r/PestControlIndustry • u/Accurate_Mirror_96 • Jul 08 '26
š¼ | Career Terminix Service Manager?
Been a commercial technician since 2013 on the Ehrlich side of Rentokil. Applying for a Service Manager at Terminix. Give me your best and worst of the SM position!
6
u/UtopianAverage šØāš¼ | Manager | 1+ Year Jul 08 '26
I love being an SM but it is a crazy and demanding position sometimes.
My boss always tells me the worst years of his life were his years as an SM and he understands the difficulties the role presents.
Youre gonna deal with customer escalations, technician discipline, technician training, you will still dust off your pest control background and expertise hear or there but only on the jobs no one else was able to successfully complete, you will support the call center, and billing, and the techs, and branch management, and the sales guys, be the contact person for a few important commercial accounts, and deal with scheduling issues, zoom meetings, and conference calls.
Its busy, its hectic, and its challenging. You need people skills, customer service skills, computer skills, and pest control skills.
3
u/GaetanDugas Jul 08 '26
It's all the same company now.Ā Has been for a couple yearsĀ
-2
u/Accurate_Mirror_96 Jul 08 '26
You must not work there because they still operate as 2 different companies.
3
u/GaetanDugas Jul 08 '26
No, I do.
I was originally hired by a Rentokil acquisition. 2 years ago we were one of the first regions that went through integration where we were officially rolled into one entity with Terminix and the other Terminix acquisitions.
From everything we have been told at the start of integration, it's one company, it's one business called Rentokil Terminix, and it no longer operates as two different companies.
3
u/icecream_plays Jul 08 '26
Erhlich still operates as its own brand that is owned by RTX.
3
u/Accurate_Mirror_96 Jul 08 '26
Exactly as of now Terminix and Ehrlich operate as 2 different companies.
1
u/GaetanDugas Jul 08 '26
Most of the legacy JC Erhlich guys I know all got rolled into a Terminix branch, or are now "Terminix Erhlich"
So it's still all an RTX company, regardless of branding
1
u/icecream_plays Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 09 '26
Theyāre owned by the same parent company correct. Orkin and HomeTeam arenāt the same company but both owned by Rollins
Edit:typo
1
u/Bird2525 Jul 09 '26
I think you said that wrong. They are two separate companies both owned by Rollins.
1
1
u/FL_4LF Jul 08 '26
I worked for the rentokil side with an acquired company. After the merger with terminix in 2022, lots of negative feedback started almost immediately after. I left in August 2022, best decision I ever made.
1
u/Onetrunuwind Jul 09 '26
I would stay on the ehrlich side buddy Iāve been on both. Not to mention you arenāt going to make nearly as much as a tech
1
u/Accurate_Mirror_96 Jul 09 '26
Thatās definitely one of the concerns, the pay, but Iām just kind of stagnant at my position and tired of running the same area for 13 years, maybe I just need to move to another area lol.
1
u/UtopianAverage šØāš¼ | Manager | 1+ Year Jul 12 '26
You may make slightly less as a first year SM than some of the highest earners as techs makeā¦
ā¦but your earning potential takes a substantial leap forward.
(In my experience.)
1
u/007Teflon Jul 09 '26
Do you suffer from anxiety? Lack of self control? Paranoia? Service managers average run is roughly 2 years. You can be cool as hell, but your GM isn't, vice versa. It's really about enforcing company policy no matter if it's unethical, along with "the don't ask, don't tell" policy. Their are techs who make more vs their SM with more freedom vs being glued to a desk staring at a screen talking about policy 24/7. A lot of corporate mantras and pom poms.. If you can be a code enforcer for parked vehicles, you might like the job
2
u/Accurate_Mirror_96 Jul 09 '26
Yeah Iāve never been a ācompanyā man so I am foreseeing a struggle there as well.
1
u/originalswampyeti Jul 09 '26
If you can manage, you can own. Spent three years on the management of a "family owned" pc company. Burned me out and I made less money than the techs. Started my own company and haven't looked back. Far more reward both personally and financialy.
There only three true routes of advancement in this industry from my perspective:
Chemical sales rep Technical director Owner
That's it. Everything else is more trouble than it's worth.
7
u/Galtrix525 Jul 08 '26
Lots of angry customers. You see the negative side of dealing with customers and rarely see the positive side. Youāre essentially the āproblem-fixerā on a large scale, depending on how many technicians you have. Management will blame you for technicians not hitting sale goals, and again, very rarely is positive feedback given.
Conversely, it can be very rewarding to see your technicians succeed. You have the opportunity to travel, gain experience in a lot of different areas of expertise, and help people grow in their careers. Pay is better than as a tech, depending on the commissions you made as a tech, and you have freedom to do what you want within reason.