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Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/77000
work in the office by the technician at the end of each day. In the past, this has often taken a lawn technician or administrative assistant more than 30 minutes per route each day. This time adds up by the end of the week with regard to our company payroll. Also, posting work on the road as it is performed ensures that all details of the client's lawn are posted in real time, eliminating errors that can sometimes occur when having to post at the end of the day. New equipment We also added a 10,000 gallon computerized fertilizer mixing sys- tem this year. This is something we had been planning to do for more than a year, and invested in it once we had enough money in our budget. As a lawn maintenance company that uses many different liq- uid products, the transition was only the next logical step. This system now handles all product mixing for our company. Previously, our tech- nicians had to hand mix all products on a daily basis. This was a cause for concern as hand mixing is a very messy process. Just picture 20 lawn technicians hand mixing expensive products in the same area every morning. Not only was it very time consuming, but it was also very expensive for our product costs. The margin for error is very high with hand mixing and, in their haste, many technicians would over mix or under mix. This created an inconsistent product for our clients. Our new mixing system now computer calculates all products for 100-percent accuracy. It has also cut down on technicians' downtime as they can now fill up their tanks in just a few short steps knowing that what they are applying is a perfect mix. The investment was large, and there have been some learning curves, but we know it will be a great long-term investment for our company. Just as we were having efficiency problems in the warehouse, we were also having them in the office. The incoming phone volume to our company office has grown considerably during the past few years. This created a large amount of stress for our team members who an- swered all inbound phone calls and then had to transfer the calls to other departments. We also had issues with dropped calls, because our phone lines would fill up beyond capacity. Our new software-based phone system is entirely web based, allowing it to be much more ver- satile as a phone system. We can now break calls down by department, take in ten times the call volume at once, record phone conversations, listen in on team member phone calls for training purposes, and send voicemail messages via e-mail. The transition took place in the off sea- son as we went from analogue to IP for our entire company. This gave our team adequate time to train on the system prior to going live. Ad- ditionally, we were able to cut back on office staff, because the system has made the inbound calls more efficient by automating phone calls to the proper departments. This has already saved us in office wages and office time. New processes processes for recruiting the best and most experienced team members in our market. This year we have instituted the "N Factor, In addition to technology and equipment, we also improved our " which is a companywide profit-sharing initiative. This bonus structure ties in all team members — whether in the field or in administration — by giv- ing everyone company buy-in. We make all team members share the ownership by basing their bonuses on client retention and going the extra step in customer service. The role team members play obviously varies and changes depending on their position in our company, but the mission is the same — to deliver superior service. For example, while a lawn technician in the field focuses on the quality of work performed, an office staff member focuses on resolving an issue quickly and professionally with a client over the telephone. We do this by sharing our numbers with team members and by having an open- book policy at our company. Every month, our growth and retention numbers are reviewed at a companywide meeting. We find that this engages our team members and it helps them see the bigger picture. Noon Turf Care has experienced a lot of change during the past year. We have seen many of these investments immediately pay off so far this year, and we are looking forward to seeing our investments payoff long-term and make us more competitive in the lawn care in- dustry. LI Matthew Noon is president of Noon Turf Care. For more information, visit www.noonturfcare.com or e-mail the author at mnoon@noon turfcare.com. Noon Turf Care's lawn specialists and fleet are all equipped with mobile laptop computers. — Photos provided by Noon Turf Care www.landscapeirrigation.com Landscape and Irrigation 25