Pest Control Business Glossary
Key terms and definitions every pest control operator should know — from recurring revenue and customer retention to AI-powered CRM and route optimization.
Revenue & Financial Metrics
Recurring Revenue
Predictable income generated from customers on ongoing service agreements — monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly treatment plans. Recurring revenue is the foundation of a stable pest control business because it smooths out seasonal fluctuations and makes cash flow predictable.
Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR)
The total predictable revenue your pest control business earns each month from active service agreements. MRR is calculated by adding up the monthly value of all recurring customers. If you have 50 customers each paying $89/month, your MRR is $4,450.
Average Revenue Per Customer (ARPC)
The average amount of revenue generated per customer over a given period. Calculated by dividing total revenue by total active customers. Tracking ARPC helps you understand whether upselling efforts (like adding termite protection to a general pest plan) are working.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
The total revenue a single customer is expected to generate over the entire duration of their relationship with your business. A pest control customer on a $89/month quarterly plan who stays for 3 years has a CLV of $3,204. Higher CLV justifies greater acquisition spending.
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
The total cost of acquiring a new customer, including marketing spend, sales time, and any introductory discounts. For pest control businesses, CAC typically includes online advertising, door-to-door costs, and referral bonuses. A healthy business keeps CAC well below CLV.
Churn Rate
The percentage of customers who cancel their recurring service within a given period. If you start the month with 100 customers and lose 5, your monthly churn rate is 5%. Reducing churn is often more profitable than acquiring new customers.
Close Rate
The percentage of leads or estimates that convert into paying customers. If you send 20 quotes in a month and 8 become customers, your close rate is 40%. Tracking this metric helps you identify whether your pricing, follow-up, or sales process needs improvement.
Customer Management
Customer Retention Rate
The percentage of customers who remain active over a given period. If you had 200 customers at the start of the year and 170 are still active at the end, your annual retention rate is 85%. Pest control businesses with strong retention rates (above 80%) typically have more stable revenue and lower marketing costs.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
Software that helps you organize, track, and manage all interactions with your customers — from initial lead contact through ongoing service. A pest-control-specific CRM like PestPro includes features tailored to the industry: treatment tracking, service scheduling, recurring billing, and customer communication.
Lead
A potential customer who has expressed interest in your pest control services but has not yet signed up. Leads can come from phone calls, website forms, referrals, or door-to-door marketing. Effective lead management means tracking every inquiry and following up promptly.
Lead-to-Customer Conversion
The process (and rate) of turning a lead into a paying customer. This involves initial contact, inspection or estimate, proposal delivery, and closing the sale. A pest control business with a strong conversion process follows up within minutes, not days.
Customer Onboarding
The process of setting up a new customer in your system — entering property details, scheduling the initial service, explaining the treatment plan, setting up payment, and sending a welcome message. Good onboarding reduces early cancellations and sets expectations.
Property Profile
A detailed record of a customer's property including address, square footage, construction type, known pest history, access instructions (gate codes, key locations), pet information, and treatment notes. Property profiles help technicians deliver consistent service visit after visit.
Service Agreement
A contract between your pest control company and a customer that outlines the scope of services, treatment frequency, pricing, warranty terms, and cancellation policy. Service agreements provide legal protection and set clear expectations for both parties.
Service Operations
Service Route
A planned sequence of customer stops optimized for geographic efficiency. Routes minimize drive time between appointments, allowing technicians to complete more jobs per day. A well-built service route can save 30-60 minutes of driving daily compared to unoptimized scheduling.
Route Density
The concentration of customers within a geographic area on a given route. Higher route density means less drive time between stops, more jobs per day, and lower fuel costs. Growing route density in specific neighborhoods is a key strategy for profitable pest control operations.
Quarterly Treatment Plan
A recurring pest control service performed every three months (four times per year). Quarterly treatments are the most common service frequency in residential pest control, providing year-round protection against general pests like ants, spiders, roaches, and seasonal invaders.
Initial Service (Initial Treatment)
The first pest control treatment at a new customer's property, which is typically more thorough and takes longer than follow-up visits. Initial services often include a detailed inspection, heavier product application, and interior treatment. Pricing is usually higher than recurring visits.
