Organization Background
Advanced Services is a pest control company founded in 1986. “We are hired killers,” says Dena Thomas, the company’s president. “We kill bugs for a living.” The company also provides insulation and moisture control solutions as well.
Challenge
Stabilize the company's finances and get a better handle on annual budgets.
Solution
Develop reliable financial statements and budgets with the help of financial literacy training and embrace the discipline of huddling to help communicate how the team tracks toward its goals.
Results
The team says its biggest successes have been the drastic difference in their financial stability and increased team member engagement. Playing the Great Game has had a significant financial impact on the company, as it has increased net income by $490,000 in one year—and paid out a total of more than $110,000 in profit sharing. “The bottom line results of playing the Great Game of Business are far better then we ever expected,” says Thomas.
The management team has also enjoyed seeing the level of engagement among their team members skyrocket and pique their interest in really becoming invested in the success of the business. Team members are now asking more questions, offering new ideas, and acting like business partners rather than just being there for a paycheck. “The level of teamwork is insane now,” says Thomas. “Everyone is pulling toward a common goal. Our entire culture has changed and grown.”
Playing the Game has also helped several of their team members with their own personal finances—and has helped attract and retain top talent in a tightening labor market.
“I love knowing what we are doing and how much we are spending in other areas. I now feel like I am a person rather than just a number at a job because they share everything with us. We all know how much our coffee costs and how much our power bill is. As an office manager when I go to order office supplies, I pay attention to how much things cost, I act as if it is my own money. I now search other options even if it means I can save on shipping. My personal life has changed because I now do the same thing at home. I look to see if we need to spend the extra right now or can we wait when it goes on sale next month.” – Marsha Cameron, Office Manager
MiniGame™ Spotlight
It is not uncommon for the team at Advanced Services to run multiple MiniGames simultaneously. “The team members at Advanced Services are all very competitive so they all step up when any game is brought up, no matter how big or small the prize may be,” says Shelby Pattison, the company’s financial director.
The first MiniGame the team played was aimed at improving communications inside the business. They turned to an app called Slack, which has since become a central point of communication for the entire company where team members share GGOB updates on everything from the financials to the status of their MiniGames. “That MiniGame helped fix one of our biggest issues of communication!” says Thomas. “It’s amazing to how everyone now interacts with each other all the time.”
“The Great Game of Business has helped us create a well-rounded work place. The open-book and transparent approach helps us reach targets and stay aware. This approach has allowed us to have an awesome culture, job security, incentive seeking satisfaction, and the pursuit of happiness.” ~ Wesley Merriweather, Pest Control Technician
What's Next
The Advanced Services team continues to tweak how it plays the Great Game. They changed their bonus plan this year, for example, as a way to more fairly reward their technicians for productivity.
The team is also evolving in terms of how it handles it huddles, as team member are now being assigned ownership over the different line item numbers.
Advanced Services also recently bought another pest control firm in a different part of the state, and they have plans to kick off that team playing the Great Game as well in the coming year.
“I think people are more inclined to stay here longer because they are a part of a company that is more invested in its employees. People feel empowered because they feel like they have a stake in the end of each quarter and therefore they are more mindful of working efficiently. I think everyone is mindful that they as individuals are a small piece to a big puzzle now. Everything we do as individuals impacts the greater picture.” – Josh Sherrill, Sales Inspector
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