In my last post, I wrote about a couple of things to look for when choosing a pest controller.
One of the common features of advertising by pest control companies is that they try to convince you that they are qualified to a high standard, by using phrases like "fully qualified".
So are they?
Well usually, no, they aren't.
When I started out in pest control, qualifications where not readily available to pest controllers. The industry leader (yes, them again!) did however, train their field staff to a very high standard and put them through various tests to show just how good they were.
The BPCA part one (or Dip1) was one of the first of the recognised qualifications to be available to those not able to sit the 'in-house' exams available to the industry leader. Also available was the Royal Society of Health Certificate in Pest Control.
In general, the private sector used the BPCA qualification, and local authorities used the RSH.
A few years ago, the old RSH and the BPCA part one were merged and became the RSPH level 2 certificate in Pest Control.
The RSPH level 2 is considered to be an 'entry level' qualification, and a great achievement it is too.
So is someone who has this qualification 'fully trained'? No, is the short answer.
There are several other qualifications that are available to pest controllers, notably, the BPCA DipII (now known as 'Advanced Technician'), the RSPH level 3, and at the top of the tree, the Degree in 'Urban Pest Management' (only 23 in the UK).
Of course there are also lots of other relevant qualifications which can also be important to a pest controller, and will help them to provide you with a better, safer service.
So to get back to the original point, what should a potential customer look for?
Well a good starting point is BASIS PROMPT registration. BASIS® is an independent organisation set up at the suggestion of the UK Government in 1978 to establish and assess standards in the pesticide industry relating to storage, transport and competence of staff.
In order for a pest controller to register on the PROMPT scheme, they have to provide evidence of an entry level qualification, and they have to collect 'CPD' (Continuous Professional Development) points each year to maintain registration.
It goes without saying that all Westcountry field staff are registered on the PROMPT scheme.
In the next part, I'll write a little about trade organisations.
Monday, 26 April 2010
Choosing a pest controller - part one
I thought it might be interesting to write a little about how to choose a pest controller. I say a 'little' but it's quite a big subject, so I'll break it down into smaller posts.
Firstly, you need to find out how experienced your potential pest controller is. Pest control, in the UK, is one of the few occupations that virtually anyone can decide to do on a whim.
When you engage a contractor, you are trusting them with the safety of you, your family, your livestock, and potentially your business reputation.
When making your initial enquiries, ask whoever you are speaking to how long they've been doing the job - if it's just a few months, then there is a risk that they are going to be out of their depth.
I've nothing against inexperienced pest controllers - we all have to start somewhere; but do you really need someone to learn 'on your job'?
This is one area where the bigger companies have an 'edge' on their smaller competitors. When an inexperienced technician finds something they are not sure about, they should (in theory) contact someone further 'up the line' and get some help.
Most people are quite capable of spotting a newbie down the phone. If you ask questions, and do not feel confident with the answers, end the conversation, and find someone else.
The next, and probably most important question to ask is about insurance.
All pest controllers should have adequate public liability insurance, and will be happy to show you proof of it on request. If they are reluctant to produce a certificate, then it's usually for a reason.
Insurance is essential these days. If a pest controller puts his size nine through your ceiling, then you need to know that things will be put right. I've heard horror stories of uninsured pest controllers literally 'doing a runner'.
In general, the golden rule is to ask as many questions as possible, and find out who it is you are dealing with.
In part two, I'll post about qualifications and trade bodies.
Firstly, you need to find out how experienced your potential pest controller is. Pest control, in the UK, is one of the few occupations that virtually anyone can decide to do on a whim.
When you engage a contractor, you are trusting them with the safety of you, your family, your livestock, and potentially your business reputation.
When making your initial enquiries, ask whoever you are speaking to how long they've been doing the job - if it's just a few months, then there is a risk that they are going to be out of their depth.
I've nothing against inexperienced pest controllers - we all have to start somewhere; but do you really need someone to learn 'on your job'?
This is one area where the bigger companies have an 'edge' on their smaller competitors. When an inexperienced technician finds something they are not sure about, they should (in theory) contact someone further 'up the line' and get some help.
Most people are quite capable of spotting a newbie down the phone. If you ask questions, and do not feel confident with the answers, end the conversation, and find someone else.
The next, and probably most important question to ask is about insurance.
All pest controllers should have adequate public liability insurance, and will be happy to show you proof of it on request. If they are reluctant to produce a certificate, then it's usually for a reason.
Insurance is essential these days. If a pest controller puts his size nine through your ceiling, then you need to know that things will be put right. I've heard horror stories of uninsured pest controllers literally 'doing a runner'.
In general, the golden rule is to ask as many questions as possible, and find out who it is you are dealing with.
In part two, I'll post about qualifications and trade bodies.
Sunday, 25 April 2010
What do we do?
We provide a full pest management service to anyone who may need us.
Our work falls into two broad areas, contract work, and ad-hoc works (known in the industry as 'jobwork').
A pest control contract is a bit like an insurance policy. At set intervals, a technician will call on you, inspect your premises looking for pests, and areas which are conducive to pest infestation, and, where appropriate, carrying out treatments to kill pests.
The advantage of a pest control contract from a customer perspective, is that it provides early warning of potential problems, and helps businesses prove 'due diligence' for third parties like Environmental Health.
What a contract does not do, is guarantee that your premises will never have pests.
When I first started out in pest control, contracts were all about 'servicing' bait boxes; these days, the onus is on quality inspection and reporting. I think the majority of people accept that chemical intervention should always be a last resort, not a routine habit.
Contracts usually cover various pests, and any treatments for 'covered' pests should not attract any additional charge.
At Westcountry, we only cover two species of pests on contract; rats and mice. The reason for this is simple.
Over the years, I've seen contracts which cover a wide variety of pests, including tropical ants and moles. One common pest which is often included are wasps. I'll try to demonstrate why we don't cover other pests on contract by sharing a scenario with you.....
A customer who has regular inspections for rodents finds a wasp nest on their property. Understandably, their first port of call is the company that provides regular visits. They call the phone number they've been given, and are given a price on the phone, of, lets say for the sake of argument, £45. "OK" they say, "when can you do it".......
Shortly afterwards, they get a call from someone who claims to be a 'surveyor'. After a brief conversation, the surveyor manages to get an appointment with the customer to discuss their wasp problem (another box ticked for the surveyor). They go to site, have a quick look around, and find not one, but two wasp nests. What does the surveyor do then? Get some equipment out and deal with the nests? No. What they produce is a blank service agreement, and so begins the hard sell.....
I've seen customers who have paid out thousands of pounds over a period of years, which cover them for 'up to four nests each year', or similar.
Why?
Well, for the commission......
Now here's a better scenario.
Customer finds what they think is a wasp nest. They phone their local technician (yes, all our customers have a direct line to their technician), who tells them that he will be passing later that day, and will call in and have a look for them.
The technician attends site, finds the two nests, and treats them for a charge of £40.
Simple.
Why would we need, or want to pay for a salesman in a suit to drive a company car to your site and tell you what you already know?
And who really pays for all this?
You do.
Our work falls into two broad areas, contract work, and ad-hoc works (known in the industry as 'jobwork').
A pest control contract is a bit like an insurance policy. At set intervals, a technician will call on you, inspect your premises looking for pests, and areas which are conducive to pest infestation, and, where appropriate, carrying out treatments to kill pests.
The advantage of a pest control contract from a customer perspective, is that it provides early warning of potential problems, and helps businesses prove 'due diligence' for third parties like Environmental Health.
What a contract does not do, is guarantee that your premises will never have pests.
When I first started out in pest control, contracts were all about 'servicing' bait boxes; these days, the onus is on quality inspection and reporting. I think the majority of people accept that chemical intervention should always be a last resort, not a routine habit.
Contracts usually cover various pests, and any treatments for 'covered' pests should not attract any additional charge.
At Westcountry, we only cover two species of pests on contract; rats and mice. The reason for this is simple.
