Pool Scouts’ Todd Crowe Discusses Franchise Operations

As part of the Buzz Franchise Brands family of service brands, which also includes Mosquito Joe* and the newly franchised Home Clean Heroes*, Pool Scouts* benefits from a strong corporate infrastructure, one that has successfully launched three brands out of Virginia Beach and expanded them into markets across the country.

Pool Scouts, which was founded just two years ago, entered 2018 with 15 units and is currently on track to double that number before the end of the year. We talked to the pool cleaning, maintenance and repair franchise’s director of operations, Todd Crowe, to learn how the brand’s operations model has supported that growth. 

What are some of the key operational concerns for any franchise brand?

Crowe: Using the tools at your disposal correctly. You wouldn’t use a screwdriver to drive in a nail. Whether it’s the CRM for the franchisee, the data tools we use at corporate or the tools for the physical work, it is important for each to be used exactly as intended.

Are there any operational concerns that are unique to Pool Scouts?

Crowe: When a franchisee is responsible for pristine pool water, there are plenty of concerns.  We test more than nine different water quality parameters during each service visit. The franchisees and technicians need to have capabilities similar to a chemist, plumber and electrician to work on residential swimming pools. Our nine-day training program, opening field visits and ongoing support provide the resources they need to get the job done right.

What does Pool Scouts’ operations team look like?

Crowe: Currently, it is myself as the director of operations and a field operations and business coach, Carl Alfred. Carl and I have known each other for over 10 years, and we each have more than 20 years in the pool business. We each started out stocking shelves in a retail store before growing our careers. Carl stayed on the B2C side, I headed towards the B2B side.

Are you focused more on individual unit operations or the operations of the system at large? Is there even a difference?

Crowe: We are always focused on both, but there is not too much of a difference between them. It is important that I take the input from the field to improve our overall systems and training.

If a franchise brand is struggling, where should they look first to improve their operations?

Crowe: Good data and constant communication with the franchisee can prevent any number of struggles. Many times, I’ll try to reflect on the operations from another perspective to make better sense of a struggle, then work out many scenarios and test them.  

What do you wish you knew about franchise operations before you got into the industry?

Crowe: I never knew what a large-scale and popular thing buying a franchise is. I used to say “I don’t want to eat at a chain restaurant,” but now I see how important it is for those owners to run a business. Also the role of reviews for a business. I didn’t really pay attention to that before, now I try to provide one for most any business I interact with.  

How has Pool Scouts’ operations team helped the brand grow in its two years of franchising?

Crowe: Though we are fairly young as a brand, Pool Scouts has a great team in place. Our marketing team, led by Gwen Marsh, has been phenomenal in promoting Pool Scouts from a national level down to the local communities our owners live and work in; Michael Wagner, our brand president, brings a wealth of knowledge in running a business from a high level; and Timothy Holadia, our director of franchise development, brings many years of experience in brand development. This is an incredibly driven and fun-to-work-with team