“Our environment, the world in which we live and work, is a mirror of our attitudes and expectations.” - Earl Nightingale
The foundation of a successful service provider-client relationship is clearly defined expectations. We know this to be true in landscape service, because we’ve seen it time and time again. Our longest lasting client partnerships - some now spanning nearly 20 years - are successful because we continue to discuss the goals our clients have set for their properties and regularly measure our progress toward achieving those goals.
When both you and your landscape service partner agree on what a successful landscaping service outcome looks like, it’s much easier to put a landscape management plan in place to achieve it. Here are a few items to consider and discuss with your provider as you think about service expectations for your property:
The Role Your Landscaping Plays
For residential homeowner associations landscaping is the face of the community – central to its value and often the largest single item in the property’s annual budget. For other types of commercial properties, high quality landscaping can be a powerful sales tool – attracting tenants, customers, or students. The overall sense of caring, attention to the small details, and pride in a property’s appearance is so important and should never be underestimated. Your landscape service provider needs to understand and appreciate what a huge responsibility they have, before they commit to servicing your property. Without fully understanding how important landscaping is to your property’s success, your landscape service partner may not be offering the right solution for your needs.
How Often Service Should Be Performed
This is a critical expectation to set with your service provider and is the number one factor that will determine the cost of your landscape service. If you’ve determined that the aesthetic appeal of your landscaping is very important to your property’s success, then you want to keep it looking its best all the time. Depending on the size of your property, that may require a landscape service partner that will commit to having staff service your property every day. If your property’s needs don’t quite require that level of detail, then your service plan may include weekly visits during peak growing season, and less frequent visits during off-peak months. Aligning your goals with a landscape service plan that includes the right number of visits to deliver the results you're looking for is a key component to discuss with your landscape service provider.
What Types of Services Are Needed
Commerical landscaping maintenance service providers vary greatly in what capabilities and services they provide for their clients. For basic services like mowing, trimming, and edging, there are hundreds of providers in most areas. However, if professionally managed landscaping is key to your property’s success, then look beyond basic services to determine what specialty services will be required. Landscaping that adds value will require a provider that can manage your irrigation system, implement a fertilization and pest management program and care for your property’s shrubs and trees, in addition to performing basic maintenance services. Discuss these specialty service needs with your provider. Even if they don’t perform every service themselves, they may be able to coordinate these additional services for you, maximizing the potential for the success of your property's landscape, and reducing the number of vendors you have to manage.
If your property’s landscaping isn’t delivering the results you had hoped for, take a moment to think about your expectations and how you communicated them to your current landscape service provider. It’s never too late to step back and redefine your expectations. In our next post we’ll discuss how to communicate effectively with your landscape provider – letting them know what you expect and find some ways to measure your property’s success together.