Culture Book - Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services

Culture
Book
Office Pride Culture Book
Copyright © 2015 by Todd Hopkins
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be
reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
Published by
At the Cross Publishing
3450 East Lake Road
Suite 200
Palm Harbor, FL 34685
USA
(727) 754-5990
ISBN: 0-974667119
Paperback, 2015
First Edition
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Table of Contents
Introduction
1
Chapter 1 - Honor God
13
Chapter 2 - Always Do What is Right
22
Chapter 3 - Increase Brand Value
31
Chapter 4 - Demonstrate Honesty, Integrity, and
a Hard Work Ethic
35
Chapter 5 - Total Customer Satisfaction
43
Chapter 6 - Go the Extra Mile
51
Chapter 7 - Persevere With a Servant’s Attitude
60
Chapter 8 - Accountability to Commitments
68
Chapter 9 - Conclusion
76
Contributors
80
Introduction
What Is A Culture Book?
I had no idea what a culture book was until I read a
book called Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits,
Passion, and Purpose by the visionary CEO of
Zappos.com, Tony Hsieh. The title caught my attention
while I was walking through a bookstore at an airport,
so I made the purchase and the book entertained and
enlightened me throughout the following flight. As I
was reading it, I took out my highlighter and began to
highlight particular passages, especially when Tony
shared about Zappos’ culture book. I remembered
thinking to myself, ‘Office Pride should produce a
culture book one of these days.’
Four years later, while standing on stage at the National
Press Club in Washington, D.C., I watched in sheer joy
as the packed house of Office Pride franchisees,
employees, friends, and family jumped to their feet
giving a standing ovation to ten-year-old Noah Jones for
reciting Office Pride’s eight core values from memory.
Again I made a note to myself that Office Pride should
produce a culture book.
To say that experience was exhilarating and a “rush”
would be an understatement. I didn't want it to end. I’m
sure Noah didn't either, as he walked away with a
hundred dollar bill as his prize. In fact, Noah tells us
about his experience.
1
“I had practiced with my mom, but
only for three days. When I was
called up I started praying and was
very nervous, but I knew that it was
too late to go back to my seat. I
think when I said the core values I
could have done it better in front of
a small group because in a big
group your mind is racing and a lot of people are
watching you. It felt like a thousand people. Once I said
the core values, my mom and dad were very proud of
me, and I was proud of myself as well. Once I had the
one hundred dollars in my hand, I felt very good
because a lot of people were congratulating me. The
core values are a good thing to base our lives on,
especially in business and at Office Pride. My favorite
core value is ‘Demonstrate Honesty, Integrity and a
Hard Work Ethic,’ because I think that I have to work
on that. I am no longer as scared to stand up in front of
people. I think that when I am grown up it will be a lot
easier to do things like that. The memory of reciting the
core values to a group of people who were wearing suits
will be etched into my memory forever. I now believe
that I can do amazing things with God’s help, even
when I am nervous.”
Noah’s younger brother Caleb also recited the eight
core values that day. Let’s hear his side of the
experience.
2
“I put on a suit that night to go to the Press Club. Mr.
Hopkins asked if anyone wanted to say the core values.
My brother Noah raised his hand and I thought he could
do it because he was really quiet when he got up there. I
left the room because I felt his pressure for him.
Outside the room, I walked back and forth, prayed and
even peeked in a few times. When I heard everyone
clapping I knew that he had won the prize, and I was
really excited for him. I felt challenged, but I knew that
I could say them too. I was nervous just like Noah, but
after dinner a group of franchisees greatly encouraged
me to say them, and I recited them perfectly. God gave
me strength to do it. I won twenty-five dollars from my
mom and dad. My favorite core value is also
‘Demonstrate Honesty, Integrity and a Hard Work
Ethic,’ just like my brother because these are righteous.
That night I knew that with a little courage and help
from God, I could do amazing things even if they are
hard. I felt successful.”
We have a very special culture at Office Pride, a culture
of trust, dream achievement, and entrepreneurial spirit
all built on the foundation of honoring God. It has less
to do with me, and more to do with the franchisees of
Office Pride who actually make up the culture of our
company. As the CEO, I can only present the
methodology and the way that we do things, but it is up
to each Office Pride team member to take a hold of it
and exhibit it through their daily interactions, both
inside and outside of the office.
3
Edgar Schein once wrote a book called Organizational
Culture and Leadership. In it, he states that leaders are
the ones that articulate the culture, make it real, and
transfer it throughout the organization. That is all well
and good, however, if the organization sees it as
outdated, phony, or too hard to measure up to, despite
how good of a role model a leader is, his or her
organization will not be defined by a culture. In order to
establish a culture, everyone must buy into it; heart,
mind, body, and soul. I thank God every day for the
people that He has brought into Office Pride. They have
taken what He put in my heart for Office Pride many
years ago and have made it into an everyday reality – a
culture.
A company’s culture or identity can be defined by the
manifestations of a company’s values; the principles or
standards of behavior of the people who make up the
company, or in our case, a brand. Values are those
elements of our life which we find personally important.
They are core beliefs which guide us on how to conduct
our lives in a way that is meaningful and satisfying.
They should determine our priorities, and deep down
they are the measures that we use to tell if our lives are
turning out the way that we want them to.
Eric Chester, best-selling author and expert in the field
of employee engagement, workplace culture and the
emerging generation, spoke to our franchise owners not
long ago and observed the following about Office
Pride’s core beliefs and values: “I’ve worked with
4
hundreds of companies and can’t think of any that
didn’t send along their mission statement and a set of
company values to help me prepare a highly-customized
presentation to their leaders and managers. All of these
missions and values statements sound exemplary, as if a
great deal of time and thought went into creating them.
Quite frankly, however, most are generic or ‘vanilla,’
meaning that their aspirational platitudes are
interchangeable and could easily be adopted verbatim
by another company, even if that company was in a
totally different industry. My hat is off to Office Pride
for creating and promoting foundational statements that
are bold, unique, and distinguishable. At first review,
one could easily see that this was a company deeply
rooted in faith-based Biblical principles. Todd makes
no secret of what his company stands for, why it is in
business and how each and every important decision
will be determined.”
At Office Pride, we call our core values “decision
filters”. According to multiple resources on the internet,
the average amount of remotely conscious decisions an
adult makes each day equals about 35,000. According to
researchers at Cornell, cited in the book Mindless
Eating: The 200 Daily Food Decisions We Overlook,
they found that adults make 226.7 decisions daily about
food alone. No matter how you look at it, we all make
many decisions daily. Our core values filter the
outcome of what we, either impulsively or mindfully,
decide to do. Without “decision filters,” every time the
same issue arises, we might answer it a different way.
5
However, those who have identified their core values,
tend to have more consistent decisions because they are
based on a standard of living life instead of being based
on impulse or a popular issue. Eric Chester states,
“When carefully written and well-constructed, mission
statements and core values can be a critical component
of success to an organization. However, if they are not
routinely recited, reviewed and, most importantly—
used as the preeminent guide to making difficult but
crucial decisions, they are of little or no value.”
My values are wrapped up in the saving grace of my
Lord and Savior, Jesus. My core belief is that He is the
Son of the Almighty Father, and that only through Him
can I be saved. My belief is that God created me, and
while I am here on this earth, I should do my best to do
what He created me to do. In other words, I strive to
fulfill the purpose that He has for my life, both at home
and at work. When I started Office Pride, I didn’t want
it to be something that I was not. I also didn’t want it to
turn me into something that I wasn’t. So, I dug deep
within myself and did an internal inventory on what my
core values were. After much prayer and reflection and
with the help of my team, we created the eight core
values that we felt would guide us in just about every
situation professionally. The first seven core values
were created during the first few years of the business
and just a few years ago, we added the eighth. It has
been a blessing to see our franchisees and corporate
team embrace them over the years.
