Education equals retention

With thousands of lawn care customers across the state of Massachusetts, Rutland Turfcare & Pest Control knows that educating them is critical to keeping them satisfied.

Vice President Kevin Schofield says it’s that focus on education that keeps customers coming back season after season.

The company is on pace to earn over $3.5 million in revenue in 2024.

“Retention is one of the key things to our growth,” Schofield says. “Our carry-over cancel rate in a full season is about 16- to 17%. That’s a key part of it and keeping people happy.

“Where a lot of our industry misses the mark is education,” he adds. “I feel the need to educate customers quite a bit. Whether it’s throughout the season or at the end of a service — when you have a customer who may not understand lawn care or doesn’t understand the finer aspects of it, that can create friction. It costs a lot more money to go out and get a new account versus servicing the one you have currently.”

And Schofield says that education starts right as the season does.

“All year long, I’m sending out emails to all of our current customers with seasonal updates,” he says. “So, as we transition from the winter to round 1, they are getting an email of what to look out for and watch out for. Right now, they may be seeing snow mold, pink patch or chickweed, which is one of the first weeds you’ll see in the spring. Then as we go from round 1 to round 2 it’s a whole different element. Grub control is coming up and ticks and mosquitos are starting to really ramp up.”

Schofield adds these emails, combined with aftercare notes from the technician at the time of service with tips on mowing and watering, help keep complaints at bay — especially during tough times when the weather really plays a factor on a lawn’s appearance.

“Over the summer, you tend to have drought problems, so I want to get ahead of that and will be talking about drought with our customers,” he says. “I let them know that drought isn’t the end of their lawn. The lawn may go dormant to protect itself, but they come back in the fall. You can lose a lot of customers over the summer if they think you killed their lawn — and that’s the first thing a customer thinks, is that we burnt their lawn. So, if you don’t get ahead of that it can be a friction point and create some animosity with your customers.”

It's not just drought that can cause problems either — too much rain can have just as bad of an impact on customer satisfaction.

“Last season was one of the wettest on record and this year is slated to be the same thing,” he says. “Fungus and diseases obviously come with that, which creates its own set of challenges.”

Schofield says it’s all about the personal touches that ensure customers see the company as more than just a business.

“Our technicians are trained to knock on the door when they get there for every customer,” he says. “It gets to be that they may be able to fire Rutland, but can they fire Brian the guy who picks up their dogs’ toys and moves their kids’ toys off the lawn?”