Follow-Up Service
A return visit scheduled after the initial treatment to check results, reapply products if needed, and address any remaining pest activity. Some pest issues (like German roaches or bed bugs) require multiple follow-up visits spaced 2-4 weeks apart for effective control.
General Pest Control
A broad-spectrum treatment targeting common household pests including ants, spiders, roaches, silverfish, and earwigs. General pest control is the bread-and-butter service for most operators and forms the basis of recurring quarterly or monthly plans.
Specialty Service
A targeted treatment for a specific pest that requires specialized knowledge, equipment, or products — such as termite treatments, bed bug heat treatments, wildlife exclusion, or mosquito misting systems. Specialty services typically command higher prices than general pest control.
WDO Inspection (Wood-Destroying Organism)
A formal inspection for termites and other wood-destroying organisms, often required during real estate transactions. WDO inspections generate reports (sometimes called "termite letters") that must follow state-specific regulations. This is a high-value, time-sensitive service for pest control operators.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
An approach that combines biological, cultural, physical, and chemical methods to manage pests with minimal environmental impact. IPM emphasizes inspection, identification, threshold-based treatment, and prevention — rather than routine spraying. Many commercial accounts and schools require IPM-based programs.
Service Window
The time range communicated to a customer for when a technician will arrive (e.g., "between 9am and 11am"). Smaller service windows improve customer satisfaction but require more precise scheduling. CRM software helps tighten service windows by optimizing route timing.
Scheduling & Workflow
Recurring Service Schedule
An automated schedule that generates future appointments based on a set frequency — weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. Recurring schedules eliminate the need to manually rebook each visit and ensure customers never fall through the cracks.
Service Frequency
How often a customer receives treatment. Common frequencies in pest control include monthly (every 4 weeks), bi-monthly (every 8 weeks), and quarterly (every 12 weeks). The right frequency depends on pest pressure, geographic region, and customer needs.
Appointment Reminder
An automated message (SMS or email) sent to customers before their scheduled service to confirm the appointment, reduce no-shows, and allow rescheduling. Most pest control CRMs send reminders 24-48 hours before the appointment.
Drag-and-Drop Scheduling
A calendar interface that lets you move appointments between time slots and days by dragging them. This makes it easy to reschedule when a customer cancels, a technician calls in sick, or weather disrupts the day's plan.
Overbooking
Scheduling more appointments in a time slot or day than a technician can reasonably complete. Overbooking leads to rushed treatments, late arrivals, and unhappy customers. A good CRM prevents overbooking by showing technician capacity at a glance.
Cancellation / No-Show
When a customer cancels a scheduled appointment or is not available when the technician arrives. High no-show rates waste drive time and reduce daily revenue. Automated reminders and easy rescheduling via SMS significantly reduce no-shows.
Communication & Marketing
SMS Customer Communication
Using text messages to communicate with customers for appointment reminders, service confirmations, payment requests, follow-ups, and marketing. SMS has 98% open rates compared to 20% for email, making it the most effective channel for pest control customer communication.
Two-Way SMS
Text messaging that allows both sending and receiving messages, so customers can reply to confirm appointments, ask questions, or request changes. Two-way SMS creates a conversational experience that feels personal and builds trust — without requiring phone calls.
Automated Follow-Up
Messages triggered automatically after specific events — like sending a "How was your service?" text after a treatment, a payment reminder when an invoice is overdue, or a rebooking prompt when a one-time customer hasn't scheduled again. Automation ensures no opportunity is missed.
Broadcast Message
A single message sent to multiple customers at once, often used for seasonal promotions (e.g., "Spring mosquito season is here — add mosquito service to your plan"), weather-related rescheduling notices, or holiday schedule changes.
Referral Program
A system that rewards existing customers for recommending your pest control business to friends, family, or neighbors. Common incentives include a free month of service, account credits, or gift cards. Referrals are typically the highest-converting and lowest-cost lead source for pest control companies.
Online Reviews
Customer feedback posted on platforms like Google Business Profile, Yelp, or Facebook. Positive reviews are critical for local SEO and trust-building. The best time to ask for a review is immediately after a successful service visit — which a CRM can automate via SMS.
