How to Successfully Onboard a New Pest Control Customer

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Drew Lund

Customer Success Manager at Cedar Systems. Industry expert with experience in multiple sectors across pest control. Executed successful programs in customer success, operations strategy, business and franchise development, and technical project management.

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How To Successfully Onboard a New Pest Control Customer and Why It’s Important for Your Business

Customers are the livelihood of any business. 

So it stands to reason that you want to create an onboarding experience for your new pest control customers that is not only seamless but makes them want to return to you for their future pest control needs.

But how exactly do you go about it?

What does a successful customer onboarding process look like, and how do you make it happen for your unique pest control business?

In this article, we cover how onboarding can benefit both you and your customers and provide seven tips for creating an onboarding experience that will leave you with happy customers and a great return on your investment.

7 Tips for How to Successfully Onboard a New Pest Control Customer

Onboarding is more than just getting new customers started. 

It’s a process of helping them know about your business and allows you to get to know them and their pest control needs. 

Doing the onboarding right is key to retaining them as a customer. Check out our list of the top seven tips for the successful onboarding of new pest control customers. 

Are you ready to up your onboarding game in a way that’s manageable for your business and a breeze for new customers?

Cedar Pest can help! 

We create modern pest control software for pest control managers with easy-to-use tools, drag-and-drop data visuals, and powerful automations — all in one convenient location.

#1: Communicate Well

Communicating well is the most important key when it comes to how to successfully onboard a new pest control customer.

Ensure all communication is crystal clear so they understand the processes of what being a pest control customer with your company looks like. 

You’ll want to to include any necessary information about what warranties and guarantees are offered. Is there a 2 -3-week waiting period before a warranty kicks in to give the chemicals time to work, or for pests to carry the chemical to the queen, etc.? If so, let them know. 

Great communication also includes asking the right questions and engaging the customer. Don’t just go in, do the job, and leave. Talk to the customer and listen to their responses to draw helpful information from them. 

Ask plenty of questions such as:

  • What is your desired outcome?
  • Have you used a pest control service in the past?
  • What have your previous experiences with pest control companies been like?
  • What is your preferred method of contact?
  • What is the best time of day to reach you if I need to?

The goal is to identify your new customer’s pain points and problems and offer them a solution. This will help them see your service as the right choice for them.

#2: Set Expectations

When onboarding a new pest control customer, you want to get everything off on the right foot by setting up their experience for success. 

For example, if you’re treating a residence for ants, you’d want to let the customer know:

  • What time you’ll arrive. 
  • The purpose of the service.
  • How long the service will take. 
  • Where the tech will be performing services. Is it inside, outside, or both?
  • Exactly what procedures you’ll be performing to eradicate the ants. Are you leaving bait boxes or spraying chemicals on baseboards, etc.?
  • If any chemicals being used are safe for dogs and kids.
  • How long it should take for the ants to disappear.
  • What to do if they keep seeing ants past that time. 
  • When or if you will be returning for additional treatments.

Setting clear expectations lets your customer know they can count on you and are getting their money’s worth out of your services.

On the other hand, setting the wrong expectations (or not being clear with expectations) can lead to customer dissatisfaction, bad customer experience and, potentially, a bad review.

#3: Instruct and Educate

While this is similar to setting the customer up to know what to expect, instruction and education involve sharing more detailed information. 

Often you will find that your customers may not be aware of the simple things they can do to prevent pests. 

As a pest control agent, your goal is to educate but not overload — so share solutions for pest prevention such as: 

  • Remove the pests’ sources of food, water, and shelter.
  • Never leave food out on the counter.
  • Wipe counters down with soap and water at the end of the day.
  • Take your trash out regularly.
  • Store food in cabinets in sealed plastic or glass containers. 
  • Fix leaky plumbing and avoid letting water accumulate in your home. 
  • Avoid clutter. Pests love to breed and hide there.
  • Keep firewood away from the house.

Another great way to educate customers is to have resources they can access later after their first interaction with you. 

Educational resources may be in the form of:

  • Brochures
  • Information on your company’s website; or
  • YouTube videos

#4: Assess and Respond

Follow-up is key in the pest control business. 

Check in with each new customer after their initial treatment to see how it went and how it’s going. 

Were you able to resolve their pest issues? Ask for feedback and handle any concerns or problems quickly. Take notes and follow up with them after you’ve responded to their issues.

Do you need to re-treat the initial problem? If so, look at it as a time to let the customer know how dedicated you are to solving their pest control issue. Go the extra mile and, in addition to treating the problem area, treat the entire property just in case. Then follow up with them 10–14 days after the re-service to check in and ensure that they are taken care of. 

This kind of customer service can create lifelong customers and provides great word-of-mouth business.

