April 27, 2022

Turfgrass Training for Higher Customer Satisfaction

If your company offers maintenance services, your goal is to keep your customers’ lawns looking their best. Often the employees with the least experience and education or training are on your front line, doing the weekly work your customers see. The more expertise you share with your team members, the better they can represent you and your company.

Thoroughly training your employees when they’re hired and then periodically brushing up on important info can increase customer satisfaction, and might even make the difference between keeping or losing a client. You can also advertise expert practices as premium services not offered by the average lawn company.

The following tips will help your maintenance team contribute to beautiful, healthy lawns and happy customers.

Healthy Grass

Healthy grass does much more than just look better. It also performs better. Healthy grass does a better job of crowding out weeds, resisting disease and insects, and standing up to weather fluctuations than grass under stress.

Proper care contributes to:

Deeper root systems for better nutrient absorption and drought tolerance.
Vigorous growth to crowd out weeds and resist insects.
Better moisture control to minimize disease.
Denser growth to shade soil surface for heat tolerance.
Stronger plants to tolerate foot traffic, harsh weather and foot traffic.

Grass Variety

The ability to correctly identify grass varieties will give your team a huge advantage when it comes to lawncare. Each variety has specific requirements for mowing height and fertility, and each tolerates shade, draught, excess water and foot traffic differently, so expert care starts with proper identification.

Most lawns in Georgia and the surrounding region consist of one of these popular grasses.

Mowing Heights

Some maintenance teams set their mowers at the same height for every lawn, but for optimal vigor and hardiness, mower height should be set according to grass variety. And no more than one-third of the grass blade should ever be cut in a single mowing, regardless of the recommended height.

Heat, drought, seasonal transitions and other factors should also affect mower settings. Training your team to adjust to weather and season changes as well as to variety can help minimize stress on lawns and keep them looking better as well.

Fertility Requirements

In addition to unique mowing recommendations, each variety of grass requires different amounts and timing for proper fertilizing. For example, centipede needs only one to two pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet annually, whereas tall fescue requires two to four pounds. Also, warm season grasses should be fertilized during different months than cool season grasses. If your maintenance team fertilizes too much, too little or at the wrong time, it could significantly affect the grass growth, health and hardiness.

Sharp Blades

Dull mower blades rip the grass blades, leaving a raw, tattered edge rather than a clean slice. In addition to leaving a less pleasing appearance, the dull blades pull on the grass and cause stress to the plant. The jagged edges heal more slowly, as well, making the grass more susceptible to disease. Keeping sharp blades on your team’s equipment will go a long way toward keeping the grass they mow healthy.

Efficient Watering

Irrigation is best done in the morning before the dew dries to help ward off fungi and other diseases. Overwatering can also invite disease and eventually lead to root rot, so encourage homeowners to install rain sensors. Also train your maintenance team to troubleshoot or at least call attention to basic sprinkler issues, such as broken or misdirected heads.

Soil Tests

If you want to set your lawn maintenance services apart from the competition, have your team take soil samples of each lawn and send them to the local extension office for testing. It’s inexpensive and gives you precise information that allows you to treat each lawn with the exact prescription for nutrients and minerals it needs for optimal growth. With a customized fertility plan, your customers will have the healthiest and best looking lawns in town.

Professional Resources

If a team member is new to the green industry, encourage them to subscribe to both our homeowner and professional newsletters for a wealth of turfgrass information and resources. And our best resource is our team of Certified Turfgrass Professionals, available at 770.832.8608 or info@NGTurf.com.