6
Office Pride’s Core Beliefs and Values
Honor God
Always Do What Is Right
Increase Brand Value
Demonstrate Honesty, Integrity and a Hard Work Ethic
Total Customer Satisfaction
Go the Extra Mile
Persevere With a Servant’s Attitude
Accountability to Commitments
Once the core values for a God-pleasing business were
in place, I became amazed at how many people were
attracted to them, and how many people would
comment on how much they appreciated the list on the
back of my business card, including our future
franchisees. After all, wouldn’t it be cool if we could
one day have franchise owner retreats that felt like a
spiritual retreat with a high level of business
development? Little did I know that dream would
become an incredible reality? In addition, we have some
franchisees who are not people of faith, but who love
our culture and fit right in.
My life verse is Proverbs 16:3 which says, “Commit to
the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will
succeed.” I felt comfortable in my spirit that even
though others said I was limiting the number of people
that could possibly be attracted to Office Pride, I wasn’t
going to worry about that. I was going to focus more on
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committing my business to the Lord. The way that I
committed Office Pride to the Lord was to, first and
foremost, HONOR GOD, which is why our first core
value is that, as a business, we will put Him first. If I
weren’t able to put God first, then how could I expect
anyone else to do the same? 1 Corinthians 10:31 says,
“So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all
to the glory of God.”
We have been blessed with many courageous franchise
owners who understand who they are and their purpose
on the earth. They are people of integrity, moral
character, and biblical values. People that have a strong
value system don’t easily get swayed by the popular
opinion of the day. Like deeply rooted trees, people
with strong values don’t get carried off by strong winds
or flooding waters. Their desire is to ALWAYS DO
WHAT IS RIGHT regardless of the time of day or the
circumstances. They will know when they need to
apologize and to make things right for their customers.
They will carry the name of Office Pride in high esteem
and let their community know that there is a cleaning
company in town who still honors their word and their
commitment to excellence.
My belief was by displaying Office Pride’s core values,
the right people would come. My desire was never to
have the largest cleaning company in the world, just the
most admired. I believed that as we got the right people,
by our actions and inactions, everything we did was
going to INCREASE BRAND VALUE. Our brand is
8
different than most. It’s not just about the logo and the
green color. Our brand is our behavior, our reputation
for doing what is right. Our brand is the culmination of
all our customers’ experiences, not just who we say we
are.
If you spill some milk and you have to clean it up,
well…you have to clean it up! There is no changing
that. However, how you approach it can vary. You can
do it while whistling a tune or by grumbling obscenities.
The way you approach what you do defines how you do
it. Not necessarily in the end product, but in your
actions and in how you affect others while doing it.
Having a positive approach to the way you live your life
will reflect in the way you enjoy your life. It will also
impact the number of customers and employees who
will want to help you grow a business. We teach many
ways to increase brand value, but none is more
important than a “can do positive attitude”.
Another of our core values is to DEMONSTRATE
HONESTY, INTEGRITY and a HARD WORK
ETHIC. These qualities were instilled in me by my
parents at an early age. When I started Office Pride, my
greatest asset was a good attitude and a hard work ethic.
We can teach everything else about business, but
employees and franchisees must bring this to the table.
We also wanted to find people that had an inner
compass that would drive them to live up to the
commitment they made to each and every customer. I
didn’t want to head up a decent cleaning company, I
9
wanted to lead a company that delivers TOTAL
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION. Why? When you can
deliver total customer satisfaction, you have customers
who love you. When customers love you, you get
referrals. The only way to do that is through people that
GO the EXTRA MILE.
Our goal is not to have zero complaints, it’s to have
100% customer satisfaction! To be sustainable and
stand the test of time, you must be able to withstand
adversity and still persevere. Our franchisees know how
to PERSEVERE WITH a SERVANT'S ATTITUDE.
Yes, we want every member of Office Pride to feel
confident that they can do the job at hand and with
humility and grace. In my office, I have a wooden
carving depicting Christ washing his disciple’s feet,
which is a daily reminder to me to be a servant. We
have been blessed with many people who understand
that humility is strength and what matters is what God
thinks of us. When He sees us serve others, He delights
in us.
It was with these seven core values that Office Pride
started. Over the course of time, however, as we grew,
I noticed a breakdown in our accountability structure,
starting with me at the top and all the way through our
organization to follow-up and hold non-performers
accountable. As Pat Lencioni clearly states in his book,
Five Temptations of a CEO, I was choosing harmony
over accountability. I knew in order to protect brand
value long-term, this had to change. As the cornerstone
10
of a comprehensive plan to re-establish accountability
throughout
Office
Pride,
we
added
ACCOUNTABILITY to COMMITMENTS as our 8th
Core Value. Both internally and externally, Office
Pride is very transparent in how we operate. As such,
we hold one another accountable to follow through on
our commitments. We do this for our customers, we do
it for our business reputation, and we do it to Honor
God. It all comes back to honoring God. 1 John 2:15,
“But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of
God is perfected. By this, we may know that we are in
him.”
In this book, which is written by a professional writer
whom we hired to capture the full and unbiased
participation of our franchisees, you will hear from
numerous franchise owners and staff. Together we have
created a culture that I hope will inspire and motivate
you to be all God created you to be in the marketplace.
Our core values are our strength. Our main goals are to
Honor God, to be good stewards with what we have
been given, and to someday hear, “Well done, good and
faithful servant.”
11
With much joy and humility, I present to you the Office
Pride culture.
Todd Hopkins
Founder, President, CEO
Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services
12
Chapter 1
Honor God
Everything has a beginning; a people, a civilization, and
yes, even a culture. One person can have a way of life,
but that doesn't start a culture. It isn't until at least one
other person buys into that way of life, that way of
doing things, that a culture begins to take shape. When
more and more people join the organization and a large
percentage of them ideologically share the same beliefs,
a culture is born.
The Founder and CEO of Office Pride, Todd Hopkins,
believed there was a way for an organization to build a
culture around biblical principles, and more so, to stick
with them. However, unlike many in corporate
America, he believes that it all begins with a desire to
Honor God.
“God created me, so it only makes sense for me to try to
do what He created me to do. Right now, He has me
here at Office Pride. I have a clear vision for what God
wants to do through me and Office Pride in the
marketplace. For me, everything starts and finishes with
Honoring God, which is why that is the first Core Value
of our company”.
Gene White, Office Pride’s National Franchise
Development Manager, is one such individual who
stands with Todd to station this belief at the core of
13
Office Pride. Gene states, “Office Pride,
without question, has a scriptural set of
standards and governing ethos, not
heavy-handed but balanced in its
approach to working with others with
grace, mercy, and fairness. These
loving values come from Scripture but
are empowered by the Spirit of God. When you
consider Office Pride’s culture, you realize that it has
the same dynamics of a biblical family.
Family is a strong word. It will build a bridge from
confusion, doubt, and being alone to clarity and purpose
with others of the same ‘culture’. We have that family
culture at Office Pride. We have clarity with a common
sense of purpose and motivation to provide premium
quality services to others.”
Gene believes that culture is an interesting concept
when you unpack exactly what the word means. He
defines it as “An accepted belief system and resultant
behavior producing the framework of a society.” It
could also be defined as a set of core values and
spiritual morals accepted by a group of people.
What is the result of a group’s held belief system? How
do the core values and mission statement result in their
actions and attitudes? Why is Office Pride different?
When you consider the expanse and the depth that is
contained in a word like ‘culture’ it propels a common
expression into uncommon influence.
14
There are millions of people who try to live a life that is
pleasing to God. In the way that they speak, the way
that they dress, and in all that they do, they try to honor
God. It is the principle in which, they as followers of
Christ, live by. Many people who fit this model have
found a home at Office Pride.
Julie Hirschauer, Area Developer in
Indianapolis, Indiana, has been a part of
Office Pride since 1998. Julie
understands the blessings that come
with honoring God, above all else.
“When I seek out God and behave in a
manner that honors Him, I know he will
reward that.”
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things will be added to you.”
- Matthew 6:33
David Stein, Area Developer in Tyler,
Texas, says that he adapted well to the
Office Pride culture because many of
the core values, primarily Honoring
God, was already a part of his DNA
outside of Office Pride. “There may be
believers out there who feel that at
times situations get too difficult for them to remain at
their best. To a degree, that’s true. None of us are
perfect; none of us are holy. But what I have found
while observing the Office Pride culture is that when
15
you stay centered on Christ’s teachings in everything
you do, personally and professionally, God uses tough
situations to glorify Himself, so long as you get out of
your own way and trust Him. The Office Pride family is
a great example of that.”
