Text field crews timely information about traffic jams, weather-related closures, holiday announcements and more.
Remind staff to submit photos of job sites, receipts for reimbursement & more.
Celebrate every employee's birthday and work anniversary, without having to remember.
Enhance company culture & allow employees to contribute through text message surveys.
Communicate with blue-collar workers in a way that's natural and easy for them.
Team Engine allowed our small business to be more proactive in sourcing applicants. Evaluating the applicants and interacting with them was easy and quick. As a result, we were fully staffed at the start of our season with the most talented team in history.
Toni Kennedy
Assistant Operations Manager, Shades of Green
The amount of no-call no-show interviews decreased from 50% to less than 5%. I love having the ability to communicate via group text with all employees. Team Engine is helping us improve employee retention and communication, which reduces turnover.
Don MorseProduction Operations & Safety Manager, Alpine Gardens
The messaging feature is great. You can very quickly and easily message a large group of people, but sending is the only thing that is like a group message. It arrives to the recipient as a normal text message, and replies come back into Team Engine as individual, private messages. You get the convenience of group messaging without any of the hassles.
Jeff HeroldPresident, Brightview Evergreen West & Chief Operating Officer (Maintenance Services)
Team Engine puts all of my recruiting efforts in one place, and allows us to communicate easily with our team to alert them of events, send images and even one on one messaging.
Sally SteevesRecruitment Coordinator, SLS Outdoor Living
With Team Engine, we are able to increase the hiring pool ten-fold, reaching so many more people that have experience in our field.
Lara BeckemeierHR Director, Landesign
At Landscapes By Terra, one of the biggest benefits to using Team Engine was how it helped diversify where and how they source applicants. When they needed to hire more production managers, they sent a short text message survey to employees to ask if anyone was interested in becoming a production manager. Two employees responded that they were, and are now actively being mentored to move into those roles.
At Landesign, Team Engine has not only increased the number of applicants they receive, but has also dramatically improved their retention as well. Lara believes this is due to the excellent hiring experience they are able to provide through Team Engine from beginning to end of the hiring process.
Before Team Engine, Lara and her team at Landesign would frequently find themselves scrambling to fill holes in their labor force. Now, it's quick and easy to "turn on" a job posting when they need to hire. And, because Team Engine distributes the job to all the top career sites, and because applications are automatically screened by the software for things like commute time and responsiveness, Lara's applicant pool is always filled with qualified candidates, and qualified candidates only.
CASE STUDY
Landscapes By Terra used Team Engine to automate their hiring process while fostering employee engagement through improved internal communications.
CASE STUDY
Landesign never has trouble filling out their crews anymore, since Team Engine is always working in the background to keep qualified candidates coming in.
CASE STUDY
Ambler Industries keeps every employee connected and informed using Team Engine's centralized employee texting platform for HR.
JOB DESCRIPTION TEMPLATES
WEBINAR ON-DEMAND
Blueprint for Recruiting & Retaining Green Industry Employees with Neal Glatt from GrowTheBench.com
WEBINAR ON-DEMAND
Financial Deep Dive into the Spring Hiring Ramp-Up with Carla & Joe Policastro from Cycle CPA
WEBINAR ON-DEMAND
Hiring & Retention Tips for the Green Industry: An On-Demand Webinar with Jeffrey Scott
WEBINAR ON-DEMAND
WEBINAR ON-DEMAND
Most hiring and recruiting software isn't made specifically for a deskless, blue-collar workforce, but ours is. That's why we're confident you'll love our suite of automated hiring and communication tools to grow and retain your landscaping and snow removal crews. Sign up for no-cost access to our entire HR automation platform for a full week, complete with all features and support from our team every step of the way.
What you'll get:
Landscaping software typically includes a multitude of features such as 3D rendering, plant databases, job costing and project management. These features are usually accessible via a single, easily navigable interface.
For example, Aspire stands as an excellent representative of commercial landscaping software. Aspire's comprehensive suite of tools offer clients precise control over every aspect of business and project management. From opportunity management and estimating to purchasing and mobile time, this platform is designed to handle all aspects of a landscaping business, driving high-speed growth and productivity.
Another robust solution in this domain is Kickserv. Known as an efficient management tool, Kickserv offers versatile applications like job scheduling, customer management, and billing. Their user-friendly dashboard unites all functions into a single interface, facilitating quick and informed decisions.
