Customer relations are crucial. You can’t afford a reputation as a screaming, chest-beating gorilla or a screeching, hard-to-handle crow. Always remember that many of the most experienced people in your field were probably once beginners. If a stormy encounter with a customer leaves an unpleasant impression, it may color that customer’s opinion of you and your company long after he or she has forgotten an actual encounter.
Good customer relations practice is the equivalent of good housekeeping: a good way to promote business by preventing problems. It also means that when you have to deal with a problem, it will probably be fixed sooner. The good news for us is that wildlife control companies have generally been more professional and civil with each passing year.
A reputation for success and the customer’s trust are important elements in the animal remover’s business. Before you lay your traps or release poison or an odor repellant, try to communicate with the customer to find out what the problems are. This will help you organize your traps or repellants. If your traps or repellants are not entirely successful, ask the customer to help you by not leaving pet food or water in areas likely to attract these animals.
It will help if you are familiar with and follow the guidelines in the National Wildlife Control Operators Association’s Code of Ethics, which includes such things as:
- A commitment to provide professional service and to act in the best interest of the customer and the community in which we do business.
- A commitment to ensuring the safety and health of our customers, employees and the public.
- A commitment to providing the customer with complete, timely and accurate information.
- A commitment to conduct business in an environmentally responsible manner, and to support programs that benefit the environment.
- A commitment to comply with all applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations.
- A commitment to ensuring prompt and reliable completion of operations.
Professionalism
Professionalism is so important in the world of wildlife control that you should be able to foresee any potential problems and try to avert them. You need to have the right wisdom, knowledge, skills, and conduct if you want to work in NWCOs.
With this in mind, you need to have the following professional goals if you want to confidently carry out a pest and animal management program.
- To be polite and respectful at all times.
- To know the techniques and methods used in wildlife removal.
- To understand and be able to use current regulations, laws, and ordinances relating to wildlife.
- To be able to correctly identify and differentiate between wildlife species and their habitats.
- To be proficient at wildlife damage assessment and wildlife damage prevention.
- To be able to properly remove wildlife from human-made structures.
- To be able to properly remove wildlife from natural habitat.
- To be able to properly deal with nuisance species, such as Canada geese, European starlings, and house sparrows.
- To be able to properly remove wildlife from natural ecosystems.
- To be able to properly remove wildlife from human-occupied areas.
Preparation
Preparation is the key to a successful commercial wildlife removal business. You need to be able to educate people about the whole program from start to finish. A carefully thought out plan will allow you to overcome unforeseen challenges, so prepare for problems and deal with them calmly, with the knowledge and the tools you have. Before steps are done to remove a nuisance animal, you should know how you will handle the situation. Check with your local government officials about local laws that may affect your work. These laws can vary from one part of the country to another, so be sure you know the local regulations.
Make sure you and the landowners are familiar with what you will be working in. This will allow you to suggest simple and inexpensive ways of keeping the wildlife away from residences or commercial property. Your preparation and planning will cover your methods of operation, your equipment, and your safety and the safety of the people within the residence.
Conclusion
The public’s growing recognition of wildlife problems has made wildlife control an important and growing career field, and wildlife control businesses are sprouting across the nation. The demand for the right customer service, quality service, and professionalism is high, as clients understand that the proper commercial wildlife removal can often be the difference between a quality life at home and a life of being harassed and tormented by wildlife.
24H Virtual helps businesses outsource customer service and establish a stronger rapport with your clients. Let us handle the animal control management calls while you focus on the work. Contact us to get started!