How COVID-19 Has Impacted Franchising
Article on Franchising.com Explores the Challenges Facing Franchise Brands
For those of you with an interest in the world of franchising, you should check out a new article published on Franchising.com. In it, the head of our carpet cleaning franchise brand – Jonathan Barnett – and several other CEO’s discussed how the current crisis is affecting their companies.
Industry leaders like Christine Specht (Cousins Subs), Carl Howard (Fazoli’s), and Susan Boresow (Title Boxing Club) detailed both the challenges they and their franchisees are facing. Reduced sales, closed locations, and in some cases entire brands having to temporarily shut down.
But it’s not just hardships and challenges. In these interviews, these franchise leaders also talked about actions they’ve taken to help their brands. For example, one brand is offering more digital services and live-streams while another has switched gears to focus on drive-thru and carryout options.
At Oxi Fresh, we’ve also been impacted by this crisis, and we’re taking steps to both help our carpet cleaning franchisees and to protect our customers.
Oxi Fresh’s Safety Steps
Oxi Fresh has implemented a variety of protocols and requirements to ensure that we can continue to provide high quality cleanings while also operating safely:
– Disinfection Protocols: After every cleaning, technicians are to disinfect any and all equipment used during the appointment. At the end of the day, they are also to disinfect any touch-points in their vehicles.
– Safety Standards: Social distancing is a must for technicians, as is the use of personal protective equipment. They also have to follow any CDC recommendations regarding general cleanliness and hygiene.
– Uniform Laundering: Technicians must fully launder their uniforms at the end of the day.
We’re also offering a new service that is designed to help makes homes and businesses safer and cleaner:
– Hard Surface Disinfectant: This product is designed to kill bacteria and viruses on a wide range of non-porous hard surfaces. It meets the EPA’s criteria for use against SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19.
Last but not least, we’ve started a program that will help get meals to frontline healthcare workers. They’re working tirelessly to help protect us all, so we wanted to show our appreciation.
Helping Our Franchisees
On the business side, the Oxi Fresh Home Office has been hard at work to support our carpet franchisees. Our focus on technology based solutions and systems have allowed us to work effectively and efficiently from home. We’ve released a variety of new marketing materials, launched a new product, deferred fees, and distributed valuable information about government funding options during this challenging time.
And, despite being under a shelter-in-place order, we’ve been able to keep our Scheduling Center operating without interruption. Because we use modern technology and smart systems, our customer service representatives were able to unplug their phones, take them home, plug them into a LAN cable, and take customer calls with ease.
“Oxi Fresh was built to be flexible,” said Kris Antolak, the company’s vice president, “and I think we’ve proven that during this trying time. We’ve also proven our resolve as both a home office and as a brand. We are committed to helping our franchisees no matter the challenges they are facing. We are committed to providing a safe, effective service. We’re committed to being the best carpet cleaning franchise company we can be.”
If you want to learn more about how franchise businesses are managing during this time, click here. To discover the advantages of opening your own carpet cleaning franchise with Oxi Fresh, click here. If you’re interested in scheduling an appointment, call our Scheduling Center at 1-877-OXIFRESH or use our Online Scheduler.