For example, Dean and Nancy
Riesterer of Fort Wayne, Indiana, gave
their business to God when they first
bought it. They consistently recentered their business to make sure
that it was glorifying to God in all that
they did. They considered their
business to be a ministry and
understood the importance of properly representing
Christ well in the marketplace. Without re-evaluating
their purpose for the business on a regular basis, they
probably would have been overwhelmed during trying
times, but instead they stayed focused. They knew this
was where God wanted them to be. Office Pride’s
system and strategic planning process helped them
outline a critical path to move from where they were to
where they wanted to be.
Gene took a few minutes to speak to us about Todd’s
desire to honor God and the effects that have rippled
throughout Office Pride, as a result.
“Seeing our CEO in varying situations offers us a
snapshot of the scripturally integrated personal values
that are the taproot of all the other demonstrations in the
16
Office Pride culture. That taproot is the first core value;
Honor God.” Gene continues, “As Todd aligns his
personal life, business, and heart to serve others, God
has blessed his business. The sustained and consistent
growth that he’s experiencing is a solid indication of his
close walk with the Lord. Todd’s success, in my
opinion, is directly related to his commitment to living
for Jesus and to exhibiting servant-leadership to others.
You see the blessings on Office Pride as he continues to
lead his family and his company in a Godly way. You
also see the fulfillment of God’s word through it.”
Without becoming a living testimony to those around us
who do not share our belief, all you have is a wellintended thought. Many Christians think about
consecrating their entire lives to God, their comings and
their goings, their finances, their relationships, their
language, and even what they eat. However, just
thinking about it does not make you a believer. At the
end of the day, you will be known more by what you
did rather than by what you said. From what we’ve
seen, Todd is leading his staff forward with that very
ideology.
Let’s see how a few of the Office Pride franchisees are
adopting this approach in their businesses. Scott
Gipson, for example, centers his business and its
practices around honoring God. Scott, an Indianapolis
area franchisee since 2011, makes certain that his
employees are treated with love, respect, and gratitude.
He and his staff appreciate their employees’
17
performance and they show interest
in their daily lives. They offer to
pray with and for them if they have
a personal struggle. Customers are
shown appreciation on each visit by
being thanked for their trust and
their business. Scott earns their
appreciation each and every
cleaning. When they have the need
to communicate an adverse cleaning issue, he accepts
their feedback and takes responsibility for the issue. In
fact, every level of employee accepts responsibility and
promises to simply take care of the issue without
excuse.
Scott says, “The way we treat others is the key to how
we differentiate ourselves. Of course, every company
strives to treat their customers properly; at least I hope
they do. However, how many companies do you know
that pray with or for their employees and customers
actually standing in the gap to lift them up to God?
Knowing that every workday, many people in Office
Pride are raising their voices in supplication to the
Father is inspiring to see.”
“I didn’t feel like I was honoring God through corporate
America. I couldn’t minister to someone, especially to a
customer, on the job. Now I can,” Scott continues.
Unfortunately, too many of us believe that we just don’t
have the time for God. We think that all of our time
18
must be consumed with “work” related stuff. In reality,
as Todd often reminds us, “God’s Word has a lot to say
about how to run a business.”
Many people at Office Pride believe in intentionally
setting aside time so that God can speak to them. They
have found that when they do honor God, sound
business practices materialize. Franchisees told us that
they were pleasantly surprised to see Todd open each
morning of Franchise Training Week with a short Bible
lesson and a prayer.
Doug and Chelana Snell from
Springfield, Illinois, find honoring
God to be their favorite of all the
core values. Let’s hear a story about
how it’s played a role in their time
as franchisees.
“At the very beginning of our journey with Office Pride,
during my training in sales, one of our appointments
was with a particular customer and I just knew that we
would hit it off. I later had to deliver the proposal to her
which happened to be the first proposal that I’d be
doing on my own. I was, of course, scared out of my
mind but knew that I had to do it. I sat next to her and
delivered my proposal, telling her that the cost, which
was not much over our minimum, was one-hundred and
fifty dollars per month at the time. She looked at me and
said, ‘Honey, you’re not asking for enough. I will pay
you three hundred dollars and I would like for you to
19
come in once a week.’ I was floored and I replied,
‘Well, I don’t even know what to say about that.’ She
said, ‘Just say ‘Thank you, God’. I did. I then asked if I
could pray with her before we parted ways. So, we
prayed and we honored God together. She was the
second customer to sign on with us and is still our
customer today. She and her husband have since been a
great encouragement to us along our journey. I
absolutely know that God orchestrated that beautiful
relationship that continues to grow. Thank you, God!”
Jim Crouch, a franchise owner in
Largo, Florida, says that honoring God
is a good place to start and also to stay.
“If you are honoring God in everything
that you say and do in your actions, it
encompasses everything. It affects how
you treat people, both employees, and
customers. Essentially, it affects every
part of everything.”
Despite its importance in every aspect of Office Pride,
honoring God is not always a walk in the park. One
franchise owner admits that it’s easy to get caught up in
the business of business. Increasing the brand, paying
the bills, training the employees, having proper
supplies, and taking care of the clients can almost
become second nature, and focusing on honoring God
can become a challenge.
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The folks at Office Pride are not super human. We saw
no capes, and the building itself was not a secret
fortress. They are not perfect but their transparency
keeps the customers returning. Their willingness to
admit their shortcomings and to honor God beyond their
limitations is what allows them to commit to the rest of
the core values day by day.
21
Chapter 2
Always Do What Is Right
In a society rife with marketing manipulation and halftruths, it’s easy for an individual to get what they want.
In fact, since the dawn of time, man has mastered the art
of deception for personal gain or to avoid losing all that
they hold dear. Honesty and transparency seem to take a
back seat to profit and reputation, often without a
second thought. At Office Pride, one of the core values
that guides their people is to ‘Always Do What Is
Right’.
Julie McAdoo, franchisee in
Tampa, Florida holds fast to the
belief that if everyone is
continually doing what is right, life
will be good. Customers get
reliable service, her employees
have consistent jobs, and her
business grows. It’s generally when folks aren’t doing
the right thing that turmoil is created in the business.
Pulling the wool over someone’s eyes may seem clever
to some, but it’s important to conduct ourselves
properly for our Audience of One on a daily basis.
While
one is
Office
active
many individuals live their lives as though no
watching and continue to do as they please, the
Pride family recognizes that God is present and
in all of their endeavors, both personal and
22
professional. Conducting a simple test of character, they
ask themselves, ‘Would I do this if God were standing
here?’ Knowing that God is omnipresent and is, in fact
standing there, they then attempt to conduct themselves
accordingly. The famous coach John Wooden once said,
“The true test of a man’s character is what he does
when no one is watching.”
There is a trust between Office Pride and their clients.
They’re trusted to be fair and to do an excellent job.
That’s what their customers pay them for. According to
Scott Gipson, this is why always doing what is right is
central to his cleaners’ training. They make a promise to
live up to the standards set forth by the Office Pride
corporate office. Every now and then, in business,
people find themselves in a position where they may be
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able to take advantage of a certain scenario or loophole,
which is why this core value exists in Office Pride.
For example, there was an instance where Scott
scheduled a customer for a full strip and a wax, because
that’s what the customer thought he needed. A strip and
wax is a time-consuming job and can be a bit costly for
the customer but profitable for the cleaning company.
Upon inspection though, Scott realized that his
customer only needed a scrub and a recoat which was
not as profitable for him as a full strip and a wax would
have been. He found himself in a situation where
someone may have done the strip and the wax because
that’s what the client asked him to do. Besides, as
previously stated, it was more profitable. However,
that would not be living up to the core value of always
doing what is right.
Instead of taking advantage of the customer, Scott
informed him that the floors only needed to be scrubbed
and recoated, and that’s the job that he performed. He
made less money on that transaction than he could have,
but when you have a set of standards that guide you,
money is not the end-game. Today, that customer is
loyal to Scott and will continue to be because Scott did
the right thing.
