Twenty-five years ago, when Walker Mowers were first introduced to the marketplace, small computers and user-friendly applications software were just in their infancy. Only the most astute businesspeople were finding ways to incorporate this new technology into their operations. A quarter of a century later, small, powerful computers and ingenious software have impacted nearly every square inch of the business landscape. Slide rules are obsolete and ledger paper is nearly passé. Land-based phones are being replaced by small cell phones that talk, take digital photos and double as computers. They can even be used to keep their owners from getting lost.

In the Walker factory alone, computers have had a tremendous impact on product design, component and parts fabrication, along with the welding, painting and final assembly of mowers. This technology has revolutionized business all the way down the mowing chain, from the way dealers provide parts and service support, to the way commercial mowing contractors keep their customers’ properties looking their best.

Still, not all businesses are created equal in size or in their knowledge of computers. Some small owner/operator mowing contractors, for example, are still keeping their books and scheduling accounts the old-fashioned way. Others are using computers to balance their check book, total monthly and year-end figures, mail out invoices, configure mowing routes, and even track maintenance schedules and hours on the job.

To find out just how computers are being used, Walker Manufacturing retained an independent research company to conduct a computer software survey. The primary objective of the survey was to find out what kind of software Walker Mower operators are using to manage specific business applications, including financial management, operations, sales and marketing, customer account management, and fleet and equipment management.

There was an important secondary objective, as well. Walker Manufacturing wanted users of its equipment to have some idea of where they reside on the technology curve compared to other Walker users from around the country. So take a moment to read the survey results and find out how your use of computers compares with other Walker users. You may be surprised to learn that if you still do business the old-fashioned way, you’re not alone, or that despite recent advances in specialized applications software for landscape and mowing contractors, some “tried and true” off-the-shelf software still gets the job done.

Computer Usage

If your annual sales are greater than $100,000 or if you’ve been in business less than 10 years, you are more likely than your smaller, more veteran counterparts to use a computer, according to the survey results.

The survey received 231 responses from Walker users who are in the “contract mowing” business. Of those, approximately three out of four indicated that they use a computer in their businesses. Ninety-five percent of responding companies with annual sales greater than $100,000 take advantage of computer technology compared to 60 percent of those with annual sales figure less than $100,000. Eighty-five percent of new companies (in business 10 years or less) have a computer compared to 70 percent of established companies (in business more than 10 years).

Slightly more than 60 percent of the respondents indicated they use only one computer in their operation compared to 26 percent who use two. Approximately 11 percent of the respondents use three or more computers. Only half (52.3 percent) of those contractors who use two or more computers indicated that their computers are networked.

Financial management, sales/marketing, customer/account management and operations management top the list of computer applications for respondents. Fewer contractors make use of computer technology for fleet and equipment management.

The top three applications software for the above business functions are as follows:

Financial management (payroll, invoicing, budgeting, accounts payable/receivables)

• Quickbooks/Quicken (63.5% of respondents)
• Excel (5.9%)
• MS Word (2.4%)
• Others with two or more mentions include Peachtree, MS Money, GroundsKeeper PRO

Operations (estimating, job costing, and routing)

• Quickbooks/Quicken (17.1% of respondents)
• Excel (10.6%)
• CLIP (3.5%)
• Others with two or more mentions include MS Word, GroundsKeeper Pro, MS Money, Q Express

Sales/marketing (creating flyers, newsletters and other promotional pieces)

• MS Word/PowerPoint/ Publisher (31.2% of respondents)
• Quickbooks (3.5%)
• MS Works (2.4%)
• Others with two or more mentions include Paintshop Pro and Photoshop

Customer/Account management (maintaining customer data/service history)

• Quickbooks/Quicken (41.2% of respondents)
• Excel (8.8%)
• CLIP (4.7%)
• Others with two or more mentions include: GroundsKeeper Pro, MS Word, MS Works, MS Money, Peachtree, Q Express

Other Results

As mentioned, only a few of the respondents indicated they used their computers to manage their equipment and fleets. In fact, less than 20 percent of them use computer software for either of these applications. Twenty percent of respondents indicated that they retain an outside company or individual to do their payroll, and slightly more than 25 percent plan to purchase computer software for their business within the next 12 months.

As a Walker user, what do these survey results tell you? For starters, if you don’t use a computer in one fashion or another in your business, you’re in the minority. If you use a computer, chances are you’re using an off-the-shelf software (Quickbooks, Excel, etc.) to help run your business. For Walker users, who tend to be smaller operators (see below), the more specialized landscape maintenance brands haven’t caught on yet.

It’s interesting to note, as well, that only 25 percent of respondents plan to purchase computer software within the next 12 months. If there is demand for new software and ways to use a computer, it appears to be latent at best, which implies that mowing contractors are either satisfied with the way they’re currently running their businesses or are simply unaware of new software and other technology that will make their jobs easier and more productive.

If history tells us one thing, though, it’s that technology is pervasive. The way all of us go to market with our products and services is constantly changing. Computers and their attendant technology will play an ever-increasing important role in years to come.

A typical Walker Mower contractor

Nearly all of the mowing contractors who responded to the survey indicated that they maintain both commercial and residential accounts. Only 31 contractors included municipal/institution accounts as part of their book of business.

According to survey results, an “average” contractor using Walker Mowers generates 31 percent of his or her sales with commercial accounts, 64 percent with residential accounts, and 5 percent with municipal/institution or other work. More than half (54.7 percent) of the respondents indicated that their total company sales last year were less than $100,000. Another 24.7 percent generated sales between $100,000 and $250,000. Approximately 20 percent represented companies that grossed more than $250,000 last year.

Although performing exterior maintenance services is their major focus, more than half of the mowing contractors also provide exterior installation and lawn care services. Typical or “average” Walker Mower contractors, however, generate nearly three-quarters of their sales revenue from exterior maintenance, and the remainder from exterior installation (12 percent), lawn care (9 percent) and other services, including leaf removal, firewood and snow removal (7 percent).

Survey respondents have been in business an average of 13.6 years. More than half of them have owned their Walker Mower(s) for five years or less. They average two full-time employees and two seasonal employees, although more than one-third of the respondents are owner/operators with one year-round employee, and 46 percent of the respondents indicated retaining one seasonal employee.