Over the years, I've seen contracts which cover a wide variety of pests, including tropical ants and moles. One common pest which is often included are wasps. I'll try to demonstrate why we don't cover other pests on contract by sharing a scenario with you.....
A customer who has regular inspections for rodents finds a wasp nest on their property. Understandably, their first port of call is the company that provides regular visits. They call the phone number they've been given, and are given a price on the phone, of, lets say for the sake of argument, £45. "OK" they say, "when can you do it".......
Shortly afterwards, they get a call from someone who claims to be a 'surveyor'. After a brief conversation, the surveyor manages to get an appointment with the customer to discuss their wasp problem (another box ticked for the surveyor). They go to site, have a quick look around, and find not one, but two wasp nests. What does the surveyor do then? Get some equipment out and deal with the nests? No. What they produce is a blank service agreement, and so begins the hard sell.....
I've seen customers who have paid out thousands of pounds over a period of years, which cover them for 'up to four nests each year', or similar.
Why?
Well, for the commission......
Now here's a better scenario.
Customer finds what they think is a wasp nest. They phone their local technician (yes, all our customers have a direct line to their technician), who tells them that he will be passing later that day, and will call in and have a look for them.
The technician attends site, finds the two nests, and treats them for a charge of £40.
Simple.
Why would we need, or want to pay for a salesman in a suit to drive a company car to your site and tell you what you already know?
And who really pays for all this?
You do.
About Westcountry
Westcountry Environmental Services was founded in February 2009. After years of working for national pest control companies, I felt that we should be able to offer something different, and dare I suggest it, better.
We've been very lucky. From our early beginnings of just me catching a few moles, the company has grown into a regional service provider, with a growing contract portfolio including the Waitrose Farm, and English Heritage.
So what makes us better? Well, it could be any number of things, but I suppose the key difference is that we value our staff as much as our customers.
The pest control industry has followed a very successful model, laid down originally by the biggest company in the sector. Pest control services are 'sold' by 'surveyors', few of whom actually know enough about doing the job to be able to prescribe a suitable solution to problems. They are all paid a commission, and all have targets to meet. Their goal is to meet their targets, and earn as much as they can, not to provide the best solution to the problem they've been called in to look at.
We employ no sales staff, and never will.
We rely on the same people our customers do; the technician in the field. He (or she) knows your site better than any salesperson ever could. The technician also knows you, and what you need from us.
I despair sometimes when I talk to technicians who work for other companies; they are frustrated by a system that requires them to call in a third party when they find a problem. Why not empower them to offer the solution straight away? They are trusted to find problems, and to carry out the treatment; why are they not trusted to get the customer to sign the dotted line agreeing to the work?
So with this ethos of never diagnosing problems without offering solutions, we've set out to offer something different.
Is it better?
I hope so.
We've been very lucky. From our early beginnings of just me catching a few moles, the company has grown into a regional service provider, with a growing contract portfolio including the Waitrose Farm, and English Heritage.
So what makes us better? Well, it could be any number of things, but I suppose the key difference is that we value our staff as much as our customers.
The pest control industry has followed a very successful model, laid down originally by the biggest company in the sector. Pest control services are 'sold' by 'surveyors', few of whom actually know enough about doing the job to be able to prescribe a suitable solution to problems. They are all paid a commission, and all have targets to meet. Their goal is to meet their targets, and earn as much as they can, not to provide the best solution to the problem they've been called in to look at.
We employ no sales staff, and never will.
We rely on the same people our customers do; the technician in the field. He (or she) knows your site better than any salesperson ever could. The technician also knows you, and what you need from us.
I despair sometimes when I talk to technicians who work for other companies; they are frustrated by a system that requires them to call in a third party when they find a problem. Why not empower them to offer the solution straight away? They are trusted to find problems, and to carry out the treatment; why are they not trusted to get the customer to sign the dotted line agreeing to the work?
So with this ethos of never diagnosing problems without offering solutions, we've set out to offer something different.
Is it better?
I hope so.
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