How Routine Landscaping Helps Commercial and Industrial Businesses
Most consumer-oriented businesses understand that it is important to keep their landscapes looking great. Unfortunately, this practice isn’t always employed by owners of industrial businesses. Successful grocery stores, retail outlets, and hotels routinely use the services of landscaping professionals to keep grasses cut short and weeds at bay, but there are many commercial operations that fail to accomplish the same.
Often, this springs from the notion that landscaping is merely an aesthetic consideration — but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, landscaping services not only elevate aesthetics, buy they also provide a number of other concrete benefits — even for businesses not involved in retail markets.
Landscaping Services Enhance Site Safety
To keep your work site as safe as possible, you must keep the landscape under control. Neglected trees can shed branches, leading to injuries or property damage. Overgrown grass and weeds may be even more problematic as they present potential trip hazards and function as breeding grounds for disease-spreading rodents and insects. Furthermore, unruly vegetation and debris can block drainage grates and security lights, which can lead to additional safety-related problems.
Landscaping Services Increase Site Security
Criminals often practice their craft in places with untended landscapes. Overgrown shrubbery and tall grass suggest that the site owner or manager is not running a tight ship and that the business may be lacking alarms and other security measures. Neglected greenery also offers criminals places in which they can operate while remaining out of sight. Unkempt plants and trees block sight lines and views from security cameras, placing staff, customers and inventory in jeopardy. However, you may design your landscape to benefit your business — the clever use of plants and trees can help restrict access to sensitive areas. For example, a dense hedge of prickly holly bushes will deter most casual criminals and juvenile delinquents from trespassing onto restricted areas.
Landscaping Services Improve Customer Perception
While your business model may not rely on a daily influx of retail customers, it probably hosts visitors and customers from time to time, so it’s important for your company to put its best foot forward and look like the kind of place people want to do business in. Few efforts yield better results in this realm than professional landscape services. In fact, studies have shown that customers generally regard goods and services from well-landscaped businesses as more valuable than similar goods and services from businesses with sub-standard landscaping.
Landscaping Services Lead to a Better Work Experience
High-quality landscape management can improve the employees experience, which results in better, more efficient workers. Simply put, most people prefer locations with views of plants and trees, and being surrounded by a well-kept landscape can facilitate health and lift the spirit. It is also important to consider the effect that landscaping has on employee retention — nobody wants to work at a place that looks like a vacant lot.
Landscaping Services Can Reduce Maintenance Costs
Trees, shrubs and groundcovers that are not subject to routine maintenance often cause maintenance problems. For example, the branches of unpruned trees may rub against and damage buildings and signs, prompting the need for expensive repairs. Untended shrubs, hedges, trees and grass can also cause problems for sewer, electric and telecommunication lines. Additionally, they provide a conduit by which rodents and pests can access your building, necessitating the use of costly pest control services.