Over the last 12 months, Hoffman’s Exterminating Co., Inc., increased their customer retention rate from 84 percent to 92 percent with a companywide push to increase total sites protected. Hoffman’s Exterminating is the largest independent family-owned pest control company in the South Jersey area and has been a Certified Sentricon Specialist™ for about six years. The company started out using only liquid termiticides, but has since been increasingly using more of the Sentricon® System.
Bill Hoffman, owner of Hoffman’s Exterminating, challenged his 30+ employees to increase total sites protected and retain more customers. Along with that, there were opportunities to educate customers about Sentricon and also incorporate general pest control bundling.
Here is Hoffman’s approach to retaining customers:
- Customer service representatives — CSRs are encouraged to go through Sentricon Advanced Training modules (past and current), which has helped them to become more familiar with Sentricon and overcoming objections. Because they are our first responders, it’s important to make sure they’re confident in answering questions.
- Office manager — If someone still wants to cancel, our office manager, Jody, will talk to them and, if necessary, discuss pricing or payment arrangements.
- Vice president — If someone still wants to cancel, they talk to the VP, Eve Pappas. She does whatever is necessary to keep the account.
“If someone still wants to cancel at that point …” said Hoffman. “Well, let’s just say I shouldn’t be getting any phone calls at that point. It’s important for Hoffman’s Exterminating to empower our employees and help them feel confident about answering those tough customer questions about termite control and the Sentricon System.”
This concept may not be new, but this is another example of how training office professionals can directly help increase customer retention. Invest in your employees.
