View from the Top

Rob Reindl has finally found a way to put the measuring wheel to rest.

The president and founder of Oasis Turf & Tree in Loveland, Ohio, is one of many landscape contractors using a form of geospatial technology to help with job estimating aspects like measuring and previewing a property. “If it weren’t for this technology, we’d still be dragging the measuring wheel out every time,” said Reindl.

For those unfamiliar with the term, geospatial technology is used for visualization, measurement and analysis of features or phenomena that occur on the Earth, and includes three different technologies, all related to mapping – GPS (Global Positioning System), RS (remote sensing) and GIS (geographical information systems). GIS, which essentially maps data with tools like aerial imagery, has turned out to have great value in the field of landscaping. Programs like Google Earth allow landscapers get a good gauge on the size of the property and estimate the job price accordingly without ever having to leave the office.

Choices abound
While Google Earth is probably the most well-known program, it’s not the only one available.

Reindl, whose business did $1.2 million in revenue last year and focuses primarily on residential lawn care and fertilization, uses Go iLawn, an online software service provided by GIS Dynamics. Reindl took advantage of a demo period with Go iLawn to put it to the test. He took 79 properties that had recently been measured and had three separate employees in his office measure them on Go iLawn. “We were all within 10 percent of the measurements taken on the wheel, so we were very happy with the results,” he says.

Using geospatial technology often requires the user to download or install software on his computer. Google Earth, for instance, is a desktop application that requires installation and periodic updates. But some products are “Software as a Service” (SaaS) applications, which essentially means the software is delivered via the Internet.

Go iLawn is one of these Web-based systems that is log-in and password-driven and can be used anywhere the Internet is available, making it accessible in the field as well. It uses an integration of high-resolution aerial oblique imagery, provided by Pictometry International Corporation. “Because we also offer oblique views, companies have the ability to measure elevation and slope,” said Grant Gibson, president and founder of GIS Dynamics, the company that developed Go iLawn. “And some companies are even interested in the pitch of a rooftop if they do holiday lighting in the off-season. You can also do those measurements with this technology.”

There are also two primary ways geospatial technology captures images – via satellite and via plane. The benefit of images taken from planes is that they tend to be a much higher resolution. But because satellites are in constant action, they can be especially beneficial in rural areas where a plane may not fly over. The clearer view is what Kelly Gouge, protection services manager of Swingle Lawn, Tree & Landscape Care, a Denver-based business projecting to do $14 million in revenue this year, liked about the Go iLawn product, which uses images captured by plane. Google Earth uses a combination, though it primarily uses images from satellites.

Precigeo-Landscape, a Web-based service offered by Whitegold Solutions, is another option many landscapers are considering. In this case, the company uses multiple sources of imagery and has geo-coding experts who compile the information. All the contractor has to do is submit an address. “We locate that address using various sources of aerial imagery and do a processing with software to measure the turf and/or other attributes like trees,” explained Jack Zoken, president. “We then send the information back via e-mail or it can be downloaded off our Web site.”

But despite all the new products cropping up, many landscapers are still using Google Earth. Matt and Chris Noon, brothers and partners at the Hudson, Mass.-based Noon Turf Care, a business bringing in $2 million in revenue, say Google Earth has met their needs. They subscribe to Google Earth Pro, which has a $400 annual fee (unlike the regular service, which is free) that includes higher-quality images, the ability to import GPS data and usage of measuring tools.

Real Green Systems, which offers various industry business software programs, has even integrated Google Earth. “With our mapping software, users of Service Assistant can click on a button that would link to Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, Microsoft Live Search and more,” explained Dan Wellbaum, sales manager. “Once there, they could use a screen capture program (not included with Real Green’s Service Assistant) to capture the image of the property. And once captured, that image can be linked to the customer meaning it could be e-mailed, printed and viewed right from the customer’s screen.”

Reaping the benefits
While this technology is designed to be user friendly, there might be a slight learning curve for beginners before they feel completely comfortable. Reindl recommends measuring properties you are already familiar with when first starting out to get a handle on how the software works.

One of the biggest advantages of not having to physically measure the lawn is the time and money saved from not actually visiting a job site. With Go iLawn, the average time to measure a property is two minutes, the company says. “Using this technology has helped us to qualify leads,” explains Gouge. “If it’s a lead where someone is just price-shopping, and we can give them a quote right away instead of taking the time and money to go out there, then we didn’t lose much if they don’t go with us.”

And customers appear to be responding positively. While the initial face-to-face contact is lost in making the sale, most homeowners seem to prefer the ability to get an immediate quote and faster service than the in-person contact, Chris Noon says. “We still do a full lawn evaluation on the first treatment, so even though our initial contact was on the phone or via the Internet, they still get that service,” he explains. “And they prefer to know they’re getting scheduled quickly. When it gets busy in April, it can be like pulling teeth to get quick service, so it’s keeping our customers happy.”

In addition, Noon says if a customer is calling for a quote in order to price shop, he always mentioned that his company can match almost any other quote. “Even though we didn’t have an initial face-to-face meeting, that’s another way we can build their trust from the start,” he points out.

One of the things Reindl likes most about the technology is that it takes the measurement process out of the hands of the sales reps or production members, and puts it in the hands of office personnel. For him, it all comes back to accuracy. “Sales reps want to under-measure a bit so they can sell the job whereas production wants to over-measure,” he says. “So we could never be confident it was totally accurate until we had administration handling it.”

Reindl even plans to hire a couple of new administration employees who can measure the properties of 40,000 potential new clients. He’s found the technology can be a great direct marketing tool. “Once measured, we can call those homeowners with a price already prepared,” he says. “That will be an approximately $50,000 investment for us with the new employees, but we’re expecting it to pay off by helping our business grow.”

The author is a freelance writer based in Royersford, Pa.