Memphis-based Inman-Murphy made a giant leap when it traded in dot matrix printers for pest control software, eliminating much of the paperwork the office was used to producing.
“I wouldn’t say we’re paperless, but we’re very close,” said President Chris Murphy.
Previously, office employees dedicated two or three days a month to printing and mailing bills, Murphy said. The postage and handling savings alone has paid for the cost of using software, he said, which generates the bills and sends them to customers.
Inman-Murphy now uses autopay to keep customers’ credit card information on file.
“We were doing a manual version of that where the ladies [in the office] would have to actually run the card or key in the card because we didn't physically have the card like you do in a retail situation,” he said.
Thinking back to a time when most of the pest control industry was using paper tickets, Murphy said using software and being able to access all company data on one operating system helped his business successfully navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The operations manager just built in a drive-thru method like a fast-food restaurant where the technicians didn't all come in and congregate,” Murphy said.
Chase Hazelwood’s seven-office company, Go-Forth Pest Control, headquartered in Greensboro, N.C., was prepared to work remotely even before the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, his employees worked from the office, but they were all equipped with Chromebooks and headsets and communicated through the same software program. They had even practiced working remotely in case of inclement weather.
“So when the pandemic hit, we sent all our office staff home and we just kept operating,” Hazelwood said. “We saw a small percentage of our workforce, our call center, that became less efficient, but we saw a large number of our workforce become more efficient and miss less days, have better attendance working from home.”
Going paperless in the office isn’t really about the paper savings, Hazelwood said. The real benefit is that “everything is documented and tied to the account,” he said. Going paperless has allowed for fewer errors and greater efficiency, said Hazelwood, which trumps saving cash on paper.
“You don't pull up accounts anymore that don't have a contract because you've lost it, because it went in the wrong file or whatever,” he said. “That is a tremendously higher advantage than saving $20,000 a year on paper.”
Before opening Natural State Pest Control in Lowell, Ark., in 2016, Amanda Ragar owned a Scotts Lawn Service franchise, where they printed all their invoices. Now, her business is nearly paperless, except for backup paperwork required by the state of Arkansas. “But we would rather get rid of it all,” she said.
Natural State uses software to email or text service agreements to its customers. “The customer can sign it electronically, and it automatically uploads back to the system, and we have it for a record,” she said.
Ragar’s company went paperless before the pandemic, and she said it has worked to their advantage during a time when many jobs have become remote.
“It was at that point in time that we were like, ‘We're done with paper; it's just a hassle,’” she said. “We can literally pull the customer and see all of our product usage right there stored in the software. If we need to reproduce it, we just print the report.”
Ragar said that most customers appreciate going paperless, but some older customers are still adapting to the electronic format.
“I would say about 90 percent of our customers find it really helpful,” said Ragar. “A customer can call our office and we can sell them pest control or termite control over the phone. A service agreement is emailed to them, or it can be texted to their cell phone. They can review it, sign it, schedule it right then and there on the phone. And we could be out there for same-day service if they call before noon.”