What did we do when COVID-19 hit?

2020 has been a testing year for everyone, but as a team I am proud at what we at Sparkle Cleaning have achieved so far.

What did we do when COVID-19 hit?

2020 has been a testing year for everyone, but as a team I am proud at what we at Sparkle Cleaning have achieved so far.

As soon as the news about COVID-19 was made public, we got all the franchisees and the team in Bristol together and asked, ‘What’s the worse case scenario?’.

Planning for the clients

From day one, we set about planning for the worse case. We looked at all the clients and worked out which ones would need increased services or those that would be out of their offices and working from home for an extended period. We looked at the security and safety around some of the contracts we had, especially those with medical services and government contracts. All our clients were contacted, and we asked the all important question ‘How can we work with you?’. We came up with various different contract options, so we could help every client. 

One thing that we did early on was to put in a large order of medical standard PPE and disinfectant. We ordered the highest standard possible before stocks became low. 

Looking after the franchises

We asked ourselves how we could support the franchises from a growth point of view. We put our royalties on hold and moved to monthly rather than quarterly planning. We have supported with back to work packs and PPE for the franchises and their clients. Through the steps we have taken all, the franchise’s revenue has increased. 

Pivoting

New partnerships with other services have been a way we have pivoted in our business without altering what we do. For example, we have fogging companies as partners as we know that some of our clients need that service.

We have also become an educator more than a supplier of a service. We set out to make sure that we have been able to provide our clients with the best advice possible. For example, we have a series of ‘how to’ advice sheets we have sent to all clients. 

From what has so far been a huge challenge in business we are so proud of our staff and franchisees. Everyone has pulled together and is working as a cohesive team to grow the business and support our clients. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gareth Sanders
Gareth Sanders
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