Take An Office Anywhere

How today's Lawn Care and Landscape companies take an office anywhere

Is it possible to pick up and take an office anywhere you are? YES.

Let’s face it: the majority of landscape, lawn, and tree care industry work isn’t done at a desk or in an office. More often than not, business is happening when you’re in the field.  For smaller businesses, your work truck may actually be your desk or office.

When there’s plenty of “desk work” to be done, here’s how you can adapt to your surroundings and take an office anywhere you are:

Put together a Field Office Bag

Be sure to keep a bag in your truck (and possibly in all the trucks in your fleet) that contains basic office supplies: pens, paper pads, a clipboard, and business cards.  You’d be surprised how many people run out of business cards? You may even want to carry a piece of letterhead (in case you need to jot a quick note to leave for a customer). Something not as obvious?  Include some baby wipes to wipe down your hands.  Of course, restock as necessary.

Don’t forget extra power.

Chargers. Phone chargers, Tablet or iPad chargers. Laptop chargers. These are must-haves for every work vehicle. People forget. When you go into a limited-service area, your phone is constantly trying to connect to the mobile network. This DRAINS your battery.  Before you know it, you’re dead in the water.  Your ability to keep a working phone or tablet without needing to have the vehicle turned on could mean the difference between “emailed a bid” and “lost the job”. Oh… and be sure to protect your devices with solid cases. You work around water, dirt, and other invasive materials.

Download Apps the actually WORK.

There are a billion “Free” apps out there that do this and that.  Sure you can make do with something that “almost works”, but running a business successfully doesn’t come from services that “almost” solve your customers problems.  MobileCrew from Arborgold is industry standard for keeping crews organized and efficient while on the work site. Designed specifically for landscape, lawn and tree care companies ,it provides real-time job costing, so you know how much time is being spent on each job and what resources and pieces of equipment are being used. MobileCrew also helps your team. With the app, they can view job information, route their day, receive and update tasks, and so much more. Organization breeds efficiency, which sets up your team and your business for success and growth.

Training and Informing is Key

Smart tools and procedures is just part of the formula. You need to make your team aware of the what’s changing and train them to use what is at their disposal. Before implementing new tools and processes, hold a team training session. Introduce your team to what’s new, explain why you’re doing it (don’t forget that part -- when people know the why behind a change, they’re more accepting), and in the case of MobileCrew, offer extensive demos. But don’t stop there -- let your team know that you and the management team are available for help and assistance, even after the formal training is complete.

Want to see what Arborgold can do for your landscape, lawn, or tree care company? Take a free tour today.