Tree Inventory Management for Client Properties
Why is tree inventory management important for your client properties? Your business and your client list are growing. You're learning to give quotes that instill trust and land jobs.
Now it’s time to consider how to achieve longevity with the clients you already have, and any who will hire you in the future. If you're going to see how well the treatments you're applying to your customer's trees you'll want to create a tree inventory for their property.
But how???
One important step is to create an inventory of every specimen you plant on every single client property. Record the location, type of tree, age, dbh, height canopy, and health. These records should be created at the beginning of your business relationship with each client and meticulously updated over the seasons and years.
That sounds like a lot of work. Is it really worth it?
The short answer is YES. Creating a tree inventory for your clients is worth every minute of your time and here’s why...
Creating a tree inventory management system will cultivate stronger relationships with clients
Your clients are investing serious money in your services to help them protect and upgrade one of their most important assets. Property value is heavily tied in with quality landscaping and you need to come across as a trusted partner.
Tree inventory is something you can physically offer your clients to show just how much their investment in your services is yielding. You can spell out for them in no uncertain terms exactly what is now situated on their property and the value of each.
A little care today prevents a lot of problems tomorrow
By keeping a record of the species and conditions of each property, you can be proactive about care rather than waiting until something goes really wrong.
When an insect or disease hits you'll know which customers trees and plants might be affected so you can react quickly to ensure the trees are treated in a timely manner.
Maintaining tree inventory allows you to continually monitor trees and compare with previous records. This could mean the difference between nipping an issue in the bud (so to speak) and having to tell a client that a tree is too far gone to save.
The art of the upsell
A tree inventory management system also has a somewhat less obvious benefit which is the potential to upsell. Say you happen to know there is an invasion or a particular pest on the horizon—aphids for example. You can easily check your inventory to see exactly who has tulip poplar trees on their property and reach out to these clients offering them an upsell of services before the invasion begins. It’s a win-win.
The bottom line
There really aren’t any reasons notto create a tree inventory for each and every property you serve. It will help you keep good records for all of your clients and establish a solid relationship built on trust and quality service.
How to keep track
Arborgold's new Tree Inventory Management System feature was recently released and gives users the ability to record and maintain treatment records of each plant/tree on a customer's property. Record important information, such as GPS location, dbh, height, canopy, custom tags and unlimited photos. Arborgold's plant inventory feature is available in the Premium and Ultimate subscriptions.
