Skilled professionals with proper planning and an understanding of customer needs can make snow plowing businesses profitable in snow-prone regions. Entrepreneurs equipped with pickups can serve residential clients while also seeking larger contracts such as clearing shopping center parking lots.
Use credit cards and mobile payments to enhance client satisfaction, and take advantage of the off-season to maintain equipment, score deals on winter supplies, and secure contracts for the upcoming season.
Cost-Effective
Commercial snow removal services tend to be cheaper and quicker than trying to do the work yourself, while remaining safer and faster for both customers and employees alike. An expert will ensure access to your business at all times for customers and employees alike.
Cost of commercial snow removal services depends on a property’s size, its location and equipment needed to complete the task. When setting out costs per push for snow removal, be sure to factor in overhead expenses such as wages (per worker), equipment (such as snowblowers), fuel (including gasoline and insurance).
Make sure that you factor in additional costs, such as snow blowing and plowing services, plowing snow with snow blowers or ploughs, plowing snow for major contracts, clearing snow off surfaces such as stairs, rock salting or sanding as part of your bids for major snow removal contracts – it will make sure that you remain competitive while landing these lucrative bids! Lower rates ensure more successful contracts!
Time-Saving
An effective snow removal business needs a strategic plan in place to provide clients with confidence that you can meet their needs. Your plan could involve training your staff on operating equipment properly, and offering per-push or per-occurrence contracts.
Snow can be hazardous for employees and customers who may slip and fall. Hiring a commercial snow plowing service to quickly clear away snowy walkways, parking lots and other areas helps ensure everyone remains safe.
Snow removal teams also provide ice management services. Snow can often obscure dangerous patches of icy patches beneath its layers, which make walking and driving hazardous. Commercial snow removal companies use calcium chloride or magnesium chloride ice melt products to de-ice parking lots and walkways, yet many businesses forget this essential service until it’s too late; thus it is wise to plan and gather support before the season starts.
Safety
No matter if you operate as an individual seasonal operator with a plow on their pickup or as part of a larger snow removal business, safety risks can pose considerable threats. From vehicular accidents to equipment breakdowns, operating these businesses poses numerous dangers that put both yourself and others in harm’s way.
Commercial snow plowing companies frequently turn to training and telematics solutions like Rastrac to implement safety measures, optimize routes, keep tabs on maintenance schedules, and reduce costs. Your drivers should always wear seatbelts while operating the plow, and maintain more space between themselves and other vehicles at night than during the day.
Before any major snowfall, it is crucial to inspect sites in advance in order to identify hazards or obstacles that could become buried by snow, such as fire hydrants, dumpsters and mailboxes. Furthermore, having adequate liability and property damage coverage in case any claims should arise is also crucial.
Peace of Mind
Snow removal can be hazardous work for employees and customers. Lifting heavy snow can strain backs and legs. By hiring a commercial snow removal company, your business can ensure employee safety by relieving them of this responsibility; additionally, liability issues won’t become an issue if someone slips and falls.
Look for a provider with high-quality equipment, such as trucks, salt spreaders and snow plows. Be sure they also offer backup vehicles just in case something goes wrong; also it may be beneficial if they offer newer plows and trucks that will be less susceptible to breakdown due to constant use and exposure to salt/ice conditions.
Select a provider with flexible contract options, such as per-occurrence fees or season-long service agreements. Season-long service agreements tend to be more cost-effective and provide peace of mind knowing your property will be regularly plowed and salted throughout winter.