The Thames Valley Ecocleen franchise are specialists in providing high-quality, cost-effective, and eco-friendly cleaning services throughout Thames Valley. They are now investing in more postcode areas to provide their commercial cleaning services to more businesses in and around the region. Their services include schools & education, medical, and office cleaning.
Ecocleen sat down with Michael Currie, Regional Director for Ecocleen Thames Valley, to discuss his development plans:
Why did you decide to invest in more territory and how do you feel about the decision now given this time of uncertainty?Â
We saw this opportunity as a chance to improve our presence in the Thames Valley area, especially in the education sector which we already have a strong understanding of. We have always had a vision that we would like to be one of the region’s premier cleaning providers and with this opportunity we are one step closer to that goal.
Covid-19 has given the country the opportunity to step back and take a look at the importance of the cleaning industry and how they support their business. Be it proper use of cleaning practices, or qualified disinfection services, we have used this time to show, not only our existing customers, but also other businesses in and around the Thames Valley area that we can assist them and help give, not only their clients, but also their staff the peace of mind that every necessary precaution has been taken to ensure their safety during this time.
This time has not been without its own challenges, but we have used them as opportunities to learn and engage more with our clients on how they want us to assist them, as well as what we can do to better assist.
With the cleaning industries resilience, we are primed to be on the frontline now more than ever thanks to a better understanding of the importance of proper cleaning practices.
What attracted you to investing in Ecocleen and this specific territory?
Ecocleen’s Green Ethos was the first thing that drew us to them as a brand. But, upon meeting the Franchisors and other Franchisees we realised that there was a great culture of sharing, and we were very happy with the support and guidance they offered.
There is a strong feeling of family within the company which meant that we would not just be another franchisee, but rather an extension of what Ecocleen is. The emphasis on local ownership with the support of a national network means we have a unique offering which is difficult to match.
We felt that, given this opportunity to grow, we would be able to better support our existing clients while increasing our ability to reach new clients who may possibly be looking for new representation, or taking their cleaning out-of-house and entrusting someone like us to manage the process and make use of our knowledge.
What support have you received from Ecocleen over the past few months during Covid-19?
During this time, we have benefitted from being a part of a network with the support of a Franchisor that genuinely cares about us and our business.
During the height of Covid-19 we had daily calls with all Regional Directors as well as the MD and the support team from the Head Office Support Team (HOST). These conversations centered around what we could do to ensure we were using best practice, and that we were forward planning through this pandemic. These conversations led to us extending our services to using Electrostatic sprayers so we could respond quickly and efficiently to any possible Covid-19 related disinfections that a site may need.
We have also been fortunate to benefit from HOST’s compliance team who helped us get the necessary risk assessments and method statements in place as well as having all our staff sign a Covid-19 working guidance statement.
What does the future look like regarding your Ecocleen franchise?
We are excited for what the future holds for the Thames Valley region. As it is one of the fastest growing areas in the UK, and is essentially an extension of London, we are in a great position to continue to learn, grow and change as the region does.
