My wife and I added pest control services
to our business this year and the billing is getting
To be a pain, previously I would just bill the customer
Either at the job when I was finished or billed
Them that evening when I got home from work,
Now with the pest control added there is a lot
More small bills that are needing to be sent out
Every night, and we are starting to get burnt
Out gettin home from work at 7-8 o clock
And having to write out a bunch of bills to customers,
Does anyone just bill once every 2 weeks week or
Month? How do you all do it??

Kasey, you've got a problem in a very short time that took a lot of us a lot longer to get. Hire a relative, friend, acquaintance, whatever, part-time, until fall, so that you business becomes fun again.

We had the same problem as our business grew. We still have very little time for ourselves and we have help. Fortunately, both my wife and I are enjoying retirement by working as long as we ever did. Believe me, it wasn't this much fun at your age. Get help.

We only do billing for commercial wildlife control accounts typically. All others are payment upon completion of services.

Our pest control division services are payment upon completion of all jobs also with exception of commerical or those that had requested terms or made prior arrangements before the work was commenced. We bill on site with invoices after each job.

I deal with Alot of customers that aren't around
When I finish or start the job, probably close
To 40 percent of the jobs, especially pest
Control!

That's interesting Kasey. I have had customer that I never met although we serviced them for years. It's the customers you never meet that seem to always have the check in the mail on time.

We leave invoices at an assigned place at the service address upon completion if need be.We give customers 5 days to remit their payment without penalty as these are to be COD customers typically.

I dont have time to do nightly invoicing. I have orders to pack for lure customers every nite for 2-3 hours. You run your business according to how it best serves your method of business. I would not do what you do to any great degree if it is that time consuming.There are other options. I have been doing this a long time. If I can do it I see no reason why you can't.

Since I've switched over to electronic billing 99% of my customers have an invoice via e mail before I leave the site. By far the majority pay before I leave the site.

Mtncat most ppl up here don't even have computers
Let alone having an e mail set up! I don't own a
Computer myself so I can't exactly do that either lol
Same reason I don't really advertise on the internete!

Thanks for the info guys I will try and put it
to good use ! I guess I just deal with way too
Many shackers up here!

Bob good idea on the 5 days, we currently give
All our customers 30 days to pay ! I'm also
Starting to think about asking for money down
Before starting a job over 500.00 dollars

What kind of paperwork do you have to leave with the customer? In MN we must leave a copy of chemicals used, where applied, time in, time out and it must include the applicators signature. I have a Laptop computer, I use QuickBooks, and a cheap ($60) printer in my vehicle. I have a inverter wired to my battery to keep the computer charged. I turn on the printer, print an invoice, then turn the printer off. I use SPCS (Structural Pest Control Software) for my insect work and use QuickBooks for Wildlife work. SPCS links to QB so I transfer records to QB, which keeps track of Sales tax, then pay what QB says I owe.
Some of my customers pay for the season around the time of their first service. I debit their account on each service. QB see's the sales tax amount for the month only. I made a chart with sales tax figured in so the customers bill is an exact dollar amount. I.E. $28.07 plus $1.83 Sales tax equals $30. Our sales tax amount changed a couple of years ago. I refigured my chart. I lost a few cents on each customer.
About every three years, I make a price adjustment, and add $5 to each monthly service charge. With gas prices rising so much the past few years, I had several customers last year, asking me to raise my rates! True story! Many of the guys at IPCO use SPCS. My invoices read Due upon receipt. I will do a second service, without receiving payment, but not a third service until I receive a payment. Often I get a check for two month's before I get back to their area. They WANT my service! But, life happens, and sometimes people forget. I've had some people owe me for two services for six month's. Sometimes they call and ask why I haven't been to their house. I tell them I can only afford to lose two services. If they pay up, with some late charges, then I will possibly resume their service.
Pest Control is different than Wildlife Control. People want their bugs gone! They want recurring service to keep the bugs away. Wildlife Control is usually a One-time service. With Pest Control, you establish a long term relationship, with the customer and anyone they refer to you. I have many families, Father/Daughter, Brother/Sister, Cousin, or neighbor. I don't advertise anymore. Word of mouth gets me as much new work as I can handle.
One more tip on PC that I should share on IPCO. I use a Stihl backpack blower on all my accounts. Two reasons; One I remove insect harborage (where they live) and Two, if the leaves blow away, my chemical is still where it needs to be. I charge three times my monthly fee for my Initial service fee. I blow away leaves, spider webs and remove wasp nests. I also plug any rodent entry points on my initial service. I blow away leaves and or spider webs each service, as needed.
Hope this helps.