PRO Landscape seeks to capitalize on visualization, offering users an extensive plant database to craft their designs. This residential landscaping software lets users choose from over 14,000 high-quality images, thereby enabling designs that truly and authentically reflect a project's potential.
ServiceTitan also represents a powerful and sophisticated solution, offering an all-in-one software that caters to all forms of service businesses, including landscaping. Renowned for its scalability, this platform is as suited for a small business as it is for a large, multi-service operation.
On the contrary, SingleOps presents itself as a versatile option, blurring the lines between commercial and residential landscaping software, and offering a suite of services which include proposal generation, scheduling, purchasing, and accounting service amongst others. By streamlining operations with a singular platform, SingleOps allows landscaping businesses to function optimally and efficiently.
In addition, Team Engine focuses on centralizing workforce communication, streamlining all aspects of human resource management including hiring, training, and onboarding. This comprehensive HR software for landscapers is an exceptional asset for businesses aiming for a seamless, productive and communicative work environment.
Designed specifically for the construction and outdoor industry, BusyBusy is a digital timesheet and time tracking solution. This tool aids landscaping companies by tracking and recording the time spent on each project, ensuring profitability and efficiency.
Boss serves the landscape and lawn care industry with a comprehensive landscape management software solution. Their offerings include job costing, customer relationship management (CRM), scheduling and human resources, all aimed at revenue growth and enhancing operational effectiveness.
CompanyCam is a unique software tool specifically designed for project documentation. Known for its photo-based approach, CompanyCam initiates real-time updates, allowing teams to share, annotate, and store project photos effortlessly, adding a layer of transparency and simplified documentation to any landscaping project.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, but provides a glimpse into the wide array of landscaping software available on the market, depending on your company size, goals and needs.
Employee referrals serve as an effective means of recruitment. It is a method rooted in trust, where existing employees refer candidates they deem suitable for the landscaping role. This word of mouth, internal recruitment strategy not only saves time but also expedites the hiring process. Renowned landscaping companies often incentivize their employees to bring forth potential candidates from their professional or personal network, thereby broadening the talent base of potential hires. With this method, you can ensure that your landscape employees are recruited from a pool of applicants who are vouched for their skills and expertise by your own trusted staff.
The digital age has also provided an array of online platforms for recruiting landscape employees. Social media recruiting is a tech-savvy strategy that optimizes social networking sites to advertise job openings, enabling potential candidates to discover and apply for such jobs with convenience. LinkedIn is potent recruitment platform for upper management positions, enabling landscaping firms to showcase their company culture, job offers, and prospects to a wider, digitally active audience. Leveraging the omnipresent nature of social media as a vehicle for recruitment, allows landscape companies to dive deeper into the talent pool and secure professionals who are abreast of current landscaping trends and technologies.
Traditional recruiting methods, referred to as offline recruiting, also hold a significant place in hiring landscape employees. These techniques include walk-ins, recruitment fairs, newspaper ads, and partnerships with trade schools which can be viable options to reach potential employees who may not have an extensive online presence, or prefer traditional methods of job hunting. Although they might appear time-consuming, these methods provide an opportunity to establish a personal connection, discerning the suitability of a candidate beyond their on-paper qualifications.
Incorporating these strategies - employee referrals, social media recruiting, and offline recruiting - in your landscape company's hiring process will give you a balanced approach in uncovering potential candidates across various platforms. Each method delivers unique advantages, enabling your company to scout, interview, and hire landscape employees who are qualified, experienced, and in sync with your company's objectives.
One good starting point is popular job boards. Websites like Indeed, Craigslist and ZipRecruiter offer wide exposure and attract landscaping candidates of varying skill levels. Candidates can either be sought out by description or experience and proposals, much like a marketplace for hiring lawn care employees.
Likewise, niche job boards related to the industry might provide an even more precise pool of potential candidates. Landscaping-specific websites (such as LandscapeIndustryCareers.org, iHireLandscaping.com or HireHorticulture.com) offer a specialized database of job seekers, linking employers directly to people interested in the sector. This approach minimizes the need to sift through candidates from irrelevant fields.
