HOA service the Accurate way

How do you maintain long-standing business relationships with more than 200 major homeowner associations? The answer for Accurate Termite and Pest Control is a proven service system that is customized for every HOA. Sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not, says Isaac Camacho, marketing and sales director.

A full-service pest management company, Accurate serves San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties. Seventy percent of the company’s business is termite control, and most of that is for drywood termites, and most of that is for major HOAs.

You can have a service system with personalization, says Isaac Camacho, marketing and sales director for Accurate Termite and Pest Control, in, California. Camacho saw such balance in action while in college. His classwork focused on marketing, but summers selling door to door to pay for college taught him the need to relate to homeowners individually while working within a sales system.

“Our reputation with HOAs goes back more than 20 years. They trust we will do what we have promised. That is the system side,” Camacho says. “At the same time, HOAs have unique needs and we recognize that requires customization within our system.”

Active and ongoing communication makes it all work, Camacho says.

“We put it all out in the open. We tell customers what to expect and we don’t sugarcoat it. For example, we even tell them how much damage they could expect. That way, when damage evolves, it comes from a position of transparency. One way we do that is to offer an optional pre-project walk of the property. Our fumigation subcontractors take part in the pre-walk so they can speak for themselves about potential damage concerns.”

What are the main aspects of Accurate’s service system?

• A fast response time, within two days for any issue, including a two-day turnaround for a scheduled inspection.
• Results of condominium unit inspections are reported to the condo board or management before being communicated to residents. This assures management can speak from a position of knowledge and avoids residents creating rumors.
• A 100 percent kill is ensured by monitoring fumigations.
• A two-year, no-hassle warranty. While fumigation does not offer residual protection, a verified elimination of all colonies does ensure against ongoing damage by drywood termites.

Customization within the system is managed by three dedicated project managers. These are not salespeople or wood-destroying organism inspectors, Camacho says, but individuals hired and trained to help HOAs. Project managers focus on meeting fumigation benchmarks that include getting initial notices to all residents, signed disclosures back and keys from each resident. The project manager will work with the HOA manager, the managing agent or the board of directors on nuances for their specific HOA.

Personalization right down to an individual’s question is a service provided for homeowner association clients by Accurate Termite and Pest Control. The company’s goal is to use communication to meet legal, company, HOA and resident needs.

Project managers also help HOAs understand and comply with appropriate California law.

“A project manager helps the HOA manager or team stay within the bounds of what they can and cannot do,” Camacho says. “For example, we cannot give residents less than 15 days’ notice before the fumigation will be done, and no more than 30 days. So, residents have 30 days to prep for the fumigation.”

And to help guide residents with preparation, Accurate provides the bagging instruction sheet for Vikane^® gas fumigant. When residents want more information directly from the manufacturer, a Douglas Products sales representative is asked to assist.

An important element in customization is the development of a website for each HOA project. The website provides information on the fumigation process, its timeline and gives residents the ability to sign online — which is important as some units are vacation homes and the residents are not available to attend an information meeting. A chat section on the website allows residents to ask questions and get a prompt and personal reply.

And while project managers have the flexibility needed to work with each HOA, at the same time, they also make sure Accurate’s service system is followed.

“We have company policies that are quite specific, like only taking a resident’s key if it has our tag on it and leaving the key in the residence when the fumigation is completed. Making all this happen requires both a grasp of the day-to-day steps while seeing the entire project from the 10,000-foot level.”