Having worked for the family business for most of my childhood, and later in my adult life, technology is something that has always been part of my DNA. While the cash register business wasn't my calling, technology and learning about new ways to use it, is! Phones are my big technology jam. There are few things that make me happier than a new phone, and a weekend to learn everything about how to use and play with it (time playing with the grandkids will forever be the top of the list!)
When I left the technology business behind, I assumed my technology days were limited to phones, TVs and laptops... NOPE!
Technologies are really a part of every industry on some level. Sometimes that level is a real stretch from the day to day activities of the work. Sometimes it's gently woven through. Other times, it comes right out and demands to be used. Pest control has been in that "gently woven in" phase for a long time - Ecoskan was one of the first in California to use 100% paper free office software for ALL areas of the office (with the exception of a few state mandated items we don't get control over). We were the first to get approvals for home fumigations to be fully electronic signatures. I mean if you can BUY the house all digitally, surely we should be able to authorize the fumigation digitally as well. Right? (Yes, now we can, but that took us some cleaver persuading skills). Our CRM is fully paper free - all service tickets are emailed, all documents are now customized for us, ect. We were early adaptors of using credit cards - and very early adaptors of keeping a credit card on file - safely saved and encrypted - to make "chasing the check" a thing of the past. In very recent years we've even seen technology come to the rodent stations through wifi notifications of triggered traps. Because who doesn't want to get that 3 am text that a now dead rat awaits your attention in the morning??
But now - now we get to some some seriously geeky-techy stuff! Oh how happy this all makes me! We now have some really cool new toys - er - tools, yeah, to to use for the actual pest control stuff! Flock Off not only works to keep the birds away using an electromagnetic field (a REAL forcefield????), it is allowing me
to utilize those long forgotten tech-tests that ensure everything run smoothly on installation day. We
even assembled our "science fair level" test board!
There are absolutely plans for a next-level, "professional level" set up that will be even easier to take with us for a show-and-tell like display for potential clients.
And now there is a laser to use for bird work! While lasers have been used for decades to keep our lil kitty friends - and ourselves- entertained, now we get to use it for professional purposes!
This is an autonomic system that randomized the pattern of the laser. The birds see the pretty green light as a threat and take off. AND - I get to use my phone
to program it (pretty exciting for a gal that loves all things phone!). There is even a handheld unit that looks pretty intimidating. It comes with it's own Mission Impossible style carry case - for extra umph when approaching those birds.
Basically, pretty soon there isn't going to be any part of our lives not associated with technology - even pest control. And I'm one stoked gal to get to play with - while learning of course - all the new advances.