Discover Our Leading Pest Control Services in St. Augustine, FL

Our Technician’s Approach to Effective Pest Management in Green Cove Springs, FL

So, how do you choose one residential pest control company over another? How do you know that the commercial pest control technician being sent out is someone you can trust? How do you know the termite treatment company you place your hard-earned money and faith in will deliver? Will the pest control treatments work? Can you even get a competent representative on the phone when you have a service request? And will the termite warranty technician show up when they are supposed to? 

Here at Crawford Pest Control, we understand that protecting your home and business from termites, fire ants, mosquitoes, bed bugs, and other pests is a weighty decision. You must evaluate the company and its offer from a pricing and service delivery perspective. But, what is equally important as the company and the package offered is who will deliver the service. Who is the termite renewal or pest control technician visiting your home every visit? We have provided the below differentiators between us and the competition so that you can compare Crawford Pest Control technicians to the rest, make an informed decision, and choose us!

For the rest of this page, let us focus on who the employee will be at your home. What does the pre-employment selection process look like? How does the training compare to the competition and state guidelines? And how does the company retain its employees so that you do not have a new technician for every service visit?

Please see below for an analysis of what we offer at Crawford Pest Control.

The technician: What makes the technicians at Crawford Pest Control different from other technicians in the area? 

The New Hire Selection Process

At Crawford Pest Control, we take employee selection very seriously. Unlike many other companies running off employees because they are not taking care of them and then, in turn, must take a warm body to fill the role, we at Crawford Pest Control take excellent care of our employees. Therefore, we have created a win-win-win model where the technician wins, the customer wins, and Crawford Pest Control wins. And because of this, we are not forced to make rushed decisions regarding employee selection. We can be patient with our employee selection process. 

Our pre-employment selection process alone is counter-cultural these days.

We must have two employees in management to approve any hire. They each have an opportunity to interview the applicant, and then we huddle up to ensure we put our best foot forward on hiring everyone who represents Crawford Pest Control.

• We require an applicant to complete our extensive background check, including the following.
  • Global Watchlist Search
  • Sex Offender Search
  • National and County Searches
  • Motor Vehicle Records Search
  • Employment Verification
  • Education Verification
• We understand that our pest control technicians will enter your home, your space where your kids play, your pets wander, and where you do life. We take safety and security very seriously here. We have contracted an independent and thorough background check company to provide the most in-depth checks they offer to ensure that our employees treating your homes and businesses are as thoroughly vetted as possible so you can kick back and relax.
• We require a drug screening before employment. Many companies offer a swab test that they self-administer to push through any employee they approve. We just don’t do that here. We require an actual drug screening test at an independent testing lab where the employee must give a sample that the outsourced company screens, and the results provided back to Crawford Pest Control. We want you to feel comfortable that our employees visiting your homes and businesses are not taking illegal substances without a prescription. 

The Service Technician Training Process

With coursework and on-the-job training, our training period for a “new” pest control technician is significantly longer than the industry standard. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services division (and almost every other pest control company) only requires a new employee to receive 40 hours of documented training to begin treating and only four CEU hours in the first six months after employment. Then, said employees of those companies are legally allowed to apply pesticides, herbicides, rodents, etc., to your homes, yards, and businesses. 

We honestly believe that this is not enough time for a technician to adequately know how to understand the federal, state, and local laws as it pertains to applying pesticides, correctly identify all the pests in Northeast Florida, understand the biology and behavior of the primary pests we deal with in this region of Florida, know what to do in the event of a chemical spill or exposure/reaction, learn how to dispose of pesticides properly, understand how to apply pesticides to your homes and lawns properly, and the list goes on and on. 

As a result, any new Crawford Pest Control service technician, whether experienced or not, must undergo six to eight weeks of training, which is six to eight times the state of FL standard minimum, before being released into the field to perform the job. This training is comprehensive and detailed to ensure the employee is trained and competent enough to complete the job as management expects. Others have told us that this may seem excessive and expensive. However, to deliver quality pest control experience to the customer, we must go above and beyond the industry and competitor standards to ensure that we provide The Crawford Experience to every customer. 

The Employee Retention Process

We are well aware of the challenges that face several organizations, Crawford Pest Control included, with retaining employees. We are no longer in the industrial age. We are in the information age! And finding good employees is challenging. Employees have job opportunities at their fingertips with just a few clicks of a button. And we understand this. 

Additionally, several employers are working hard to recruit employees from other companies to hire them. And the more trained, qualified, and competent our employees are, the more likely other companies will work ridiculously hard to incentivize them to leave Crawford Pest Control and join their organization. 

Because of this growing concern about losing well-trained employees, we at Crawford Pest Control work hard to care for our employees. Here are the key areas that we focus on to ensure that our employees are happy and healthy, which helps our organization retain our employees and helps our employees deliver a better service to you.

• Work-Life Balance- We work hard. But we do not overwork our employees. Period. We also do not work weekends. Every other pest control company we are aware of has employees working weekends or some sort of alternating weekend schedule. We don’t do that here, so our employees can rest, recover on the weekend, and enjoy time away from work. 
• Compensation- We pay our employees very well according to industry standards. We also provide commission opportunities for them to earn more money and bonus opportunities for achieving different goals. 
• Training- We provide paid-for ongoing training to ensure that our employees stay current on what is happening in our industry and discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead of us. It is also an opportunity to connect with peers to keep and maintain a fun and healthy work environment.
• Benefits- As a small business, providing all the same benefits as our larger competitors is difficult. However, we offer healthcare benefits, a 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with an Employer match, and PTO benefits. We will continue to provide additional benefits as we grow to compete with and exceed other local companies. 
• Hiring Ahead- Because of our necessary pre-employment and training process, we hire ahead. This prevents employees from picking up too much work and working too many hours each time we start “busting at the seams.” This also contributes to a better mental state for our employees, which is particularly important to delivering a high-quality service to our customers. 
• Opportunities- We are a growing company with opportunities for employees to maximize their potential with internal leadership positions. Employees will not have to bounce around from company to company to feel appreciated and rewarded. That can all take place right here at Crawford Pest Control!
• Fun- We believe in having fun and building a team! So, we rotate company-sponsored events every quarter. From clay target shoots and offshore/inshore fishing trips to other fun activities, we show our employees how much we appreciate them. Our team works hard day in and day out. So, we must stop every few months and celebrate them!!

What is most important to you, the Customer, is that you are receiving a high-quality pest control service at a reasonable price. One of the most critical components of this equation is the pest control service technician that provides service for your home or business. If that employee is qualified, trained, and healthy, that employee will flourish, and you will reap the benefits of these investments in our employees! You will not have consistent technician turnover but will enjoy a technician dedicated to you and your home who understands your service history and provides unparalleled service!