Pool Scouts, the 109 territory pool cleaning and maintenance franchise, has had an exciting first half of 2023. The company, which operates under parent franchisor Buzz Franchise Brands, had six expansions from existing franchisees during the past two quarters and added a total of four new franchisees year-to-date. Those four franchisees have been a part of opening seven brand new units. This included entries into new states such as Missouri and Illinois.
On the consumer facing side, Pool Scouts saw growth of 60% year over year, year-to-date. The brand serviced over 8,100 customers in the first half of the year, which displays substantial growth of 39% over 2022.
Notably, the brand’s net promoter score (NPS) also maintained a high of 80 system-wide. The NPS is a leading metric for measuring customer loyalty. It comes from the question, “How likely is it that you would recommend (insert company or product/service) to a friend or colleague?” To put Pool Scouts’ score into greater context across global benchmark data, which accounts for the NPS of more than 150,000 organizations, the average score is 32.
“It has been super exciting to see our system-wide growth and new customers growth, while being able to maintain a super high NPS,” said Michael Wagner, president of Pool Scouts. “This is our busiest time of year when we acquire the most customers. And the fact that we’ve been able to keep our NPS really high while giving new customers brand new services is rewarding. It’s also been amazing to see expansions with existing franchisees. We’re excited to continue this momentum into the rest of 2023.”
To support the momentum that it has been seeing, Pool Scouts conducted three new franchisee training classes and one technical training class that focuses on the higher level repair sides of the business. Additionally, Wagner noted that the brand is seeing more impressive employee recruitment and retention than it has in recent years.
And the hard work is paying off. This year, Pool Scouts was once again named on Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list. The coveted annual list examines trends in the franchising industry. The 44th annual Franchise 500 highlights the unprecedented challenges faced over the last several years and the resilience of the franchises. Brands are recognized for their outstanding performance in areas including financial strength and stability, unit growth and brand power. Those selected to be on the list were evaluated for factors such as costs and fees, franchisee support, size and growth, brand strength and financial strength and stability.
The brand was also ranked as a Top Low Cost Franchise for 2023 by Franchise Business Review. Franchise Business Review highlights the best franchise opportunities based on owner satisfaction, and Pool Scouts was among the top franchise opportunities with an initial investment starting at under $100,000.
Meanwhile, Pool Scouts franchisee Brent Berridge was named a 2023 Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association. Berridge was honored at the 63rd IFA Annual Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada for being an outstanding franchise owner and operator. Berridge, a veteran who served in the United States Marine Corps for four years as a Corporal, is the owner of the Sugar Land, Texas Pool Scouts franchise located in southwest Houston. The franchisee was also recently welcomed into the Pool Scouts’ honorary “$1 Million Club” for earning $1 million or more in revenue throughout all of 2022.
For the third year in a row, Pool Scouts also partnered with Hope Floats Foundation to raise money during Water Safety Month to provide swim lessons for families in need. Franchise locations within the Pool Scouts organization donated a percentage of each service performed during Water Safety Month to provide scholarships through Hope Floats. This year, Pool Scouts set an ambitious goal to almost double last year’s contribution of $16,000 and raise over $30,000.
“We are incredibly honored to partner with Hope Floats Foundation again this year,” said Wagner. “Water Safety Month is an important initiative for us to align ourselves with. We have the opportunity to educate our customers, all of whom are pool owners, about key initiatives that can keep them, their families and their friends safe while enjoying their pools and water activities.”
Looking ahead, Pool Scouts is looking forward to closing out 2023 strong and opening in more key markets around the country as pool owners across the country consistently turn to the growing brand for service.
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