Background
- Headquarters: Baltimore, MY
- PCT Top 100: #60
- Locations/Offices: 4
Gui Bergeron never imagined that knocking doors would lead to where he is now. As CEO of Frontline Pest Control, Gui remembers the early days of selling services for the company he now oversees. “I initially started in direct sales going door to door. It was meant to be a means to an end, like a lot of college kids just trying to get through. It’s evolved quite a bit since then.”
With Frontline breaking 10 million in revenue and 25,000 residential customers in 2020, it’s clear the evolution of Frontline Pest Control and Gui’s journey with it have been rooted in effective management strategies.
The Proof is in the People
Focusing on people has helped Gui embrace the challenges that come along with expanding business in a seasonal industry. “I do truly believe that for business, the greatest asset we will ever have is our employees and our people,” he says.
With current economic factors and post pandemic effects taking their toll on the labor market, many pest control companies are reevaluating their approach to employee recruitment and retention. Frontline has been able to weather the labor shortage storm through investing in their employees, “When we hire someone, I hope that from the moment they start with us to whenever they leave or if they’re still with us years down the road, they’re just a better version of what they were before and the experience that they had with us has helped them do that,” explains Bergeron.
Service Level Success
While a vested interest in their people has proven beneficial, Frontline has not been immune to the challenges that come with maintaining high service levels during the busy season when customers call faster than customer service reps can answer. “Customers call when it’s most convenient for them to talk with us, but we may or may not be available just then. Trying to leave voicemails and playing phone tag becomes frustrating. We don’t want customers to jump through a lot of hoops to reach us.”
Recognizing the difficulties in hiring and training seasonal staff to take advantage of busy summer sales led Gui to seek out a solution that would relieve his in-house customer service team while not missing out on leads and opportunities for the company. “As soon as we knew that Slingshot was a 24/7/365 option, we were excited about that prospect. What we didn’t know was how good they would actually be,” says Gui.
Slingshot, a sales and customer support solution for pest control providers, has given Frontline the freedom to concentrate on operations and nurturing their company culture, while providing quality support for their customers and driving sales. “Slingshot gives me more time to focus on training and fostering relationships with employees. It’s made me more available for other parts of our business that need attention,” Gui explains.
Looking to the Future with Controlled Growth
“We are a people business first.” This straightforward proclamation in Frontline’s mission statement sets the tone for how they conduct themselves with both their employees and their customers. This commitment combined with a fruitful partnership that supports the high service level Frontline customers have come to expect, paints an exciting picture for Frontline’s prospects. “I think the sky’s the limit for Frontline, but it will be done in a controlled way and in a way that allows us to always maintain the proper capacity to support the growth that we have ahead of us.”
