Several elements drove the 62% gross margin that propelled Gecko Pest Control.
“Fifty-five percent is industry standard,” says Daren Horton, owner of the company in Marshall, Texas. “So we're getting into the gold level of industry standard for gross margin.”
But the key element, Horton is quick to point out, is one he has found in FieldRoutes® software after years with his previous provider.
“A lot of that is because of the route optimization that works extremely well," he says.
FieldRoutes can schedule the best routes for technicians to reduce miles driven, trim fuel expenses, and get the right techs to the right jobs. And, of course, getting them there on time is the first step in meeting a customer's expectations.
Horton is a pest control industry veteran. But newcomer Kirk Slack, opening Dang Pest Control in Tyler, Texas, in 2025 after selling his landscape business in the state, also sees the importance of a routing solution.
"Route density, route efficiency, is incredibly important,” Slack says. “There are several different ways to accomplish that in FieldRoutes, whether it be through geofencing or using a map or using optimization. There are a lot of ways to get the route density and efficiency where I want to do it. So that was really good."
In the most recent Guide to Labor Savings, documenting findings in a survey by PCT (Pest Control Technology) and sponsored by FieldRoutes, 72% of pest control professionals reported using software that optimizes routes.
Asked what delivers positive impact on productivity or efficiency, 55% of survey participants listed increased route density and made it No. 1 on a list of 10 factors.
In another PCT survey, for the State of the Technology Market report also sponsored by FieldRoutes, buying a software solution or switching to a new platform for the ability to optimize routing or improve job scheduling ranked as the third-most popular answer by company leaders, behind improving customer experience and seeking a better deal or more features.
Routing also ranked high among software use in FieldRoutes' 2024 State of the Pest Industry Report that surveyed more than 1,000 pest professionals.
Using software that optimizes routing can mean boosts for KPIs such as number of service calls completed, revenue generated per technician, and customer satisfaction scores.
Gecko Pest Control is among numerous FieldRoutes customers experiencing gains in productivity or efficiency when it comes to routing. Among them:
HomeShield Pest Control: FieldRoutes Intelligent Routing has driven savings for the company and value for customers of HomeShield Pest Control, based in Anaheim, California, and serving California and Florida.
“Intelligent Routing is taking a lot of that manual work out of there, getting it all on there and then just fine-tuning it every single day,” says Zachariah Boardman, director of technical operations. “We've improved our efficiency with our routing 15-20% and really have cut out a month's worth of work when it comes down to the actual manual labor.
“Pretty amazing.”
Alta Pest Control: The average number of stops for technicians has risen sharply for Alta Pest Control, which ranks No. 30 in the PCT Top 100.
“When I worked for a multibillion-dollar pest control company, we had essentially a DOS system prompt matrix that was grouping by typed code,” says Aaron Curtis, customer experience officer for the multistate business based in Austin, Texas. “Here we were entering the 21st century with FieldRoutes where we could see visualized grouping, similar to FedEx and UPS, pulling things in, optimizing the routes, making it more efficient. We saw our average stops – eight to nine stops on a route – going up to 14.”
All “U” Need Pest Control: Florida-based All “U” Need Pest Control, which relies heavily on door-knocking in sales, has counted on the efficiencies that FieldRoutes software offers to help the company bolt to No. 63 in the PCT Top 100.
FieldRoutes' mobile sales functionality allows sales representatives to record door knocking, add a new customer, sell services, and sign contracts easily while in the field. All “U” Need can then use FieldRoutes to build strong, tight routes for its technicians, sending them “from house to house to house,” says Kyle Selbach, director of operations.
That’s about 15 stops per day for technicians, Selbach says, and “18 if I can have it perfect.”
"One of the biggest needle-movers in our company for profitability to keep up this growth is making sure we have dense routes,” Selbach says. “That feature is huge, where I can go in there and draw a pencil mark around the homes that I want to service."
Routing is just one workflow on which FieldRoutes software can deliver value for your business.
To get a closer look at how FieldRoutes can help you simplify processes, scale your business, and grow revenue, request a free demo today.