In another situation, Scott interviewed one individual
who left a competitor. He asked him why he left the
other company just before the Christmas season. “He
was doing a cleaning job at an elementary school and
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his boss told him to cut corners and to skip cleaning the
tables,” Scott tells us. “He wanted to do what was right
since the children’s health could have been at risk, so he
quit. Needless to say, he heard about Office Pride and
read that one of our core values is ‘Always Do What Is
Right.’
Always doing what is right may not benefit your
immediate financial future at times, but it will certainly
increase the longevity of your company, and strengthen
your reputation as well.” Doing what is right doesn’t
end at obeying God simply because He’s watching, but
extends to a desire to fulfill that core value because of
how He has transformed our hearts.
When people do what is right in order be praised or
acknowledged, they’re doing it for the wrong reasons.
They’re only looking out for their own interests. Many
Office Pride franchisees seemed to do what is right by
keeping their hearts and their minds centered on Christ
and his teachings, which is why they do it with joy.
We asked Jim Crouch which core value he would speak
about to persuade people to consider owning a franchise
with Office Pride, and he chose ‘Always Do What Is
Right.’ He says that if he has a customer who is
complaining or who is unhappy, at times he has an
innate tendency to want to argue with that individual
and to show them that they are, in fact, not seeing the
situation correctly. Instead of doing such a thing though,
he thinks about what the right thing to do would be. The
25
right thing to do is to make things right by the customer,
not to win an argument. So, Jim listens to the customer,
empathizes with him or her and assures them that he is
there to serve them and to make them happy with his
service. “I’ll even eat a crow if it makes them happy, if
it’s the right thing to do,” Jim said. “I do whatever is
needed to make things right. The customer may not
always be accurate, but they are still the customer.”
The more we learned about The right thing to
Office Pride, the more we do is to make
were inspired by their things right by the
leadership and its effects customer, not win
throughout the company. an argument.
There is no facade here. The Jim Crouch
fact that the people in the
corporate office display these core values is what sets
the tone for every franchise owner. A standard that is
followed is not spoken, it is set. It is a standard that can
only be set by people who continually hit a goal, or in
this instance, by people who walk the talk.
Rebecca
Bursch,
former
Franchise of the Year winner
from Chattanooga, Tennessee,
says that when you treat your
employees well, you bless
them. In return for having a
great place to work, the
employees bless the company.
26
She goes on to say that because the corporate office
does what is right for their employees and franchise
owners it makes the employees and franchise owners
want to pay it forward and do what is right for their
customers. It has to start somewhere. There needs to be
a catalyst. The momentum generated from the actions of
the corporate office reverberate not only to the franchise
owners’ customers, but also to the people who work in
those offices.
Jim and Laura Oates from Milton,
Florida, firmly believe that always
doing what is right pays off in the
end. Doing so may lose profits, but
they claim to sleep better at night,
and that’s something that money
can’t buy. Even when, no matter
what they try, they can’t fully please their customer,
they know that they’ve tried their best. Jim says that it
was this core value in particular that influenced him to
join Office Pride. The saying, ‘The Customer is Always
Right,’ and ‘Always Do What is Right,’ may sound
similar, but they are different.
The reality is that, at times, the customer has a skewed
perception of what to expect and in that sense, they are
not always right. However, if you always do what is
right, you will leave the customer satisfied more often
than not.
27
I strive for perfection
realizing that it is an
unreachable
goal,
but if I strive for
perfection I will
always hit excellence.
David Stein
David Stein says that
honoring God is a given, so
it has to be first and
foremost in everything that
Office Pride does because
it’s the foundation that
drives everything else. This
led him to choose ‘Always
Do What Is Right’ as his
favorite core value.
“You can’t ignore the first, which is to honor God. It’s
the deal breaker. However, if you always do what’s
right, it’s going to cause you to think about people other
than yourself. How is this right for the client, the
employee, or the company? If it’s right for all three,
then it’s going to be a good situation. If it’s not right for
one of the three, eventually it breaks down. Am I
treating my employees with dignity and respect, or
snapping and barking orders at them? Am I holding
people accountable and being firm? This end of the
scale also counts toward always doing what is right.”
David painted a verbal picture for us. Imagine a
drawing of a triangle. Now slice it into three parts
horizontally. Leadership represents the top slice,
management, including supervisors represents the
middle slice, and staff represents the bottom slice.
David says “You must operate in the right order.
Always Do What is Right and be excellent in the eight
28
core values and it will cycle its way down the pyramid,
effectively reaching everyone.”
Todd says that his pastor taught him once that if you
don’t know what to do, then do what you know to do.
“Our conscience can be our guide. We should do what
we know is right. When our staff follows that, they tend
to stay out of trouble and the customer stays happy.
Everyone is well served.” Office Pride wants to create a
culture of franchisees that can make decisions on their
own based on what they know is right. In Todd’s own
words; “We don’t expect anyone to be perfect but let’s
take the high road.”
Todd continues, “For example, many years ago when I
was doing an inspection with one of my sales
associates, the customer we were cleaning for had a
huge conference room table with two pieces of glass on
top. The glass had dirt underneath it. It looked
unpresentable so I asked my sales associate if he wanted
to help me clean it and put it back in order to go the
extra mile and impress the customer. We did, and once
we set the glass back on the table, one of the pieces
cracked a bit. It was hardly noticeable, but I left a note
for the customer that said ‘We went to do an inspection
at your facility and cleaned the glass on your conference
table. One of the pieces broke and we will replace it.’
The contact person felt bad for us. The company we
hired to replace the customer’s glass was so impressed
at how we handled the situation that they hired us to
clean their building. It all worked out for the good. We
29
did what was right, our relationship with that customer
grew, and we even gained a new customer in the
process.
Even today, it’s not unusual to have a staff meeting
where we’ll be discussing an issue and someone comes
out and says, ‘What’s the right thing to do?’ That’s
music to my ears.”
Standing out in a world that is consumed by dishonesty
and that often places monetary value above morals can
be difficult. The allure of such things, and what they
promise can distract from the realization that this life
revolves around relationships. When the high road is
taken, and doing what is right is considered more
important, we begin to see that we can make a
difference in the business world.
30
Chapter 3
Increase Brand Value
A brand’s value is critical to its success. In fact, it is
oftentimes the deciding factor in determining which
brands withstand the test of time and which brands fall
into the peripheral vision of society, and eventually, into
the abyss of history, never to be mentioned again. Some
brands that fail, manage to avoid that abyss, only to be
permanently imprinted on the minds of the public,
accompanied by negative connotations.
Since Office Pride franchisees believe they are stewards
of their business, they place high priority on protecting
and growing the brand. Franchisees are expected not
only to use the brand to build equity in their business,
but to help make it stronger.
There are many ways to increase brand value, none
more prevalent than simply doing what they say they
are going to do. Excellent service breeds customer
respect and that drives brand value.
High quality and thorough training is
the cornerstone of increasing brand
value.
“Customers
value
professionalism and consistency” says
Olon Hyde, Office Pride’s Training
and Support Manager “and they want
to know our folks are properly
31
trained.” Office Pride’s industry reputation puts its
training programs among the best in the industry.
In addition to providing
customer service, Office Pride
franchisees are involved in their
community.
Many with Office Pride seem to
love the opportunity to increase
brand value or help with
community service and marketplace ministry. For
example, at the Christian Businessmen's Annual
Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast in Tampa, Office Pride
stepped up and took the opportunity to help sponsor the
event featuring Tony Dungy, the much loved and
appreciated former head coach of the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts. His testimony was
strong and effective for the crowd. The results were that
many people that day were reached with the gospel and
became followers of Christ.
With each franchisee that we spoke
to at Office Pride, we learned that
they understand the impact that each
of their actions and the actions of
their employees has on their image.
Gary Chandler chose ‘Increase
Brand Value’ as his favorite core
value. He told us that he came from a public retail
32
company where he had
huge recognition in the
marketplace
in
the
brand. He recognized the
value that the brand
brought to the market.
He strove to protect that
brand and increase its
value. He now dedicates
his time and effort doing
the very same thing for
Office Pride.
Brand value defines
who you are as a
company. When you
hear ‘Office Pride,’ it
tells it all right there.
You service customers
and employees and
display the pride you
have in your business.
