Whether you’re hiring a new landscape service partner or you’re looking for ways to receive better service from your existing provider, one of the most important deliverables your landscaper can provide is a written service action plan. Landscape service plans are unique for each property’s needs, but there are a few things that every property’s plan should address.
Service plans should always start with immediate, short term goals to be accomplished in the next thirty days. If you and your landscaper have been communicating effectively, your areas of concern should be easily identified and steps to correct these areas need to be listed as priority from the first day of your service contract. Issues like excessive weeds, inefficient irrigation systems, areas in need of new sod, or any outstanding safety concerns can’t wait and should be in your provider’s immediate action plan. In the case of a new provider taking over management responsibilities for your property, you should expect that they will spend the first month getting to know your property, in addition to addressing your immediate areas of concern. Their service action plan should include soil sampling, auditing the irrigation systems, and reviewing the site with you, discussing their plan and establishing a good baseline to measure their results.
If the first month of your plan is successful, you and your landscape service partner will be able to look back and see some improvements in your property already taking place. Problem areas will have been addressed and you will be ready to plan for the continuing maintenance routine that will become the normal service you receive for your property. Your landscape service action plan will address how your provider will monitor your irrigation system, control weed growth and pest intrusion, perform regular mowing and detail operations, and how they will notify you of any concerns they see in your property’s landscape. These next one to two months are where you will begin to see the hard work of finding the right provider for your property paying off, and you can begin seeing your property’s true potential.
With the immediate challenges already under control and routine maintenance patterns in place, your plan can now shift to longer term objectives. Take the opportunity to step back and see what’s already been accomplished and start to envision what you really what your property to look like in the future. The long term successes of your landscape service plan are where you can begin discussing options to improve your property’s curb appeal. Redesigning entrances, adding or improving outdoor social areas, and enhancing your property’s overall appeal are where your landscape service partner’s creativity is displayed and where you begin to add real value to your property.
As with any project, having a written plan will help guide you and your landscaper through the initial phases of your service partnership. Milestones at the end of each period will give both you and your landscaper something to look forward to, establishing shared goals for your property’s long term success.