Franchise Owners Share Experience, Advice
With 18 years of experience under their belts, David Granger and Jaime Lillo have developed a long list of do’s and don’ts when it comes to operating a successful service business. Let’s dive into what makes this couple successful and why Jani-King has been the right fit for them for nearly two decades.
BACKGROUND
“We invested in Jani-King because we wanted to work for ourselves doing some sort of trade, but we didn’t want to go to school to become an electrician or plumber,” said David. “We wanted a trade that was fairly recession-proof, and we wanted the freedom to set our own schedule. We were impressed with the Jani-King staff in San Diego. I also worked at the store and corporate level in franchising for Baskin-Robbins and Dunkin Donuts for many years and understood how franchising worked.”
BENEFITS
According to David, there are many advantages to owning a Jani-King franchise, but one particular benefit stands out over the others; “The greatest benefit is that my husband and I have designed our life so that Jaime can take our son to school each morning and I can pick him up after school and we can spend the afternoon together. Another benefit of investing with Jani-King is the name is internationally recognized. That, combined with our freedom and ability to add our own level of customer service, has enabled Jani-King and Jaime and I to create and maintain a great relationship. The local support office is always there for us as a resource. Moreover, they are respectful with us as franchisees and our clients.”
4 CUSTOMER SERVICE DO’S
Respond to all calls, emails and texts within one hour. Almost everything is solvable if you show you care. Also, when handling issues with customers, never blame the employee. The focus of blame should always be on our business and taking responsibility as a business, not employee.
If you see or cause a problem – try as hard as you can to alert the client before they alert you.
Don’t be cheap. If you notice that the client is out of dish soap – buy one and let them know you gave it them as a courtesy.
Try to have your employees develop a direct relationship with your clients when possible. Clients are more likely to be forgiving and deal directly with the employee when they have that relationship.
David and Jamie also offer some great advice for managing and motivating employees for success. “Treat your employees with respect and always deal with any payroll questions within the same business day,” said David. “We make their safety the highest priority and bring breakfast to a couple employees per week.”
While David and Jamie have many more do’s and don’ts of business management specific to the cleaning industry, it’s clear to see that having a plan, working that plan and staying consistent with customers and employees has paid off. Most recently, the couple signed two new customer locations based on a referral and plans to continue their steady, manageable pace of growth for the future.