onboarding new hires isn’t a new concept. But how you onboard can make or break their experience.

“We have every new hire spend their first three days with their supervisor in the field, and that has been very helpful,” said Aly Silva-Mulgrew, Plunkett’s Pest Control. “It supports retention. First, it validates that this is a job that the technician is comfortable with. Secondly, it starts creating a relationship between the technician and their supervisor.”

A few times a year, Plunkett’s Pest Control also hosts “rookie camps” where all new hires gather to reinforce the basics of pest control. It’s an opportunity to deepen their learning and form connections with other new technicians.

Put an emphasis on continuing education

Training doesn’t — and shouldn’t — stop after that initial period. All technicians — regardless of their expertise or seniority — can benefit from continual training. But how often you offer training sessions can depend on your company’s size and needs.

For companies like Real Pest Solutions in Olathe, Kan., training happens pretty frequently. “We’ll do training sessions about once a month, and then have a weekly sit-down meeting,” said Real Pest’s Noah Ingalls. “During our continuing education, we like to focus less on how to treat the bugs and more on how the bugs work and why our products work for them.”

And don’t overlook the power of ride-alongs, said Sarah Thomas- Clark, vice president of Thomas Pest Services.

“Our supervisors do quality control ride-alongs with their team members throughout the month,” she said. “So they’re getting that support on the road and getting that hands-on experience.”

Leverage data

Companies track a lot of data — think attendance, callbacks, hard braking and more. Doing this gives PMPs a broad picture of technician performance. It also helps technicians see for themselves where they can improve.

“We use a program called Driven. It tracks all of these different schematics. Technicians have their own portal, so they have access to their scores,” said Billy Olesen, Pest Stop Services in Olympia, Wash. “That means they’re not surprised during performance reviews. And it even allows them to self-adjust if they see their score starting to go down. And it also gives our supervisors an opportunity to coach them earlier if they’re struggling on a certain aspect of their job.”