For hiring landscaping employees with no experience, workforce and vocational centers might be valuable resources, too. Such organizations often provide training programs and job placement services for individuals looking to venture into new industries. Offering entry-level roles to these candidates can potentially bring in new blood to the landscape business, marrying enthusiasm with the opportunity to learn on-the-job.
Considering community colleges or vocational schools can also be valuable, as students studying relevant fields such as horticulture or environmental science may be seeking part-time or summer work with flexible schedules. Career fairs at these institutions present excellent opportunities to meet potential employees face-to-face.
Moreover, for digital know-how and remote working capacity, leading platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer could be useful to hire lawn care employees online. These platforms host a wide variety of individuals offering services ranging from design to project management, which could be of significant use in landscape businesses.
Local publications and posting ads in newspapers may seem old-school but they can be quite effective. Many job seekers still frequently peruse newspapers, especially in rural areas. A well-placed ad might attract landscaping veterans or individuals willing to switch careers.
Referral programs are another way on how to find lawn care employees. Encouraging existing employees to refer potential candidates from their networks (for a reward, if necessary) can bring in trustworthy and reliable individuals, given they are pre-vetted by current employees.
Social platforms, particularly LinkedIn, offer an exciting avenue to reach out to potential candidates. Creating a company page, sharing job vacancies, and using the platform's job hunting features can be a great way to attract potential applicants.
Similarly, other social media networks like Facebook or Instagram shouldn't be overlooked. Creating dedicated hiring posts and encouraging followers to share them can create a rapid, expansive reach with minimal effort. For industries like landscaping, where visual portfolios of work can be stunningly showcased, social media offers a unique advantage.
Networking within industry associations or at industry events provides an excellent opportunity to meet potential candidates. Many industry organizations and trade shows have job boards or networking events specifically designed to connect employers with job seekers.
Lastly, partnering with employment agencies or hiring consultants specialized in the landscaping industry could be a viable option. Agencies have resources and expertise in matching job profiles with the ideal candidates.
Managing a landscape business involves a myriad of challenges. However, one of the most significant tasks involves hiring lawn care employees with a commitment to unrivaled service, dedication to job responsibilities, and an in-depth understanding of the industry's unique demands. The pathway to success begins with defining the roles, expectations, and requirements of the job, followed by strategizing and executing on an effective recruitment process, from job posting to interviewing and eventually employing the most suited candidates.
Nonetheless, as with many other businesses in the digital age, leveraging innovative techniques and tools can simplify, optimize, and streamline this process. Incorporating text message communication into your recruitment strategy, for example, can accelerate response times, eliminate back-and-forths, and enhance engagement with potential employees. This medium is fast becoming popular due to its ability to keep the conversation flowing seamlessly, while also offering an informal tone, particularly for the younger generation. In addition, with text messages, information can be transmitted swiftly and efficiently—the needed convenience in the high-paced world of the landscaping business.
Another critical tool to enhance your hiring process is software for hiring lawn care employees. Team Engine, as an example, helps recruit both active and passive applicants, can instantly translate communications into another language, automatically engages new applicants, and allows users to communicate with all job applicants from all sources in one place. Team Engine's text-first platform also helps retain employees by improving company culture and communication with effective, timely communication between frontline workers, their managers, and employee support teams.
A well-structured onboarding program that provides complete training about the tasks can be instrumental in helping new hires acclimate to their roles. Landscaping is physically demanding work, and a thorough introduction to the safety measures and techniques can reduce the risk of injuries in the workforce, thus contributing to better employee satisfaction and commitment.
Communication plays a significant role in retaining landscaping employees. Regular feedback and recognition can make the employees feel valued, thereby increasing their sense of job satisfaction. It's also important to create an environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their concerns and suggestions. The use of an 'open door' policy encourages dialogue and can mitigate potential issues before they escalate.
Remuneration and benefits are undeniably significant factors contributing to job satisfaction. Ensuring competitive wages and benefits is a key strategy in how to keep landscaping employees from leaving. Offering additional perks, like flexible scheduling and healthcare benefits, can also make the organization more attractive to potential and current employees.
Career development opportunities and pathways for advancement are crucial for retaining staff. By providing clear career progression routes and investing in employee development programs, companies can instill a sense of long-term growth and security in their employees. Additionally, providing opportunities for employees to acquire new skills through training programs will enhance their job satisfaction and loyalty.