Pest Control Data Systems, Inc. is a provider of software and related services specializing in the Pest Control and Lawn Care industries.

The company was founded in 1978 by the owner of a Pest Control company that saw the need to computerize. It was soon determined that no solutions were available to automate the day-to-day operation of a service company. A Radio Shack Model II computer was purchased and the long road to developing software began. At the time, computers were very expensive and the storage of data very limited. The first program, along with the CP/M operating system, was stored on one eight inch floppy disk. Try doing that today!

Since day one our goal was to produce a program that was specific to our industry and affordable. With a good understanding of accounting and the needs of the pest control owner, a company was started. It was always imperative that any solution had to be reliable, provide correct information, and easy to read reports. To this end, programming staff were required to visit installations and observe the use of the software so they would have a better understanding of their needs and adapt the software accordingly.

Sales were slow at first since no one really understood what was available, and very expensive due to the cost of computers. State and national conventions provided a good place to create interest in automation of accounting of the pest control industry. All of the early entrants with a solution have gone by the wayside. Most were of the get rich quick mentality and were the first to bail out. Our intentions from the beginning were to give the industry what was needed at a FAIR PRICE, provide the customer excellent support after the sale, and continually improve our product. While others pumped out releases and charged for what should have been provided free (bug fixes), we maintained that any future releases should always be FREE.

In 1990 we released a complete accounting system consisting of four modules: Accounts Receivable, Payroll, Accounts Payable and General Ledger. All information seamlessly flows into the general ledger from the other modules providing the ability to produce financial statements (such as Profit and Loss) on demand. Each of these modules, and others added since that time, are continually being improved to meet the changing needs of the industries. In addition to the programming itself, updates are also made various tax formulas, forms and reports to reflect changes in tax laws, both state and federal. All at NO COST to our customers.

The most recent addition to our services has been field data-collection by technicians using hand-held devices. These are used throughout the day by service personnel and downloaded at the end-of-day for audit and posting. When first introduced, the device used to collect information was fairly inexpensive. These still remain the best alternative even though consolidation of the manufacturing companies, and decrease in demand with the proliferation of cell phones, have caused prices to increase. We continue to consider other options, such as notebooks and smart-phones. At this point, it appears that the best and most reliable solution will be notebooks but the lack of certain capabilities and high cost of communication service charges currently prevent them from being a serious alternative. Return on investment is always a primary consideration.