Summer’s the Peak Time to
Promote Service Agreements

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It’s mid-summer, and your irrigation and landscaping crews are busy.

Customers are enjoying the fruits of your labor: healthy, lush landscapes and enchanting outdoor lighting under summer skies. Now’s the time to promote the benefits of annual service contracts.

Prepare Now for the Leaner Months Ahead

Maintenance can be the key to survival in the green industry. Offering your clients an annual service contract allows you to augment your month-to-month income by maintaining their landscapes year-round. The increased cash flow will help your company withstand the leaner months of the year.

Service agreements go beyond annual winterization and start-up services. With a contract, customers pay a monthly fee for you to perform general irrigation and landscaping maintenance on a regular basis.

Your business enjoys a stable, reliable year-round income, landscapes are kept in tip-top shape, and potential costly repairs are avoided. It’s a win-win for both you and your clients.

Irrigation Services to Include

In addition to winterization and spring start-up, your irrigation service contract should include programming controllers to prevent underwatering in July and overwatering in November. Many homeowners will not make this adjustment on their own, but it can save a significant amount of water, reducing their water bill and conserving resources.

Other services to include are:

• Monthly inspection of the controller
• Updating the time and date.
• Checking all wiring connections, including rain and soil-moisture sensors
• Replacing the backup battery.
• Adjusting the watering schedule during times of drought, to reflect the allowed watering days and times
• Ensuring valve boxes are clean and free of debris
• Testing the backflow device (certified professional only)
• Activating each sprinkler zone and checking the system for damage such as:

• • • Leaky pipes, valves, or seals
    • Broken, missing, sunken, or tilted sprinkler heads
    • Clogged nozzles

Landscaping Services to Include

Along with routine lawn mowing and trimming, landscaping contractors should consider including the following services in their maintenance contracts:

• Soil testing, fertilization, and weed control
• Core aeration, overseeding, and post-aeration care
• Integrated Pest Management and disease control
• Seasonal clean-up, mulching, and winter preparation
• Plant selection and installation
• Pruning and trimming trees and shrubs
• Snow and ice management (if applicable)

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Lighting Services to Include

If your irrigation and landscaping business includes outdoor lighting services, you’ll want to include lighting maintenance in your service contract.  Specifically:

• Cleaning all fixtures and lenses, and removing debris to avoid light blockages
• Checking for moisture and placing desiccant packs where necessary
• Replacing bulbs according to the fixture’s wattage and voltage requirements
• Repairing or replacing exposed wires
• Reburying exposed cables
• Realigning fixtures to ensure proper illumination
• Adjusting the lighting timer to accommodate seasonal changes

Other Details

When drafting your service contract, there are multiple general details that must not be overlooked. Such as:

• Contract beginning and end dates
• Amount of monthly fee and payment schedule
• Customer address and property description
• Customer specifications, such as grass height, use of organic products, etc.
• Which state’s laws apply to the contract
• A severability clause
• Signature and date lines

The Bottom Line

Annual service contracts enable proactive customer service and provide the cash flow your business needs to sail through the off-season. Year-round irrigation and landscaping maintenance is a natural add-on service opportunity, resulting in happier clients and a more lucrative bottom line for your business.

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Sources:
Featured Image: Adobe, License Granted
Turf Magazine
Alliance for Water Efficiency
Lighting Warehouse
Commercial Integrator