Switching your lawn care company

Winter is a great time to evaluate your current lawn care company and consider if a local option would better serve your needs. Even if you are satisfied, I can bring up five legitimate reasons to consider a change.
First, hiring a locally-based lawn care company versus a large national chain or franchise is certainly on the table as a good reason to change lawn care providers.  One of the biggest advantages gained by hiring a local company is a real person answering the phone versus an automated out-of-state “800” number. A local lawn care company will have real people answering the phone who either answer your question immediately or put you quickly in touch with your sales representative or lawn technician.  When was the last time you tried to solve a problem with a national lawn care chain or franchise only to get an answering machine or worse; be put on hold with the problem left unresolved?  This sends chills down my spine!
We are really talking about communication here, the ability to not only feel comfortable about the company’s reputation and work being performed over the season, but the responsiveness of the lawn company upon an inquiry.  Can you directly e-mail your current lawn care representative?  As a client of my turf program, you have my direct e-mail and my cell phone number!  This is exciting news and a huge difference between large versus local.  Is communication important to you?  If so, is it worth switching to improve communication?  That is a question only you can answer.
A good second reason for hiring a local lawn care business within your state is direct support of the local economy. Buying local allows these firms to reinvest in themselves and in your community, versus funneling those dollars to a corporate headquarters in Ohio or Tennessee.  Why not reward hard work from a local lawn care company and see those dollars spent in your home town?
A third reason to consider switching lawn care providers can be summed up as environmental awareness and responsibility – the actual lawn care programs offered.  Despite years of advertising to the contrary, dousing your lawn with chemicals is not the only way to achieve a green and healthy lawn. My friends, lawn care is changing and has been for many years now.
There are more environmentally friendly materials such as compost tea, sea kelp, and other organic products, which when used properly, provide a green, healthy lawn.  I simply don’t have enough room in this post to adequately address this point, but with patience, time, and care, any lawn can be made healthy while reducing the continual input of large volumes of fertilizers, herbicides and more.
Large lawn care firms are restricted to lawn care templates created from central operating centers and just don’t have the ability or flexibility to offer the wide array of products a local lawn care company can provide.  Organics, natural fertilizers, and traditional products are all on the table as tools to responsibly improve and protect turf grass.  The point to be made here is not only selection; it comes down to what is important to you as a consumer.
Are you willing to listen to alternatives, to be educated versus being fed a white bread, cookie cutter lawn program from a franchise simply because it’s affordable and can be easily replicated?  Environmental responsibility and program flexibility may be of increased importance to you as you consider staying or changing providers.
A fourth reason to consider changing your lawn care provider involves executing programs through properly trained personal.  Training can be summarized as work experience, licensing, and other important credentials.  While professionals may make caring for your lawn look easy, your lawn care company’s background and training are critical.
Did you know how long your lawn service has been in business or what licenses they possess to do the kind of work safely and with the right knowledge?  Does your company have the kind of resources and experience you deserve or are you simply assuming this because of their name and size?  Big is not always better.
It takes one full season in New England to learn the basics in the field even with training and appropriate state testing.  Did you know that folks who apply organics as a control measure must have a state license to legally go after weeds or insects.  Does your lawn company have the right license and training or is this just an assumption?
As with any profession, nothing can substitute real life experience. Those lawn care services that have been operating effectively and responsibility will always stand out and generally hold a solid reputation in the local business community.  Check the Better Business Bureau website in your state and see if your lawn care provider is listed and if so, what is their rating?  You may find this research most enlightening!
The fifth, but certainly not the only last reason to consider changing a lawn care provider can be summed up in one word: results.  To be fair, results in our industry are greatly influenced by weather, client care, and of course the actual program selected.  My point here when it comes to results – does the program selected or applications applied succeed under similar conditions across the board?
Results are directly related to mowing, weather, rainfall, application technique, treatment timing and treatment selection.  If you asked for broadleaf weed control, did you see a difference?  If not, there may be very good reasons as to explain why or what happened to prevent good results in weed reduction. Has this been adequately explained to you?
Perhaps your program did not have enough of these types of applications or the weeds present were labeled “difficult to control”.  In this case, having your future lawn program modified might be appropriate, such as having additional treatments focused to address the concern.  On the other hand, if this is a reoccurring program problem, then perhaps it is time to look elsewhere for at least a different opinion and options.
There are many other tangible reasons which might cause you to either seek for the first time a business to care for your property or consider switching.  I have simply mentioned five in this blog post in an attempt to bring out facts which you may or may not have thought of in the past.  In the end, a qualified, caring lawn care company can not only save you time and money but we can make your home and castle a place to enjoy with your family, friends, and pets for years to come.