Is Automated Lawn Care the Need of the Hour?

“Perhaps we should all stop for a moment and focus not only on making our AI better and more successful but also on the benefit of humanity.” Stephen Hawking (2017).

Automation: Curse or Boon?

The benefit of humanity is a priority. The goal for any automation technology like AI should be for the greater good of people.

AI is changing the way industries work. People often think that AI will render them useless. Customer service representatives and Relationship Managers of financial institutions are examples of people who felt threatened by AI with the introduction of chatbots and digital assistant integration in apps. The intent behind this was to make life easier, to save time and cost, and to transfer those savings to the consumer.

Customer service representatives and bankers, if not very, are still prevalent, and AI has not replaced them. AI's job is never to replace human intervention but to augment their capability.

Automated Lawn Care and Landscaping Business

The lawn and landscaping industry still requires a lot of manual intervention. According to the most recent industry data available, 71,000 landscaping jobs went unfilled in 2017. This comes when demand for lawn care services is growing exponentially, with the National Association of Landscape Professionals hoping to add 100,000 new jobs to the industry by 2025.

“I don’t need more business; I need more people to do the work.”

That is the underlying sentiment that landscape contractors and association representatives expressed at last year’s Workforce Development and Recruitment Summit. The situation has now worsened.

Automation as a solution

Being short on crew members, your account managers and estimators devoting their valuable time, fuel and effort on prospects by physically visiting sites to offer quotes are probably at the top of your daily troubles. Automation is what can make your life easier. Here's how-

With tools like robotic mowers and automated measurements, companies like Robin Autopilot, Scythe Robotics and Attentive,ai, are here to make it happen for you.

Automated measurements and AI in the lawn and landscaping industry mean minimal human intervention in the workflow, allowing the account manager to spend more time with the customer.

This is just the tip of the automation "iceberg" in the landscaping industry. AI has a lot to offer and doesn't intend to pose a threat to existing job owners. It simply augments their capabilities so that they can do more with limited resources.

Time to embrace newer technologies. Change is hard, yes, but it doesn't seem so bad after you see the profits coming in. Let AI handle all the landscaping grunt work that leaves you to focus on what's important: your customers.

If you are an estimator and you feel AI, like our automated lawn care and landscape measurement software, is a threat, it is understandable. However, remember that every threat is an opportunity in disguise. Being most productive and using your time is the principal aim. Use this opportunity to show your superiors that you can do a lot more than just measure sites. Even if it means that you need to upskill yourself to take on additional roles and responsibilities. It is always best to have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset.