When you think of professionals who’ve enabled people to live longer, right after doctors, it is lifeguards or firemen who come to mind first. But a study on how life expectancy for Americans really went up over the last hundred years or so is very revealing. Everyone knows that medicine has advanced greatly, public hygiene has vastly improved, but the third factor is pest management!
At PestWorld in Baltimore, we are going to share in the recognition of the role and contribution of pest management professionals which has made its impact on public health and well-being in America and elsewhere in the world. The event will open with due fanfare at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 24th, with the Drumadics Beat-N-Brass Band. They have a distinctive fusion of woodwind, stirring brass and unorthodox drum styles.
On the business side, this event will analyze and share new perspectives on many aspects of the Pest Control industry – scientific, technical, organizational and more.
Tracking revenues in Pest Control
Pest Control industry is of special interest from a fleet tracking point of view. Company personnel are highly mobile and making rounds in the field in their vehicles. The key to superior customer service in Pest Control lies in identifying the nearest vehicle to dispatch, which is carrying the relevant product for a particular customer. A fleet tracking solution can help in optimizing routes too.
Pest Management Professionals have found that GPS tracking solutions help reduce their overhead costs. They are able to supervise their employees in the field in an accurate way because they know everyone’s whereabouts. Other tools in the solution help to reduce fuel cost, the wage bill, and vehicle maintenance expenses.
These are the very matters that PMPs grapple with all the time. And sessions at PestWorld that address them thoroughly are the ones most waited for. One such upcoming session is by seasoned industry professionals debating how to track revenues, how to bundle services, and how their P& L Statements are structured.
The Great Debate
Realizing Your Revenues at 3 p.m., Oct.25th
Jason Bailey from Memphis, TN https://www.terminix.com; Phil Cooper from Lawrenceville, NJ @CooperPest; and Dennis Jenkins, ABC Pest & Lawn from Dallas, TX https://www.abchomeandcommercial.com/dallas
An interactive panel discussion that will address the varying ways in which revenues are accounted, and take questions and comments from the audience.
Lowering your Pest Control business risks
Attendees at the PestWorld are typically the decision-makers in their companies, and over the four days, they will interact and exchange notes with their peers from across the world. Over five dozen countries are represented.
Many of them are likely monitoring their fleet even during the conference! Because fleet tracking solutions keep them posted on what drivers are doing, whether they are keeping to speed limits, and following the planned route. Any decision-maker knows that the quality of a decision depends on the information available to base it on.
Business owners receive notifications about hard braking and excessive idling, other negative behaviors among drivers which push up fuel consumption. Then there are hazards which have even larger financial implications. Accidents are often the result of texting or speaking on a cellphone while driving. It’s vital to restrain drivers from this behavior before an expensive accident takes place. GPS software can ensure that drivers are compelled to use hands-free to use their phone while driving.
Fleet tracking solutions prove to be a boon for business owners who have specified garage parking by the technician on the vehicle’s return from the field, as they can make sure this has been done. These steps limit the chances of damage owing to vehicle use after hours for personal reasons.
Little wonder then there’s a whole session dedicated at PestWorld to these issues which can help businesses avoid setbacks due to such accident litigation. On the afternoon of the 25th, there’s a session on protection from liabilities for PMPs.
Lawsuits, Liability and Lawyers—What PMPs Need to Know to Stay Out of Trouble
Joseph Ortego, Nixon Peabody, LLP, New York
Specific things your company can do to protect itself and its employees from liability. An experienced attorney shares invaluable advice.
One of the things you think about when you think of liability is insurance. The insurance industry reports that fleets which have introduced driver accountability and monitor their behavior through GPS tracking tend to have lower claims and loss ratios.
Get results from retraining and Driver Rewards
By checking a risky driver and retraining them to discontinue hard braking and speeding, the company averts a crash in the making. These problems are aggravated by distracted driving due to cell-phone usage while at the wheel.
However, while things are expected to change in the near future, pest management companies who have deployed fleet tracking solutions cannot yet avail any insurance discounts. By averting expensive incidents, they, of course, avoid paying higher premiums. The data gathered from the GPS devices is an opportunity for insurers to study driving habits and take into consideration actual speed and distances and price the risk more accurately.
Azuga’s pioneering Driver Rewards approach complements these initiatives to improve Driver Safety and operational efficiencies. Its motto has been, “When drivers compete, everyone wins” and it gives out Quarterly Awards that honor drivers and supervisors who have done the most towards their company’s fleet safety scores.
Azuga advises its clients, including pest management professionals, on getting a buy-in from the employees and implementing an effective incentive scheme in ways that deliver ROI to your company.
If you attended PestWorld 2016 in Seattle or followed that event, you would not have forgotten that Azuga announced its 10 safest fleet customers for Q3 of the year during PestWorld.
https://www.azuga.com/azuga-announces-q3-safe-driving-award-recipients-pestworld-2016/
Azuga has taken a social telematics approach which applies gamification to improve fleet safety. By offering greater recognition through the Quarterly Awards for fuel-saving performance and safer driving, Azuga has helped its fleet customers to considerably reduce accidents.
If you or someone you know is attending PestWorld later this month in Baltimore, MD, it will be a pleasure to meet up at the event. Our booth number is 1502.
