PestBossPro Blog — Running a Pest Control Business

Switching Systems: Moving a Pest Control Business to New Software Without Losing Customers

The biggest fear owners have about switching software isn't the learning curve. It's losing track of a customer in the move. A quarterly account that falls through the cracks during a switch might not call for months, and by then they may have hired someone else. A good switch is planned so that every recurring account comes out the other side with its next visit on the calendar.

Know the Cost Before You Move

Once you have checked the numbers in What Pest Control Business Software Costs: Start, Pro and Crew Plans Explained and decided a switch makes sense, the next question is how to do it with the least disruption. The answer is mostly about timing and about getting your customer list in good shape before it moves.

Pick the Right Time

Don't switch in the middle of your busiest weeks. For most pest companies, that means late fall or winter, when calls slow down and you have evenings to spare. The quiet season also gives your technicians time to get used to the new tech app before the spring rush.

If you must switch in season, pick a short week, like the one after a holiday, and keep the first days of the new system light.

Clean the List Before You Move It

Every customer list carries some junk: customers who cancelled years ago, duplicates with slightly different spellings, addresses without a zip code, phone numbers in five different formats. Moving that junk into new software just gives you junk in a new place. Before you export, go through the list once:

• Remove or mark cancelled customers.
• Merge duplicates, especially the same person at two addresses. One client can have many addresses.
• Fill in missing zip codes and fix obvious address typos.
• Note each active customer's plan and their last service date.

That last item is the one that protects you. If you know when each account was last serviced, you know when it is next due.

Bring Customers In by CSV Import

Most spreadsheets and most other systems can export a CSV file. PestBossPro brings clients in by CSV import, and imported addresses are placed on the map automatically. Once they are on the map, you can measure properties from the satellite view and see your route density right away.

Do a small test first. Import a handful of customers, check that names, addresses, phone numbers and emails landed in the right places, then import the rest.

Rebuild Recurring Plans and Next Due Dates

This is the step that keeps customers from getting lost. For each recurring account, set its plan: quarterly at 90 days, bi-monthly at 60 or monthly at 30. Use the last service date from your cleaned list so each account comes due at the right time.

Then open the Waiting List map. Every account that is due should show as due now, and anything past a 7-day grace shows as overdue. If an account you know is due doesn't appear, you have found a gap before a customer did. Fix it now.

Load Products, Mixes and Services

Before the first route runs on the new system, load what the technicians will need at the house. Enter each product with its active ingredient, EPA reg. no., application method and rates, and turn on Track Chemicals for products you need records for. Build your tank mixes with rates per gallon. Set up your services and prices.

Old application records may stay in your previous system or on paper. Keep them; many states expect records to be retained for a set period. Check your state lead agency for how long, and store the old records somewhere safe.

Run a Short Overlap, Then Commit

For the first week or two, keep the old system available as a reference, but run every route, record and invoice in the new one. A short overlap catches anything the import missed. A long one means you end up keeping two systems up to date, which is how errors creep in.

Train technicians on the tech app with a ride-along on the first day. More on that in Training New Technicians in a Pest Control Business: Ride-Alongs, Records and the Tech App. Tell your customers too: a short text or email that says reminders will now come from your new system, and that they can update their card in the customer app, avoids confusion.

After the Switch

A month in, check the Waiting List for anything overdue, the “need a chemical record” list for missing records, and billing for any card that needs updating. If those look clean, the switch is done. To see how PestBossPro supports the business side of a pest company, visit the PestBossPro pest control business software page.