This is Part 2 of the fascinating Talking Pest Management (TPM) interview with industry leader Dr Bobby Corrigan.

Part 1 was posted last week. Watch it here.

Our TPM host, Daniel Schröer, begins by stating that he, and he feels Bobby too, believed the uptake of digital technology was going to be quicker than has actually proven to be the case. But for the future Daniel still believes there will be a product that is developed that makes a ‘perfect fit’ – then there will be the tipping point in its uptake and use.

Amazingly, Bobby explains how it had predicted that last year 70% of his consulting hours would have been going into remote monitoring and their applications in pest management. With clients ranging from city governments through to giant corporations. But covid squashed all this – it has slowed the uptake. But for sure, remote monitoring is not going to go away.

In our diverse industry, ranging all the way from one-man bands to the large corporate servicing companies, Orkin, Anticimex, Rentokil for example, Daniel provocatively poses the question…. is there going to be the Tesla of pest control? Is the industry going to consist of only large corporations?

Bobby feels that if their corporate goal is simply to become the biggest pest management company in the world this is fine. But only as long as you grow to become the biggest because you are the best and most progressive. This is admirable. Otherwise, not.

The future is Uber?
If the goal is simply to get bigger, at any expense, meaning volume and turnover is number one, by using talented sales professionals, Bobby worries about the industry. How can you possibly do that without an abandonment of quality? If quality is sacrificed, it opens the door for the ‘Uber’ of pest control – where home owners will only call for service when they have a pest problem. Uber changed the world for cabs and if this happens in pest control it will be a game changer for the industry.

“Whoever undertakes this Uber pest control, it will be that big. Whoever does this will be ahead of the rest in prevention, talents, training, inspections, being observational biologists and the like. They will carve out a niche. Smart digital technology enables this,” extols Bobby.

Younger generation data driven
Bobby points out that the new young generation is data driven – charts and graphs…dashboards…. Dashboard is the new buzz word…. ‘show me the data of the pest on the dashboard’. Dashboards are the thing everyone now needs, particularly if dealing with the larger commercial customer – it provides a means of guiding and assessing progress. Data driven pest control service is the future.

“It’s a very exciting time to be in pest management,” exclaims Bobby. “There are so many windows of opportunity. Technology is going to rattle our cage. Pride in what we do “Pest control is the best kept secret for enjoying an occupation. At the end of the day, can you say you have made a tangible real contribution to the betterment of human kind?” Bobby answers his own question with an emphatic … YES.