Small Business Spotlight

Today, pest control businesses face a growing number of marketplace challenges — increased competition, a tight job market and intense regulatory pressure, just to name a few. There’s no doubt about it, running a small business is tough. It can be even tougher when day-to-day operations don’t run smoothly and time, energy and money are lost.

Using inappropriate or inadequate business forms, for example, is one of the most wasteful — and inefficient — things a small business can do. Do you often find yourself performing duplicate paperwork? Are you constantly modifying your forms by crossing out or adding to what’s been pre-printed? Do you ever have to call your customers for key information that you or your employees forgot to ask?

Using the wrong business forms can cost you time and money. And it can even cost your customers if the forms’ inefficiencies compromise your ability to serve customers well. What’s the alternative? Custom-printed business forms.

CUSTOM-TAILORED. Unlike “off-the-shelf” products, custom forms are unique, one-of-a-kind products that meet the specific needs of your business, since they’re designed by the ultimate expert on that subject — you. Custom-printed forms can enhance the flow of your business operations. They can save you valuable time and energy. And, perhaps most important, they can help you and your staff safeguard against making costly omissions and mistakes.

How should your business forms be designed? Only you can answer that question, but here’s an important guideline to use — design your forms to reflect your workflow. If your current forms aren’t working for you, take some very specific notes on how you’d like to see them changed. Would it work better for you, for example, to have separate totals for labor and material on your service tickets? Do you need more room for service descriptions than most standard forms provide? Here are a few additional design ideas to consider:

• Use color coding to highlight key areas. This will increase the speed at which the form is filled out while improving overall readability.
• Use perforations to create a “tear-out” portion of the form, which can be used for a variety of purposes.
• When applicable, print coupons or advertise a complete list of your products or services on the back of the customer copy of your form.
• Dedicate a portion of the form to documenting and enforcing good operating procedures by providing a list of guidelines or instructions.
• Add fields to capture all relevant information about your customers. This information can later be used not only to give you a “leg up” on the competition, but to provide you with vital information for proactive initiatives (for example, prospecting for new customers or following up with customers when your records show it’s time for another regularly scheduled pest control service).