Editorial

The Cleaning Authority - Your Residential Cleaning Experts

When Steve Robinson and Tim Evankovich decided to invest in the Columbia, Maryland house cleaning industry in 1989, they didn’t want to just compete with other cleaning businesses – they wanted to be the best. “As experienced business consultants, we knew that how we structured our business would make the difference between just competing and truly dominating the market,” says Evankovich.

“We patterned ourselves to be the Neiman Marcus of the cleaning industry. People shop there because they know they’ll find the best product available and the friendliest and best trained sales people,” says Evankovich. This vision became the cornerstone of The Cleaning Authority business. People who use their service can expect to find service people who clean homes beautifully and respect the homeowner’s property.

The Package Plan Rotation System® is another way TCA garners customer satisfaction. It gives cleaners a detailed plan of which areas will be cleaned each visit, and it lets the clients know exactly what to expect.

The work is guaranteed to be done to the customer’s satisfaction or it will be recleaned at no charge. TCA claims the highest client satisfaction rate in the industry, 98% a measured by feedback from all franchisees nationwide.

The business expanded rapidly after TCA began adding branch offices in the Washington, D.C. area, growing from 400 customers to over 800 customers in less than 10 months. So, after seven years of solid success, TCA decided that Franchising would be the best strategy for expansion into new markets. Between 1996 and now, TCA added over 125 franchised locations, even selling out the markets in several areas. Besides remaining solidly focused on customer service, TCA added several innovations to keep the business growing and to help the new franchisees achieve success.

In 1999, TCA introduced the first web-based total management computer system. This system gives franchisees more control by giving them total access to all information, including the ability to track the location of their cleaners at all times. Because the information can be accessed from any internet connected computer in any city, a franchisee can spend less time in the office and more time at a daughter’s dance recital, enjoying family outings, or even on vacation. The added freedom and flexibility enjoyed by the franchisees is indicative of this company’s focus on family-friendly values.

Another important benefit provided to each franchisee is the National Call Center. Since many TCA franchisees are individual owner-operators, they formerly had to rely on an answering machine to handle callers during the day. Now they are able to forward their phones to call center operators, who can handle questions from both customers and employees, give estimates and even schedule appointments. Having a real person to talk to, says Evankovich, makes all the difference between claiming a new customer and sending him to the competition.

One of a new franchisee’s biggest worries is wondering where and how they’ll find customers. TCA uses a powerful, company-wide direct mail program directed to qualified households. “Marketing is not an option,” says Evankovich. “We target each franchisee’s territory and the customers come to them. We have as many customers as we want so building a successful business is achievable. Franchisees are enabled to grow so they can build a nice net worth.”

So, not only does TCA claim a high customer satisfaction rate, but their current franchisees are also very happy with the company. This is primarily a weekday business with a few evenings and no weekends. The franchisees have a protected territory, generously sized for quick and substantial growth. The corporate support personnel are composed of former franchisees with the experience to offer unparalleled support and understanding to the franchisees. “We hire people loving people, those who can play nice with others,” says Evankovich. After an intensive, two-week training program, the new franchisees are ready to hire and train their own teams. “The only time franchisees clean houses is during training,” says Evankovich. “We don’t want cleaners, we want business owners.”

Most of the current TCA franchisees come from mid and upper level management positions. They are people who thrive on analyzing their business and building and managing their own teams. These are also people who want time to enjoy the fruits of their labor while they are acquiring wealth. Currently, 48% o the franchisees are men, 32% ae women, and 20% ae couples or partnerships.

The final and an extremely important piece of the business is the employees. TCA cleaners are highly valued, well-compensated, and, at most locations, provided with a hot breakfast in the morning to give them a great start to their day. TCA offers a challenging training program and incentives for excellent work.

Employees receive bonuses, travel compensation, vacation pay and the highest paying cleaning positions in the industry, enabling TCA to attract and keep the best people.

What’s the future climate look like for TCA? Evankovich says the house cleaning industry grows a whopping 20-25% anually, even in a sluggish economy. Currently 80% o two income families use a maid service and that figure should remain stable due to longer commute times and the universal desire for more free time. As their slogan says, “Life’s too short to clean your own home.”

As for the competition, Evankovich feels that they are succeeding in their initial goal of dominating the market. TCA has 125 franchisees in 36 states. They grew by 54 units in 2002 and should increase by a similar number this year. Having the only web-based computer system, the only national call center and the only national direct mail marketing program in the industry has helped TCA rise above the competition and put them well on their way to developing locations throughout the US.

Mission Statement
To develop the most professional cleaning company in the country and obtain the largest market share through successful franchising.