From Famine to Feast: One Operator's Shift to Recurring Revenue

Third in a series.

DeLane Patterson, owner of Open Range Pest Control in Arizona, knows the cycle: Termite work floods in from September to March, then slows. 

Strong years fund vacations. Slow ones are something else.

"Do I get to go to the Bahamas this year," Patterson says, "or do I get to go to the QT down the street and get an extra taquito? That's my feast or famine."

Patterson switched Open Range Pest Control’s software solution from another provider to FieldRoutes in March 2026. One FieldRoutes feature, Convenience Payments, is starting to flatten that seasonal curve.

“I just love it to death,” he says.

Instead of quoting a one-time termite job at $2,000 to $2,500, he now offers customers a $500 upfront fee and a $40-per-month subscription with a perpetual warranty. The customer pays less upfront. Patterson gets recurring revenue he can count on year-round.

He hasn't even pushed it hard. Within the first few weeks after going live with FieldRoutes, Open Range generated $2,300 in new monthly recurring revenue from the program, and the number continues to climb. 

"It makes so much sense to me,” Patterson says. “I can't believe I was not thinking about it before."

His small team of technicians considers FieldRoutes software, and its Mobile app, a winner as well.

"My guys absolutely love it," Patterson says. "It's more seamless. It's prettier to look at. There's a lot more options in there. The routing is better. They love being able to send messages to their customers straight from the app with the tracking on it."

The software switch, the automation, and the recurring revenue model are all part of a larger shift Patterson has made in how he runs Open Range. 

But for all of the business decisions, a personal one has been the most impactful.

Coming in Part 4: A ‘truly life changing’ decision, in 12 steps