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With terms such as “social distancing,” “essential workers” and “new normal” indelibly etched into our minds by now, the blueprint to franchise success, through alternate protocols, was forged early on during the COVID-19 shutdown, and that success continues to grow through future investments.
At bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, the franchise learned that it needed to think ahead; to be prepared for anything, play out all scenarios, and be as proactive as possible. “COVID-19 made it clear that things can change in an instant, and as an essential business, it’s our job to be able to pivot our business to meet the needs of our customers,” says Robin Wilcox, operation support specialist for bluefrog Plumbing + Drain.
Moreover, aside from its services being deemed essential, bluefrog hosted weekly coaching and training calls to guide them through PPP loans, navigating a difficult climate and driving results on every call. The network relied solely on webinar-based training, coaching, financial reporting, and operations coaching. “Bluefrog HQ did the necessary legwork for franchisees by creating resource relationships that the entire network could utilize rather than the franchisees needing to find themselves,” says Wilcox.
According to Mike Fowler, franchisee of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing and One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning in Charlotte, NC., being part of a franchise system and being surrounded by a strong network of business owners across the United States proved to be invaluable as “we all navigated through the unknown,” says Fowler.
“Benjamin Franklin Plumbing already had a Franchisee Leadership Team (FLT) established prior to the pandemic, and it exists to continuously improve our brand as a whole with system-wide collaboration and ongoing communication. The motto 'working for yourself, but not by yourself' is echoed from all aspects of the Benjamin Franklin Plumbing franchise, and forming relationships with both the home office and fellow franchisees, in addition to the support of my family and the communities we operate in, continues to propel my business forward,” says Fowler.
During this pandemic, says Doyle James, president, Mr. Rooter, A Neighborly Co., the entire network, consisting of more than 245 Mr. Rooter franchise business owners, have been working together and sharing ideas on how to successfully navigate business during this uncertain time. “Simultaneously, Neighborly provided a great amount of support through sending consistent communication of best practices and holding webinars on many topics including how to apply for PPP loans. Also, franchise owners know that their franchise business coaches are always just a phone call away if they ever have questions or concerns,” says James.
An Early Call to Action
The health and safety of its customers and employees is paramount, says Fowler, so Benjamin Franklin Plumbing implemented stringent protocols and procedures based on the latest information from CDC. “By mid-March, we rolled out more strict guidelines to help ensure the safety of our staff and those we service. Since that time, we have required all employees to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including masks and gloves, as well as practice social distancing and regularly wash their hands and sanitize, especially when it’s required for us to enter a home to fulfill a project,” says Fowler.
When entering customers’ homes, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing required its employees to wear PPE the entire time they are working. The company continues to supply all PPE to its staff members, so they’re fully equipped with safety gear while they’re on the job. “Thankfully we already had contactless payment options throughout our system, so the biggest protocol update in terms of customer interaction was utilizing FaceTime and videos for consultations and moving all of our documents to be signed and completed digitally,” says Fowler.
bluefrog Plumbing + Drain put a variety of safety measures and practices in place to minimize the risks to its frontline service professionals and its customers. “When customers called to schedule service, customer service representatives determined the level of risk to plumbers to be aware of any active cases before scheduling a plumbing service. PPE became a uniform standard. And if a technician was in an area with known contamination, they would be wearing extensive PPE working, including masks, gloves, eyewear, and, possibly, disposable garments,” says Wilcox.
The brand also implemented a no-contact service, which asked customers to stay six feet apart from plumbers at all times. Behind the scenes, bluefrog also promoted safety by avoiding tool swaps, sanitizing gear between job sites and encouraging employees to stay home if they displayed any symptoms of an upper respiratory illness. The brand also adopted video/virtual options to support customers who did not want anyone entering their home. Through this, customers were able to connect with a plumbing professional via FaceTime and get step-by-step instructions on how to resolve any plumbing issues they face.
For Mr. Rooter, the franchise made several adjustments to its standard operational practices. At the start of the pandemic, the company moved the support team to work remotely, started conducting weekly meetings to keep everyone updated on rapidly changing situations and converted its in-person training to a virtual training. The franchise also sought out legal analysis regarding governors’ orders as well as offered support for franchise business owners on how to apply for EIDL and PPP loans.
“To help keep our customers safe, all service professionals that come into a customer’s home must follow CDC and other public health and government guidelines. We implemented that our service professionals wear personal protective equipment such as facemasks, disposable gloves and we have always utilized shoe covers. Also, it is important to reduce contact with as many people as possible during this time, so we are incorporating social distancing and whenever possible, technology supporting contactless interaction,” says James.
Continued Investment
The perks and benefits of being a franchisee is reflected in the continued investment from the parent company. For instance, in April, bluefrog secured a majority investment with MPK Equity Partners and Princeton Equity Group to grow its service brands, support staff and franchise expansion goals to the next level. “At the grassroots level, marketing also continues to be a big piece of our franchise partners’ success. In addition, we have stellar training, we are the best in the business, and we’re designed to help our franchise partners capitalize on each and every call,” says Wilcox.
According to Brad Stevenson, chief development officer, Neighborly, “Our owners are not only committed to improving their local communities, but they are willing to connect with each other and work together to help ensure success for their respective brands. They are a big component of our business model and their dedication to the brand is a major driving force behind our success as an organization. We’re continuing to invest in new initiatives—both locally and nationally—to strengthen our offerings as a franchisor.”
One major area Neighborly is focused on is digital marketing to help drive brand awareness and generate leads for franchise business owners. And on an ongoing basis, Neighborly has invested in hiring and developing highly qualified Franchise Business Coaches for all brands to help drive overall franchise owner performance. “As an organization, we are always looking for ways to better the operational support we provide to our franchise owners,” says Stevenson.
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is always listening to its franchisees and implementing enhanced operational procedures as needed. “They invest in the tools we need as franchisees to operate our business successfully,” says Fowler. “For our business in Charlotte, we like to invest in our community both by giving back through charitable efforts, but also investing in the next generation of the workforce through our best-in-class training programs. With the unavoidable shortage of plumbers, we’re always working to educate those looking for their next career about the opportunity to join our team. With the support of our franchise system and our dedicated employees, we continue to grow,” says Fowler.