My experience is completely different with pest control and wildlife control. Most of our insect control is accomplished with one visit if done thoroughly and with good application materials. Wildlife work most always requires a few trips except a single animal pick up removal.

Generally speaking the only pest control services that I see that may need monthly or quarterly services are commerical operations that have product being brought in and out constantly and doors/bays open day and nite at times causing issues more frequently then residential jobs.

The other agendas that may require monthly services would be inner city slum apartment complexes, condos and other such communal apartment living housing areas.Here the roach,flea and bed bug issues can be nearly impossible to irradicate completely due to the caliber of the occupants and in and out traffic of new tennants with their contaminated / infested belongings and furniture coming and going with them.For some of these places the problem becomes so deep seeded over the years that true control is usually just a short term situation so updated treatments are in order.

I have been doing this a long time for both pest control and wildlife control services. What I have learned over the years is the mind set of the big bug companies is to sell monthly or yearly service plans to their customers whether they need it really or not. The primary reason this business plan is used and ingrained into their employees is that it ensures off season service calls to their field techs.

A well trained/experienced operator using the right pesticides in the pest control field doesnt need to provide monthly treatments to control most consumer related problems. Innner city work I must say is alot different than the rural area communities that we service .We deal in primarily single family dwelling situations so total control is much easier just due to that fact alone. Single structure containment treatments are usually an easy fix so to speak with good knowledge and experience at work.

I have found also that a good trapper makes for a super pest control tech in the long run. Their sign reading skills and detail recognition abilities to see things others will miss are priceless skills for this kind of work.

All of the above x2, plus
It may be quite helpful to have (computer-printed, unfortunately) pre-printed invoices at the beginning of each day. Details for this are too complicated for this space, but you still need to fill out pesticide use, etc., on-site.
We don't do "bug work" but do provide stinging insect and rodent services, so I have an applicator's license.
One thing I've found that is paramount is to bill at time of service. Hand the customer an invoice and contract whenever you set up any WC work. I tell all customers over the phone, before I make the appointment, that payment is due at time of service. ONLY exception is for established customers (businesses). Both the contract and the invoice have payment terms printed on them: "Net __ days; $20 per month fee for past-due accounts."
When accounts are close to overdue (e.g., nine days if overdue in ten days), call and remind them that they will be overdue tomorrow, and late charges will apply as stated on their invoice. No ambiguity here; you've done all you reasonably can to ensure payment.

That having been said...you'll get deadbeats. I wish I could tell you a simple way to collect on them, but several people (including a collections agent) have told us to bill, bill, bill and call, call, call. This means, on a ten-day overdue invoice, they get a new invoice, with late charges added, on day eleven: then thirty/sixty/ninety days afterward. Don't let the slobs forget about you!

Well luckily I have never had a problem getting
Paid from anyone, like paul said it seems that
The ppl you never meet are the people that have
The check in the mail the fastest!
I will try and always leave a bill if I can from
Now on.
Yes I know to leave a pest contol invoice
At the residence I treated, but a lot of the customers
Only come up once a month and they want me to
Bill it to there home address in Illinois or southern
Wisconsin! So I always say yes no problem and
Have to make a third copy for there home address!