The bespoke new software covers a multitude of jobs, including managing a franchisee’s customers, sending email and text notifications and reminding clients they have a clean booked that day
Thomas Cleaning franchisees are set to save approximately a day a week each in admin time, with the introduction of brand-new software, commissioned by the franchisor and built especially for the domestic and commercial cleaning brand.
Owner, Taylor Made Franchising, has long been an advocate of developing software to make life easier for its franchisees. As far back as 2016, its Pro Sweep system saved Wilkins Chimney Sweep franchisees a day a week each, and this latest edition promises to do the same and more.
The bespoke new software covers a multitude of jobs. It is a powerful CRM system that manages a franchisee’s customers, sending email and text notifications and reminding clients they have a clean booked that day. It will also give clients the ability to cancel the clean via text. It sends quotes to clients for new jobs and chases them up if no action has been taken.
It automatically and intelligently schedules jobs for staff, working out which properties need cleaning, which members of staff are available to work and who is in the best location to fulfil those jobs. When jobs have been allocated, the system works out the fastest and most economic route to each property, saving both time and money and helping franchisees to be as environmentally responsible as possible.
After a job has been completed the system will send an email to the customer letting them know the property has been cleaned. Franchisees then have the option to follow this up with a satisfaction survey and/or a ‘refer a friend’ offer.
The system links directly to the franchisee’s online accounting system, giving them an up-to-date overview of their businesses’ finances at any time. It automatically chases up unpaid invoices and issues statements.
The new system will also be a powerful marketing suite, which will allow franchisees to track the effectiveness of their paid-for advertising campaigns, seeing immediately where they are gaining new customers and the ROI of each campaign. They will also be able to send out special offers to demographics of their choosing, such as postcodes, new customers or lapsed customers. Franchisees will be able to download a myriad of different reports giving them valuable insights into their business, whilst also highlighting where they can save time and money.
It also functions as an HR tool, recording and managing staff holidays and processing wage slips.
The franchisor will have access to the system, allowing the head office staff to monitor the performance of franchisees, create leader boards, spot poorly performing businesses and potential problems well in advance.
More Taylor Made Franchising brands will be brought onto the new system on a brand-by-brand basis, following the initial launch with Thomas Cleaning.
David Callister, group franchise director said: “We have been working with Kris Allen and his team at Source Code Software for many years now. In 2016 he developed our very first programme, ProSweep, which revolutionised admin for our franchisees at Wilkins Chimney Sweep. Six years down the line we are doing it again but this time, building a ‘super system’ that eventually all our brands will plug into. Thomas Cleaning is the lucky franchise that gets to try it out first. One of the beauties of this system is that we can continually update it, adding features as we identify a need.
“Our MD, Darren Taylor, began his franchising journey as a franchisee himself, so he is very aware of the need for great support for his franchisees He is a firm advocate of bespoke software, that makes the lives of his franchisees easier, allowing them to save time and money and concentrate on building profitable, successful businesses.”