Gary Chandler
Jim & Laura Oates opened up to us about their struggle
to increase brand value. Admitting that it can sometimes
be a struggle, Jim says that he is not what he would
consider a salesman. He visits customers, but one of his
weaknesses is selling. However, at the end of the day,
Office Pride’s value has more to do with what they
deliver, than what they sell.
Todd chimed in with a great viewpoint on what
increasing brand value means to him. “When we’re
faced with a decision on which direction to go, like a
fork in the road, we ask ourselves which direction is
going to potentially increase our brand value. When our
franchisees invest in an Office Pride franchise they are
not only getting the brand and the systems and the
training on how to build a business for themselves, but
from day one they get brand equity. The Office Pride
33
brand itself has value. When you own an Office Pride
franchise, it already has a value attached to it.”
Todd expects the franchisees to make decisions that will
increase the overall value of Office Pride. “How do the
decisions that we make impact the Office Pride brand?
How we handle complaints, get involved in the
community, pay our bills, and treat our employees,
among many other things, will affect the brand over
time. Ultimately, our brand reputation is the
accumulation of all our customer’s experiences. It is
more about who they say we are than who we say we
are.” Our franchisees understand that.
Office Pride wants to be the best at what they do. They
intend to keep a desire to honor God as the foundation
of the brand. It motivates them to increase brand value.
“God is a God of excellence and He expects us to be
excellent, as well, because we are representing Him
while we are on earth.”
34
Chapter 4
Demonstrate Honesty, Integrity,
and a Hard Work Ethic
There are certain things that are absolutely impossible
to fake for very long. This next core value, which is
actually comprised of three values rolled up into one, is
one of them.
The first of the three is to DEMONSTRATE
HONESTY. Being honest, or telling the truth, is
instrumental in Office Pride’s culture as it is one of the
most important values, and it acts as the glue to how
they conduct business. When one demonstrates honesty,
his or her good character is irrefutable. Words can only
affect so much, however, and that’s where INTEGRITY
comes in. Transforming those words into action, into a
lifestyle - is just as important. A person with integrity
will conduct himself ethically, and his honest words
will hold weight.
A HARD WORK ETHIC may be the hardest to try to
fake, though, or at least for very long. Someone does
not have to be present to evaluate if an individual has a
hard work ethic or not. That individual’s work will do
the talking on their behalf. Demonstrating Honesty,
Integrity, and a Hard Work Ethic is very important to
Office Pride. Whether it be during their interview
process, the orientation period, training, or daily work,
35
everyone seemed to put a great deal of emphasis on
these traits.
Todd makes it clear, “If you want to be part of Office
Pride, you must bring honesty, integrity, and a hard
work ethic to the table. These are the three things we
can’t teach. We can teach you everything else to be
successful.”
Recently, Ryan Bowman from the Leadership
Development Team of Chick-fil-A presented at Office
Pride’s annual Franchise Owners Retreat and made the
following observations: “During my time, I witnessed a
dedication in their founder Todd Hopkins to share and
pursue Office Pride’s mission to ‘equip people to build
profitable businesses that glorify God.’ I also sensed a
genuine commitment from franchisees to lead
businesses that ‘deliver on the quality the customer
expects and deliver the integrity they deserve.’”
Speaking on honesty, Gene White says, “It is
accomplishing what is promised and giving the best
effort consistently. When this is done, the entire
character of Office Pride is held high. It isn’t easy nor is
it always noticed, but it makes the difference. These
characteristics are the huge difference between most
commercial cleaning services and Office Pride. We will
always aim at perfection and be ready to correct
mistakes as soon as possible. Everything we do needs to
be done the best it can be. One example is found in
when Office Pride puts on a Franchise Owner’s Retreat.
36
While seemingly trivial to some, it requires an
enormous amount of work and attention to detail in
order for it to run smoothly and efficiently. It requires
someone who is gifted with paying attention to even the
tiniest of details in order that everyone who attends
feels special. The Office Pride way is that if we are
going to do something, we are going to do it the best we
can.”
Being motivated by excellence in all things as
unto the Lord will propel you into the fast lane of
integrity and high quality. The result is high
customer retention and brand value. That isn’t a
decision you make but rather a lifestyle of who
you are. - Gene White
Jeff Burridge, Office Pride’s Marketing
and Branding Manager, chose this core
value as his favorite. His actual words
were “My favorite, however, is
Demonstrate Honesty, Integrity, Humor
and a Hard Work Ethic. I added the
Humor part because God does not want
to live in a grumpy body!”
Scott Gipson focuses on both honesty and integrity
because he realizes the importance of how they work in
tandem. He says that honesty is demonstrated in his
business in at least one way almost weekly. There are
many times when change is found on the floor. He
trains his cleaners and managers to pick up the loose
37
change and leave it stacked neatly on the nearest desk.
This occurs many times with paper money as well. This
shows the customer that his cleaners are honest and
have integrity.
Dean and Nancy give a similar
example. “This value is very
important to us and we put a great
deal of emphasis on it in our
interviewing, orientation, and training
and in our daily work. We have had
employees occasionally find cash left
out in our banks, cash on the floor or
behind trash cans, they have accidentally broken
something, and even sucked up earbuds, or headphones
into their vacuum. In every incident, our employees
have been honest and come to us right away. We always
replace items if they get damaged. Because of this, our
customers have a high level of trust with Office Pride!”
Demonstrating this value doesn’t stop at Office Pride’s
dedication to their customers. It’s reinforced at the
corporate level before it even makes its way down. In
fact, that’s where it begins.
We asked Jim Crouch what he would say to someone
who was considering owning a franchise with Office
Pride. He said he would tell them that it’s a great
opportunity. The price is reasonable and the people
working in the corporate office have high integrity, and
are very trustworthy. “However, it gets even better
38
when you consider all the help that you get.” Jim went
on to tell us that he had heard horror stories of people
who bought other cleaning franchises and ended up
being extremely unhappy, and how happy he is that he
chose Office Pride.
Jim shared with us that they show their Integrity by how
To me, integrity is a big thing. You either have it
or you don’t. If you work with people that don’t,
you could lose a lot of money.
Jim Crouch
they handle customer complaints. “When Todd trains
us, he teaches that ‘integrity is a privilege until it is
tested’. Todd learned this from Bob Gappa of
Management 2000. When we receive a customer
complaint, we show the customer
that we listen to their concern. We
don’t get defensive or make excuses.
Instead we focus on the solution and
promise to take care of it. We then
follow-up ourselves as owners or
delegate that task to a trusted
supervisor who has the same eye for
detail that we do to ensure the issue
has been resolved. We then set processes in place to
help ensure the issue does not occur again.”
Honesty is the core to Chris Bursch’s business. He says
that people want to feel that you are honest and you
work hard, and if you do, you will persevere. Expanding
39
on the core value, Chris says that integrity is equally as
important.
“You always have companies who cut corners, but
that’s never been our value. We don’t cut corners, nor
do we do anything illegal or anything that would
sacrifice the customer’s needs. Everything is above
board”.
A recurring theme amongst all of the Office Pride
franchisees is that if you are honest, respond to your
customers’ needs, and then you do what you say you are
going to do, customers like this and are appreciative.
Vivian Harris, franchisee in
Louisville, Kentucky since 2001
says she has always taught
integrity to her children. Sadly
though, she doesn’t see a lot of
that integrity exhibited in the
world these days. “I didn’t know
that the world was made of so
much diversity. Not everyone shares our values. When I
go to talk with a customer, the core values help me to
let them know who I am. A lot of the customers don’t
care that I am a Christian, but they do care that I’m
trying to take ownership of myself and my team’s
actions and help their business. I screen potential
employees to make sure I pick the best possible
candidates. We even do background reference checks.
This comforts my customers because my employees
40
will be in their offices when no one else is watching and
they know that I went through a screening process that
matches up with my core values. It gives them peace of
mind when they lock the doors knowing that my staff
will be there shortly thereafter. We take pride and
ownership in our work and our business. We fix
problems when they happen because even in the best
situations, there could be problems.”
Rodney and Jennifer Lie always expect their staff to be
A lot of the customers don’t care that I am a
Christian, but they do care that I’m trying to
take ownership of myself and my team’s actions
and help their business.
