Taylor Olson, CEO and co-founder of Applause, shares how his personal and professional journey into the service industry led him to create a powerful technician performance management tool — Applause. Taylor explains how they help pest control businesses drive customer satisfaction and employee engagement through automated recognition and instant rewards. He also discusses core features like automated Google reviews, NPS scoring, and how tipping directly impacts customer retention and technician motivation. Discover how their new Scorecards feature integrates data from FieldRoutes and telematics to give managers and technicians real-time transparency, leading to measurable gains in retention and significant cost savings by reducing issues like accidents and reservices.

Join us as we discuss:

• [2:53] Important lessons learned from early door-to-door sales experience

• [10:53] Boosting performance management and customer engagement through an intuitive mobile app

• [19:02] Giving owner-operators direct control over their techs’ goals and rewards
  

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• FieldRoutes

• Applause

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Pest in Class on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Pest in Class in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What if your next big business breakthrough isn’t in a spreadsheet but in a conversation? In this episode, Thomas Harris, CEO at Uinta Pest Solutions, joins us to talk about how networking and conferences changed everything for his business. He shares how connecting with other owners helped him grow from a one-person operation to a thriving company built on relationships and referrals. Thomas breaks down his simple three-part strategy for every event, explains how he’s turned local meetups and Facebook groups into consistent lead sources, and talks about why getting out of your routine is just as important as refining it.

Join us as we discuss:

• [5:51] How networking supports both business growth and mental health

• [13:17] How networking had directly shaped Thomas’s business growth

• [19:48] Where to find your local business community

Check out these resources we mentioned during the podcast:

• Baton

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Pest in Class on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Pest in Class in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What does it take to build a call center where people actually want to show up? In this episode, Steve Short, VP of Sales and Marketing at Fox Pest Control, shares how his team creates a culture rooted in motivation, mentorship, and accountability. Rather than focusing on numbers alone, Steve explains why Fox’s call center thrives on leadership development and shared values. He dives into the company’s philosophy of calling managers mentors, the power of leading from the front, and how growth-minded hiring creates stronger teams. From putting “numbers in timeout” to teaching new reps that every call matters, Steve reveals the mindset that turns a grind into a mission.

Join us as we discuss:

• [4:45] What a healthy call center really looks like

• [18:48] How to turn around a call center with bad vibes

• [28:32] Why authenticity beats a perfect script every time

You can find this interview and many more by subscribing to Pest in Class on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Listening on a desktop & can’t see the links? Just search for Pest in Class in your favorite podcast player.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.