Guiding Your Service-Based Franchise Through the “New Normal”

Sheldon Yellen, CEO of BELFOR Property Restoration with BELFOR Franchise Group COO, Dan Tarantin and President Rusty Aramante, at the 2020 BFG annual convention

Throughout the pandemic, franchises and entrepreneurs of all sizes and across nearly every industry have faced the challenge of readjusting operations and adapting offerings to keep up with changing customer needs and shifting economic tides.

Since March, BELFOR Franchise Group (BFG) – the world’s largest residential and commercial services franchise group, which includes 1-800 WATER DAMAGE, Chem-Dry Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, Delta Restoration Services, DUCTZ International, HOODZ International, N-Hance Wood Refinishing, Blue Kangaroo Packoutz, The Patch Boys and Z PLUMBERZ – has been among the essential businesses working to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and support communities’ critical needs. Our family of brands, including our parent company BELFOR Property Restoration, have been fully operational to provide cleaning, disinfection and restoration services to residential and commercial facilities, including hospitals, schools, arenas and more.

As we recently shared with Franchising USA, there are four key strategies that BFG has found most effective in responding to challenges brought by the pandemic and navigating the “new normal”:

• Redeploy Resources: Rely on established equipment, supplies and protocols to respond to evolving client requests.
• Ensure Workplace Safety: To keep the health of employees and customers the top priority, focus on reinforcing safety procedures that comply with industry standards and CDC guidelines – this includes practicing social distancing, wearing proper personal protective equipment, and sanitizing areas once services are completed.
• Communicate Constantly: Keep employees and clients up-to-date and feeling encouraged – whether it is via phone calls, educational webinars, e-mails or virtual meetings, regular communication is key.
• Demonstrate Leadership: Now more than ever, franchising leaders should maintain a positive attitude and strong entrepreneurial spirit – and encourage all employees to take the same approach in their interactions with colleagues and customers.

BFG’s service-based franchises put these insights into action from the very start of the pandemic, with 1-800 WATER DAMAGE and HOODZ providing sanitizing services to customers in a variety of facilities from restaurant kitchens to first responder vehicles, DUCTZ  playing an instrumental role in cleaning out the air systems on an international cruise ship and Chem-Dry seizing the opportunity to educate their customers on keeping their homes healthy.

We are proud of the work that we do and our team member’s resilience to any number of situations. To learn more about BFG’s network of brands and services, please here.

BELFOR Franchise Group is the world’s largest residential and commercial services franchise group based on geographic footprint and number of units. The award-winning, multi-concept franchise system is a division of BELFOR Property Restoration, the world’s largest disaster restoration company.