Vivian Harris
honest, display integrity, and have a hard work ethic.
For them, it’s one of the first things they look for when
interviewing people for employment in Denver,
Colorado.
“Regardless of the religious background of my staff, I
expect this from them. Of course, in order to expect it, I
must demonstrate it myself. When they see me doing
these things they understand that’s an integral part of
the culture of my company. Not everyone sees it in the
world today, but when I display it, they see there’s
something different about Office Pride. Watching me
live out this core value is a good starting point to
helping them understand our culture.”
41
To recognize integrity, each year at the franchise
owner’s retreat, Office Pride gives its Integrity Award
as the highest and most prestigious award presented to
an individual in the system. Todd describes, “We want
to recognize an individual each year who truly
represents all that Office Pride stands for someone who
can walk the talk.”
Proverbs is loaded with scripture about honesty. For
example, dishonest gain will lead to ruin. Office Pride
does not want that. However, it is unrealistic to believe
that Office Pride has been immune to dishonesty. “For
me, one of the hardest parts about being a franchisor is
dealing with a franchisee caught in dishonest activity”
Todd continues, “However, we have to be a good
steward of our responsibility and protect the brand.”
As you can see, the Office Pride culture is centered
around always striving to uphold this core value. Many
times the opportunity arises to be dishonest for gain,
dismiss integrity, and take shortcuts, but this is one
company that refuses to settle for the wide path.
42
Chapter 5
Total Customer Satisfaction
Many in our business have a goal of zero
customer complaints, when actually this is a very
dangerous goal to have. - Scott Gipson
“Having no customer complaints could mean that there
is no communication with the customer and this is not a
good thing. Our goal at Office Pride is not to have zero
complaints, but rather to have one-hundred percent
customer satisfaction. It is the way that we
communicate and respond to the customer’s concerns
that ensures that we obtain this. We always make sure
to thank them for their feedback, listen to their
43
concerns, repeat their concerns back to them to ensure
that we fully understand the issue, and then
communicate the resolution plan to them. It is then very
important to ensure that the issue is addressed
immediately with the cleaner and the supervisor. We
also do a next day follow-up with the customer to make
them aware that the issue has been resolved. This
technique is followed daily in my business. This
prevents a cancellation letter from being the first and
last notice that we receive of an issue,” says Scott
Gipson.
Gene White says that
providing total customer If you are working in
satisfaction is a sincere such a way as to
expression
of
your worship the Lord by
devotion
to
God. giving your best in
“Servants,
do
what ‘whatever you do,’
you’re told by your then Total Customer
earthly masters. And Satisfaction and
don’t
just
do
the positive references will
minimum that will get be a by-product.
you by. Do your best. Gene White
Work from the heart for your real Master, for God,
confident that you’ll get paid in full when you come
into your inheritance. Keep in mind always that the
ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen
servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible.
Being a follower of Jesus doesn’t cover up bad work.”
(Colossians 3:22-25, The Message)
44
Jim and Laura Oates said,
“We favor ‘Total Customer
Satisfaction’. You can never
fully achieve it, but the
harder you try the closer
you’ll get.”
At the end of the day, Office
Pride is in the customer service business. Todd reminds
us that it’s not about being perfect, it is about
responding well when a customer has a complaint, a
question or a need. “When customers complain, we find
that how we respond really shows what we’re made of.
We want customers to let us know their complaints. It
puts us in a position to boost our relationship with them.
They will like us better if we correct the issue.”
While preparing a customer service
seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, for
their industry trade association,
Todd asked his brother Troy, who is
an Area Developer for multiple
markets, for his input. Troy shared
that we want the customer to
complain so that we can fix it.
Troy likened it to buying a steak at a nice restaurant. “If
the steak is not cooked the way that you like it, and you
refrain from letting them know, you leave not liking the
restaurant with an attitude that your steak wasn’t good.
You probably won’t go back. However, if you do say
45
something, the chef brings you a new, perfectly cooked
steak. You leave the place and tell others about the great
service. In many cases, a complaint opens up the door
for us to build a greater relationship with the customer.
Complaints can be a good thing.”
At Office Pride, our goal is not to be the biggest
cleaning service, it’s to be the most admired.
Todd Hopkins
Again, the best way to build and maintain business
relationships is to invite and encourage communication,
both positive and negative. Office Pride maintains the
view that a good cleaning service becomes a customer’s
hero when they are consistent, provide reliability, are
responsive to complaints, and when they build trust.
People don’t replace their heroes.
Chris Middleton is making sure his
business is his customer’s hero by
going above and beyond for them.
“I oversee my cleaners at a multitenant building with commercial
tenants on a weekly basis. Even if
some things may not be my
responsibility, I will take them on,
primarily to show the customer that
I’m willing to do the extra work to show them that I
have their interest at heart. I will have one of the tenants
come out of his or her office and ask us to unclog their
toilet or something so that they don’t have to wait for
46
the manager, and we will. They are grateful that we
solved a small issue for them.
We do a lot of stuff like that with several of our
customers, especially our long time ones. I have a fulltime floor technician. If his schedule isn’t too full, I’ll
send him over to buff their floors. It impresses them. I’ll
shoot them an email in the morning telling them that we
did it complimentarily this time, and to just let me know
ahead of time if they want it done again”.
Office Pride’s stance is that service is an attitude, and it
is one that is certainly not always easy to maintain.
Chris states that the franchisor has shown him that
Office Pride is willing to serve the franchisees and
owners for whatever they need. “To me, that is inspiring
and motivating because, like the Bible says, if you
really want to be useful, be the servant for all. That’s
basically what Jesus came to do - serve others. Their
service to me inspires me, in turn, to provide great
service to my employees and customers.”
Chris continues, “Our Company works diligently to
embody the core values and the mission statement.
From the time we hire individuals, we look for the core
values in those potential hires. If they don’t strike us as
someone who’s going to be honest, increase brand
value, be committed to customer satisfaction, for
example, we don’t hire them. We let them know up
front that these are the qualities we want in people on
our team. We reflect on those core values periodically.”
47
Chris shares part of his strategy, “While providing
‘Total Customer Satisfaction,’ an employee or franchise
owner must understand how to identify the stress
producers that a customer is experiencing. Stress
producers can range from an employee missing trash or
having a poor attention to detail, to arguing with the
customer, not showing up for the job, and not returning
calls. If these stress producers are able to be identified,
one can employ stress reducers in order to maintain and
increase the trust that they have with the customer”.
We asked Chris what some of his stress reducers
include, and he replied, “The customer knowing that
their building is clean and taken care of properly when
they come in the morning is monumental. They’re so
used to receiving bad service--being out of toilet paper,
having dust on their furniture, and having broken
property, just to name a few things. We make sure that
our cleaning technicians are trained properly, exhibit
honesty, integrity, and a hard work ethic, and are
willing to go the extra mile, in addition to other values.“
Chris says that he doesn’t have a lot of bad days, and
when he does, he doesn’t let things stress him out too
much. But if he is having a rough day, Todd taught him
that owning a business is a roller coaster ride. “One day,
I told Todd that I was really struggling. He told me to
give thanks to God for the good things in my life. I now
say, ‘Thank you for giving me this customer, even if
they’re being difficult. Thank you for the house and the
sunny day and for my family. Thank you that I can help
48
the customer have a better day.’ It pulls me out of a bad
mood so that if I get into a disagreement with a
customer, I can handle it better.”
Jim Crouch wants to make sure that customers view
Office Pride as their hero. “I’ve always been a fan of
customer service. All of the positions and jobs that I’ve
held in the past have always placed a lot of importance
on customer service. Even if it wasn’t a major part of
my job description I would focus on that. Without the
customers, you have no business. Some people have
more exposure to customers, and others work in the
back office, but they still have contact with them via
phone, etc.”
We asked Jim what types of things he sees as stress
reducers for customers, and how he implements them.
“I try to express to them that I’m there to serve them
and that if there’s anything that I’m doing that falls
short of their expectations that they can call me and let
me know. I’m trying to reduce the fear of them having
to call me.
A lot of people don’t want to call because they feel they
are whining, complaining, or causing problems. I try to
alleviate that stress by being personable. I attempt to
show them that I’m working to make them happy and
that I’m on their side by giving them a clean
workplace.”