#5: Personalize Your Service

Do what you can to personalize your customer service so they don’t seem like a cookie-cutter version of every other pest control company in town.

Have your techs wear company attire and identify themselves by name when they come to provide a service.

Do something special for each new customer, like leaving them with a company hat or tote bag, or sending a handwritten note thanking them for their business. 

And never underestimate the power of saying, “Thank you” to let your customers know you appreciate them and are grateful for their business.

#6: Focus On Relationships

Making the customer feel like they are part of the relationship is important to their onboarding success. 

Each customer will likely interact with several people in your company, a salesperson, someone who sets up the service appointment, and the service technician. 

Make sure they feel seen and valued in each one of these relationships by:

  • Responding quickly and cheerfully to phone calls and emails. 
  • Living up to the expectations you create. 
  • Solving any problems ASAP and always apologizing for your oversites or mistakes. 
  • Keeping your techs accountable for presenting themselves in line with your company’s expectations, including clean uniforms, good manners, and a friendly and helpful attitude.

#7: Standardize and Customize

Standardize and customize your processes as much as possible so that you are not reinventing the wheel with each customer and that you’re respecting your customers’ time. 

This included things such as:

  • Gathering customer information.
  • Automatically scheduling ongoing services.
  • Taking care of their bill through Autopay.
  • Scheduling special services like treatment for ants, mosquitos, rodents, etc.
  • Advertising your services.

7 Ways a Successful Onboarding Experience Benefits You and Your Customer

Getting the onboarding system right is important for many reasons, both for the business and the customer. Here are some great ways to satisfy the needs of both.

#1: Builds Trust

Getting off on the right foot gives the customer trust in your company and what you say you will do. 

When you are careful to … 

  • Communicate well
  • Let them know what to expect
  • Educate
  • Respond quickly to problems and concerns
  • Focus on building relationship
  • Create easy-to-navigate, standardized processes; and
  • Provide personalized, professional service

… your customers will know they can trust you to care for them today and down the road.

#2: Ensures Quality Customer Service

When you are careful to pay attention to the customer's needs, clearly discuss the service you’ll provide, respond to their needs, and follow up, your customers will come to appreciate your high level of customer service and look for it to continue in the future.

One way to show your dedication to the highest level of customer service is through a well-written welcome email. This short, personalized, engaging onboarding email is a great way to start building a strong business relationship and let new customers know you’re attentive and on the ball.

#3: Proves Your Value

Onboarding a new pest control customer is a process, not a one-and-done. 

It takes more than a handshake to prove your company’s value over time and sustain a meaningful, mutually customer/provider relationship.

Each of your customers has to know they’re getting the services and success their money is paying for. Help them see that you go above and beyond in getting them established as a customer, and they can expect that same quality of service as they continue with you.

#4: Reduces Attrition

A good, new customer onboarding experience prevents churn and keeps customers for the long haul. 

It’s more expensive to get new customers so keeping the ones you have not only makes your life easier but is also an economical consideration. 

The seeds of attrition are planted early in the customer relationship, sometimes even as early as during the sales process. That’s why it’s so critical that your company creates a smooth, stellar onboarding process.

#5: Wins New Customers

When customers have a good onboarding experience, they tell others. 

Research shows that 13% of all sales are attributed to word-of-mouth so never underestimate the power of keeping your customers happy. And that begins with making it easy to get started with your pest control services.

#6: Enhances Your Knowledge of the Customer’s Needs

Good onboarding helps you thoroughly get to know your customer and their needs. An easy way to better understand your new pest control customers is by including a short survey during the onboarding process or shortly after.

The better you know them, the more you’ll be able to suggest products, services, or packages that make their lives better.

#7: Improves the Customer’s Experience With Your Business 

Communicating well in the onboarding process also helps your customers get to know you and your business better — and sets the stage for the rest of the customer journey.

A smooth customer onboarding process is the perfect way to assure them that they have chosen the best pest control company. It allows you to prove that you can solve their specific pain point and that their pest control investment is well-spent.

Cedar Pest Software: Tools To Provide Transparency and Clarity When Onboarding New Pest Control Customers

If you want your pest control company to have a competitive edge, you need modern management tools.

That's why we created Cedar Pest software

We're on a mission to help pest control operators just like you automate their businesses. 

We allow you to communicate with your customers, organize and streamline those seemingly mundane tasks, and gain clarity over your business.

We even offer a customized customer portal that allows you to automatically send emails while providing transparency and clarity for your customers with:

  • Records of appointments.
  • Documentation of recurring services.
  • Reminders that let them know when to expect you.
  • Your protocol if you find you are going to show up late. 

Provide your new customers with a seamless onboarding experience — and get a leg up on your competition — with Cedar Pest software.

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