To provide value-add and peace of mind to its clientele, PestBusters places tremendous emphasis on IT. The importance of technology is best reflected in PestBusters' research and development arm, PestHunters, which it formed with wireless technology player VoIUM Technologies.

Industry Pest management Company Established in 1991, PestBusters serves 95 percent of the five-star hotels and close to 85 percent of the hospitals in Singapore. It also has presence in Malaysia, and franchises in Cambodia and Vietnam. Employees 70, out of which close to 60 are service technicians IT staff None Annual IT Budget Around S$100,000 (US$62,690), or 5 percent of annual turnover

Having its own facility, where a team of researchers conduct research on pest species as well as develop and test the latest pest control technology, is a rarity in the pest management industry, and has certainly positioned the company as a leading-edge player.

In late 2004, PestBusters implemented Ranger Eyes, a Web-based application developed by PestHunters.

Ranger Eyes tracks the progress of pest management jobs, and acts as an information warehouse for storage and retrieval of client records. Using PDAs (personal digital assistants), service technicians update on the go the status of pest management jobs into the system. Clients are also able to log in at their own convenience to view the status of their request and learn what recommendations PestBusters has provided.

The application, introduced to clients in pilots during 2005, was well-received. In fact, it is an important client retention tool for PestBusters. Customers, particularly executives who travel frequently, appreciate the fact that they can track pest control jobs anytime and anywhere. They can also pick out trends for future planning using data captured by the system.

Using IT to empower staff has also proven to be a wise move. Although PestBusters lost five employees when it rolled out Ranger Eyes, its technicians are now heavily reliant on PDAs and welcome the increase in productivity as a result of working while on the move.

The management at PestBusters believe that employees need to be well-prepared for any new IT implementation. For the roll out of Ranger Eyes, Fernandez and his team devised a teach-the-trainer scheme, where the staff trained to use the application will in turn familiarize the next trainee with the new technology. This proved to be very effective, as the technicians reinforce their own learning, even as they pass on the skills that they have picked up.