The problem
Restaurants, food producers and warehouses want proof of every contract visit: which bait points were checked, what activity was found and what was done. Paper record sheets get wet, lost or left in the van, and reports get typed up at night. Two technicians doing 60 contract visits a month at 20 minutes of writing up each is 20 hours a month of paperwork.
What the AI does
ServiceM8's Asset Management, on the Growing plan and above, gives each bait point a QR label. The technician scans the label, fills in an inspection form against that point (activity, bait taken, photo, notes) and the asset map shows which points have been checked. Completed forms become PDF reports automatically, and you can produce an asset register for all the points listed against a client, ready for a food safety audit or an environmental health visit.
A worked example
A pest control firm in Leicester with two technicians looks after 60 commercial contracts, visited monthly. They label every bait point on each site with ServiceM8's QR labels and build one inspection form for bait points and one for fly units.
Before
60 visits a month written up from paper sheets at 20 minutes each, about 20 hours a month
After
Forms filled in at each point on site, about 5 minutes per visit to check and send, about 5 hours a month
What it's worth
About $599£450€536A$864C$846 a month in time saved, against $78£59€70A$113C$111 for the software. That is 15 hours a month less writing up (60 visits cut from 20 minutes to 5 minutes each), at an assumed $40£30€36A$58C$56 an hour.
How to set it up
- Start a ServiceM8 trial and choose the Growing plan ($78£59€70A$113C$111 a month excluding VAT), the first plan with Asset Management and the ability to build your own forms.
- Build a bait point form with the fields your clients and their auditors ask for: point number, activity found, bait taken, product used, a photo and notes.
- Order QR labels from ServiceM8's Online Dashboard and label every bait point on one site first, then roll out site by site.
- On each visit, scan every label and complete the form against that point, so the asset map shows any point that was missed.
- Send the client the service report after each visit and an asset register for their site when an audit is coming up.
What goes wrong
- The pricing page doesn't show the price of the QR labels; check it in the Online Dashboard before labeling hundreds of points.
- Growing allows 150 jobs a month. If contract visits and domestic jobs together go over that, the next plan is Premium at $158£119€142A$228C$224 a month.
- The software only records what the technician enters. What each record must contain is still your responsibility, so check your clients' audit requirements and your trade body's guidance.
- Labels on outdoor bait boxes can fade or come off. Check them on each visit and replace damaged ones straight away.