49
Lastly, when Jim is having a bad day, he tries not to
shift headaches to his customer’s plate. “I usually pray
about my mood before meeting with the customer so
that I don’t bring it into the conversation with me. My
human nature doesn't normally allow me to get over
things on my own. If someone complains, I tend to take
it personally. The only way to get over that is to get
over the human aspect of it and seek God. It’s important
to put customer satisfaction over self-pride.”
50
Chapter 6
Go The Extra Mile
In Jesus’ day, there was a practice called
"impressments" which allowed a Roman soldier to
enlist a Jewish native to carry his equipment for one
Roman mile which was about one thousand six hundred
and eleven yards. The equipment could weigh up to one
hundred pounds. Impressments were limited to the one
mile rule. Jesus said in Matthew, “If anyone forces you
to go one mile, go with them two miles.” Matthew 5:41
NIV
This is the well-known verse used to explain that one
should do more than is required. For that extra mile
while carrying the Roman soldier’s armor, the Christian
was able to explain to the soldier why he would carry it
a second mile. And for that extra mile’s worth of time,
15 to 30 minutes depending on the terrain, he could
share the gospel with that soldier.
You are serving the Lord with gladness as you
serve others and give witness. Your work is a
form of worship and honoring God.
Gene White
Jeff Burridge says that he is constantly asked to provide
local marketing support for the franchisees and for
corporate projects. He knows he could do less and they
would still love it but it is in his nature to work more
creatively to provide a better result quicker than
expected.
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Scott Gipson goes the extra mile most often when
performing hard floor care. He says that there are many
times in which a customer will only want specific
rooms with VCT stripped and waxed at a scheduled job.
There are many times, when performing the segmented
strip and wax that he will provide the customer with
buffing of the excluded areas at no extra charge. This
solidifies the relationship with the customer, it is always
appreciated and it shows that he appreciates them, as
well. This is usually a decision that is made by the floor
tech on site, so it turns out to be a surprise for the
customer when they return to their office after
completion of the work.
“If our clients need extra service or
someone needs to take off, we go the
extra mile to support them in that and
everybody wins.”
- Rebecca Bursch
“You do all you can to go the extra
mile for employees and customers to
meet their needs. It builds loyalty.”
- Chris Bursch
Scott Gipson admits that cleaning can be a routine.
“Sometimes you don’t feel like doing what you need to
do. But because you are there to honor and glorify God,
you give proper service and do the best cleaning job
possible. You service the customers and glorify Christ
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all at once. You always end up feeling better by going
the extra mile.”
“We all work from cleaning specifications sheets, but if
you have time to do a little extra, do what needs to be
done, even if it’s a little more.” Jim and Laura Oates
both agree that it’s worth it after everything is said and
done.
As with the rest of the core
values, the Office Pride
staff took a moment to
recognize the leadership’s
example. David Stein tells
us about a moment in his
career when Todd went the
extra mile in a surprising
way.
“Very early on in my Office Pride career in 2008 or
2009, my daughter Lindsey had a pretty significant
health issue going on. She had intense pain in her knees
to where she couldn’t walk without the aid of crutches. I
simply made a casual mention of this with a member of
the Office Pride leadership and Todd called me and
said, ‘I want to let you know that your situation with
Lindsey was discussed during our staff meeting this
morning and we prayed for her.’ I was floored that I got
such a personal call from the CEO. I didn’t feel any
different than anyone else in the company before this
point, because I had just started there.”
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Todd took a moment to tell us about Office Pride’s Plus
One Service award. “Franchisees sent in stories of how
they went the extra mile for the customer. Once, a
franchisee struggled through a job where a bank was
being remodeled creating extra dust and more work. He
noticed they had all the new hardwood floors, and
drywall and paint, but in the break room on the table he
saw the same old yellow, torn and stained tablecloth
that was there before the remodel, so he went out and
bought a new one, and said, ‘I got you a new table cloth
as a contribution to your remodeling project.’” Todd
goes on, “I know a franchisee that took fresh flowers in
to dialysis patients when they cleaned the dialysis clinic
just so they had something pretty to look at. While we
do work from the cleaning specs, we always have the
opportunity to go the extra mile.”
Chris Middleton says that
‘Going the Extra Mile’ has
affected his service to the
Lord. “We’re called to serve.
Unfortunately, as we grow up,
we look at all the things we
want in life and then we’re
bent on getting those things.
We almost portray a ‘gimme gimme gimme’ type of
attitude. If your attitude rests on that, then there will
always be something bigger and better. Kids these days,
for example, have the latest phone, but the moment a
new model is released, they have to have it. They get rid
of their phone contract just to have the latest and
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greatest device. True happiness comes from serving
others, not just in getting. You get to see others become
fruitful and learn from your influence. The more you
help others become successful, the more you will be
successful. This is the opposite of what the world
believes. We’re called to serve one another and to help
each other as human beings. We’re hopeful that we’ll
see this bleed into their personal lives and that they will
go the extra mile for their wife and kids in a way that
will have a lasting impact on them.”
True happiness comes from serving others. You
get to see others become fruitful and learn from
your influence. The more you help others become
successful the more you will be successful.
Chris Middleton
Chris continues “If you go enough extra miles for
people and you go above and beyond to serve others,
your dreams will be achieved in the process. Your
employees will grow and flourish. They will love
working for you, and it will draw in more business.
Truly bending over backward and letting others see
your heart opens up the floodgates of a goodness that
can come into your life and business. It can flow out as
happy customers and employees that give referrals. You
become a company that people want to work with and
work for.”
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Going the Extra Mile can also encourage an
entrepreneurial environment. Chris told us that he feels
like going the extra mile for other franchisees because
he’s at a size that a lot of them want to get to. “I spend a
lot of time talking to them about where they are now,
where they want to be, and how to get there. It keeps
their entrepreneurial spirit alive. They begin on the
roller coaster and it’s incredible how distraught and
discouraged they can become. To have gone through
that and to be able to tell people to keep pushing
forward, it refreshes their fighting spirit that may have
been dying. Sometimes people start strong only to be
crushed through the trials. I go the extra mile to help
them build back up and push on. I enjoy that aspect of
what I get to do”.
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Another Office Pride franchisee
that has seen this core value as
highly influential to his service to
the Lord is Mike Jackson. Mike
states that “We can all do the
standard. We can all do the
minimum, but God is not a God of
minimum. He’s a big God, and
there’s nothing that we can do that
can out do what He has done for
us. Our efforts, though, can show
that we appreciate what He has done for us. When we
do those extra little things, we show that we appreciate
our clients and our employees, and we put in motion a
pay-it-forward type of system.”
Franchise owners were asked about the corporate
team’s willingness to ‘Go the Extra Mile’ on their
behalf. Speaking of the leadership’s ability to help
Mike Jackson achieve his dreams, he tells us that he’s
seen Todd and his staff’s willingness to help out beyond
their scope. “I’ve needed help and they’ve gone the
extra mile to help me out to make sure that my business
was successful. They’ve admonished me at times and
corrected me when I’ve needed it. They’ve shared ideas
with me when they didn’t need to. They’ve even
supported my own ideas that were different from the
regular standards and policies. I would highly
recommend Office Pride to anyone knowing that if you
communicate with them, share your concerns with
them, and tell them what you need they will do what
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they can to help you so long as they can and it’s fair.
When I first started the business, I didn’t have any
money except for a small amount to place a down
payment on the franchise. I began growing very
quickly--a little too quickly. Todd came to me and said
‘Mike, you’re growing too fast. Watch your cash flow.
Don’t grill your capital.’ He warned me, and looking at
my finances he told me that I was doing very well, but
needed to slow down a little bit. Based on Todd’s input,
I tried to get things into more of a balanced state. He
saw that I could use a bit of extra funding, and since I
was retired from the military, he authorized and set up a
program that helps military members with extra
financing. He provided additional funding for me that
really boosted my ability to continue growing at a pace
that was a bit above average.”