Door-to-Door Sales (D2D)
A direct sales strategy where representatives go door-to-door in neighborhoods to offer pest control services. D2D is common for larger pest control companies during peak season and can be highly effective when targeting areas with known pest pressure or existing route density.
Technology & Software
AI-Powered CRM
Customer relationship management software enhanced with artificial intelligence. In pest control, AI-powered CRM features include natural language scheduling ("Book Mrs. Johnson for next Tuesday at 10am"), automated customer communication, intelligent route optimization, and conversational business management through AI assistants like Claude.
Pest Control Software
Industry-specific software designed for pest control businesses, covering customer management, scheduling, route planning, treatment tracking, invoicing, and reporting. Purpose-built pest control software replaces generic tools (spreadsheets, calendar apps, separate payment processors) with a single integrated platform.
Cloud-Based Software
Software hosted on remote servers and accessed through a web browser or mobile app, rather than installed on a local computer. Cloud-based pest control software lets you manage your business from anywhere — in the truck, at a customer's property, or at home — with data synced across all devices.
Mobile CRM
CRM software accessible on smartphones and tablets, allowing technicians to view schedules, access customer details, record service notes, collect signatures, and process payments in the field. Essential for pest control operations where work happens on-site, not at a desk.
Payment Processing
The system for collecting customer payments electronically. Modern pest control CRMs integrate with payment processors like Stripe to send payment links via SMS, set up autopay, and track which invoices are paid or outstanding — eliminating the need to chase checks.
Automated Invoicing
Automatically generating and sending invoices after a service is completed. Automated invoicing eliminates manual data entry, speeds up payment collection, and ensures every completed job gets billed. Invoices can be sent via SMS or email with one-tap payment links.
API (Application Programming Interface)
A set of protocols that allows different software systems to communicate with each other. A pest control CRM with an API can connect to accounting software, marketing tools, or custom integrations — keeping all your business data in sync automatically.
Reporting Dashboard
A visual interface that displays key business metrics at a glance — revenue, customer count, upcoming appointments, overdue payments, and growth trends. Dashboards help pest control operators make data-driven decisions without digging through spreadsheets.
Industry & Business
Solo Operator
A pest control business owner who is also the primary (or only) technician. Solo operators handle everything — sales, service, billing, customer communication, and administration. Software built for solo operators prioritizes simplicity and time savings over enterprise-scale features.
Pest Control Operator (PCO)
The licensed individual or company that performs pest management services. PCOs must hold state-specific licenses and certifications, carry insurance, and follow EPA regulations. The term is used interchangeably with "exterminator" in consumer contexts, though industry professionals prefer PCO.
Commercial Pest Control
Pest management services for businesses, including restaurants, hotels, warehouses, office buildings, and healthcare facilities. Commercial accounts often require more frequent service, detailed documentation, regulatory compliance, and are typically higher-value than residential customers.
Residential Pest Control
Pest management services for homeowners and renters. Residential pest control is the largest market segment and typically involves quarterly or monthly general pest treatments, with add-on services for termites, mosquitoes, or rodents.
Seasonal Pest Pressure
The natural increase in certain pest populations during specific times of year. Mosquitoes and ants surge in spring and summer, rodents move indoors in fall, and termite swarms peak in spring. Understanding seasonality helps operators plan staffing, marketing, and inventory.
Upselling
Offering existing customers additional or upgraded services — such as adding mosquito treatment to a general pest plan, upgrading from quarterly to monthly service, or adding termite monitoring. Upselling to existing customers is far less expensive than acquiring new ones.
Service Area
The geographic region your pest control business covers. Defining a clear service area helps with route efficiency, marketing targeting, and setting realistic customer expectations. Most solo operators serve a 20-30 mile radius from their base of operations.
Warranty / Guarantee
A promise to return and re-treat at no additional cost if pests return between scheduled services. Warranties reduce customer anxiety, justify recurring pricing, and differentiate your business from competitors. Clear warranty terms should be documented in the service agreement.
Put These Concepts to Work
PestPro CRM is built around the metrics and workflows that matter most to pest control businesses. Track recurring revenue, optimize routes, automate customer communication, and grow your business — all from one platform.