Remote Franchise Brands are Thriving

There are benefits to keeping work life and home life separate, but franchisees who are not required by their franchisors to have brick-and-mortar locations have found themselves in an enviable position during the coronavirus pandemic. 

And if they’ve partnered with a franchise brand that also provides an essential service? Then they’re definitely in a sweet spot, as they can continue to generate revenue without having to worry about costly rent. Of course, they still need to pivot and make sure they follow social distancing guidelines — and three franchise brands that provide essential services, specifically in the home services sector, have done just that. 

One franchise that does not require brick-and-mortar locations is home-staging company Showhomes. Showhomes has adapted during this time, in part, by ramping up its marketing support and digital efforts. The brand now offers virtual consultations and electronic proposals. Showhomes has rolled out a customizable online quoting tool and provided its franchise system with an enterprise version of Zoom to allow for seamless video conferences. 

The leadership team is also focused on franchisee communication and making sure everyone is up-to-date on what’s happening in their market. 

“As an essential business supporting the real estate industry, we remain open in one way or another in 100% of our locations,” Chief Operating Officer Matt Kelton said. “In this unprecedented environment, timely information is essential, and we’re focused on supporting franchisees through these challenging times.”

Another franchise that operates remotely and continues to provide services and generate revenue is the pool-cleaning company Pool Scouts*. Since pool technicians do not need to enter a customer’s home, they can still provide their service while respecting social distancing rules. Additionally, the leadership team has provided technicians with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE), including gloves, masks and wipes, to ensure they are safe while they work. 

“Pool Scouts has added sanitizing as part of every service we provide: We use a bleach solution to sanitize surfaces we come in contact with including gates, control panels, handrails, etc.,” President Michael Wagner said in an interview with Community Impact Newspaper. “Our entire franchise system has been provided with a short video that demonstrates how to do this properly and effectively for the safety of our customers and employees.”

Property management franchise Property Management Inc. also allows franchisees to run their business from the comfort of their own homes. Franchisees may opt to rent out office spaces as they expand their footprint, but this is not a requirement. Instead, the brand’s biggest worry when the coronavirus pandemic began was that many residential and commercial tenants would be unable to pay their rent. 

“The great news is that banks are being proactive — they’re reaching out to property owners to talk about deferments and SBA lending options,” President Danessa Itaya said. “There are so many resources available right now, which allows our franchisees and their property owners the opportunity to stay ahead of the game.” 

PMI is finding a variety of ways to support franchisees during this time, including waiving required fees for those who want to expand their franchise’s offerings and empowering the Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) to examine partner and vendor relationships to see how they might be leveraged. 

“The FAC is checking in with franchisees to see if there are any partnerships that are being used locally that could turn into bigger relationships to help generate referral and lead sources,” Itaya said. 

Thanks to flexible business models that allow for remote operations, franchisees with brands such as Showhomes, Pool Scouts and PMI can continue to focus on their businesses and provide customers with essential services without having to worry about the costly upkeep of physical office locations.