Lastly, Mike tells us that in order to be successful as an
entrepreneur, you must stand out from your
competitors. “A lot of the competitors will do exactly
what they’re paid to do and then leave. We call that a
‘trash and dash.’ This is when the competitors go in,
throw the trash out, and then leave the building, doing
only the bare minimum. They definitely increase their
profit margin by doing so, but their client satisfaction
rate drops. I can think of one client in particular, who
previously used one of our competitors, and complained
that it seemed like the only thing that they did was take
the trash out. I proceeded to show her that our policy is
much different. If we plan to go the extra mile, then
we’ve got to stay committed to our word. If we do this,
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then we increase the overall satisfaction of our clients,
and we get a lot of referrals because of that.”
Going the extra mile creates an entrepreneurial
environment that sets us apart from our competitors.
Furthermore, when we walk with our customers an
extra mile than what is required, it gives us an
opportunity to minister to them through excellent
service.
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Chapter 7
Persevere with a Servant’s Attitude
We all have bad days that make us wish that we had
stayed in bed. To deny this would be to claim that we
are perfect, that we are inhuman, but such is not the
case. The folks at Office Pride are no exception. During
our interviews, we found their transparency to be
refreshing. Implementing systems and focusing on God
is how they continue to persevere with a servant’s
attitude despite some difficult challenges.
We began by speaking with Doug and Chelana.
They’ve admitted to finding persevering with a
servant’s attitude to be a struggle at times. “I hate to
admit it because it hurts,” Doug says. “There are nights
when I have to deal with things that just ‘get my goat’. I
get aggravated with some things that people do with no
consideration of others. Oftentimes it is accidental, but I
remember once it was very clear to me that it was
intentional. I do believe though that God whispers to
me, as a reminder, what it means to serve. Jesus did not
come here to be served but to serve. So, do I get upset
sometimes, yes, but I believe God is working on my
heart through it all! I think that praying before I begin
my day is a great way to keep my attitude in check.”
“Be generous with the different things God gave you,
passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be
God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help.
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That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in
everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as
the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of
time. Oh, yes!” I Peter 4:10 (MSG)
Gene thinks that this verse captures the essence of why
Office Pride’s franchisees love to help franchisee
candidates. “We encourage candidates to speak to our
existing franchisees and to seek out their experiences,
insights, the value of a faith-based company in the
marketplace and any areas of concern candidates might
have. The time invested and the help extended to these
people by our current franchisees is extraordinary. They
are ready to ‘serve’ someone else and take time away,
usually in the evening, to talk and help others. If being
great was measured by how you serve, then these men
and women would have to be considered great. The
only compensation that they receive is simply helping
others feel connected to a ‘bigger group’.”
When we asked Julie McAdoo to
choose one of Office Pride’s eight
core values and provide an example in
the operation of her business she
chose ‘Persevere with a Servant’s
Attitude’. She says that no matter
what, she and her team serve their
customers. Even if their cleaners call out of work
unexpectedly, or at inconvenient times, they find a way
to get their clients the service that they need. Whether
by calling another trusted employee to go out, or by
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rolling up their sleeves and cleaning it themselves,
Julie’s team perseveres regardless of what life throws at
them, and they take care of business.
To gain further insight, we asked Scott Gipson the same
question. His response varied slightly but showed the
same level of dedication. “This core value is most often
personified during the cold weather months. Our area
experienced record weather patterns last winter. The
storms that hit our area would have justified
rescheduled cleanings, but not one of my employees
called off of their shift and every customer was serviced
according to our schedule. This shows that my staff and
I persevere through hard times with a servant’s attitude.
The focus of my business is to serve our Lord and
Savior by serving others.”
This value also happened to be
Lord, I don’t
Scott’s favorite. He states that
feel like
focusing on persevering God’s
cleaning for this
way is essential to his success
customer or for
during periods of what he calls
my business
‘The Grind’. “When in ‘The
tonight, but I
Grind’ you get tired, sometimes
will do it for
frustrated, and you simply do not
you.
feel like cleaning. My conscious
Scott Gipson
focus during these times
switches from the focus on serving the client to serving
our Lord. I say to myself, ‘Lord, I don’t feel like
cleaning for this customer or for my business tonight,
but I will do it for you.’ We are called to be servants.
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The Bible is full of examples of selfless service even in
times of tremendous trials for the individuals serving.
Office Pride’s foundational verse is Proverbs 16:3
‘Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans
will succeed’.”
John Dearman, franchise owner in
Indianapolis, Indiana, said that God is
the owner of everything we have and
that we are called to be good stewards of
it. “I think as I own and operate the
business that I must have a servant's
attitude. I am servicing clients,
employees, God, and even sub-contractors. Always
constantly giving is something that we need more of in
our society and in the world. For the more I give, the
more I receive. The more I service clients, the more
they want my business. The more I service my
employees the more they want to work”.
Rodney Lie, franchisee owner in
Centennial, Colorado finds ‘Persevering
with a Servant’s Attitude’ difficult
sometimes. He finds that in everything
the Bible says that ‘we all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God.’
“My personality is very strong and I can be the ‘boss’
when working with someone. Essentially I’ll come off
strong. ‘Do it my way or else, this is the way we do it,’
is how it will sometimes be interpreted. I had to learn
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with employees and clients alike that if I go into the
conversation with a servant’s attitude, instead of what’s
best for me or the company, or what do the rules say,
people are much more open to me. When you’re
personable with a servant’s attitude, even terminating
someone becomes less traumatic because you’re
showing that you care about them.”
Mike Jackson sees ‘Persevering with a Servant’s
Attitude’ as a value that has influenced his service to the
Lord. “One of the things that I try to do well with my
organization is serving clients, and for me that means
that if I’m serving with excellence then I’m also serving
the Lord. Our excellence doesn’t come through
perfection, but rather through our willingness to serve
clients, and even re-serving them if we have to, based
on their feedback.
When we do respond in a non-defensive way, then
we’re demonstrating a willingness to humble ourselves
before them. Also, it sets us apart from our competitors.
What I hear from our customers is that our competitors
become defensive when their complaints are being
shared.
We understand that we’re serving, and we want to
address their concerns. For example, over this weekend
we had a lady who was frustrated because one of the
items on the spec sheet was not completed, and she sent
me an email on Saturday morning. She was clearly
upset. Within a few hours, I went directly over to her
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with the two cleaners who were responsible, and
addressed her concerns. She pointed out exactly what
her concerns were, and she was flabbergasted that we
came out on a Saturday morning to take care of the
issues, and that we made sure that her concerns were
heard and addressed at the same time.”
Mike also had a lot to say about how this value
encourages an entrepreneurial environment in his
company. “One of the things that I like to do with my
employees, those who show interest in starting their
own business, whether it’s with Office Pride or on their
own, regardless of the industry, is try to share some of
my struggles with them. When the opportunity presents
itself, I share where my strength comes from, and why I
do what I do. I’m not perfect, but I trust God and
because of that I’m able to step out in faith.”
When operating his business on a daily basis, Mike says
that one of the things that Office Pride helped him with
is learning to maintain a servant’s attitude, through
franchise owner peer groups which occur once a month.
Meeting with other franchisees, sharing best practices,
hearing from others who went through the same
struggles and hearing how they overcame them through
prayer and motivation, has definitely helped him.
Throughout our interview process, we’ve encountered
that the individuals in the Office Pride organization
struggle appropriately with the core values at times.
Mike strives to overcome this struggle with keeping a
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servant's attitude on a daily basis. “Yes, I mean we deal
with stuff every day. Sometimes it can be an employee
or a client that rubs you the wrong way if you’ve had a
bad day. It doesn’t mean that you respond in a negative
way, even though sometimes, if I’m to be completely
transparent, you wish that you could go off on someone.
You sometimes wish that you could remove this ‘cloth
of ownership’ and this ‘cloth of being a representative
of Christ.’ Sometimes, depending on the situation
you’re in, you know that you have done everything you
can to satisfy a client’s needs and they still come to you
with requests and complaints. You’ve got to learn to
respond with a serving attitude, in a graceful and Godly
way, without putting blame on the client.”
Our last discussion with Mike centered around how
‘Persevering with a Servant's Attitude’ reflects on his
personal relationship with God. “This core value will
quickly cause you to think introspectively about how
whatever you're doing honor’s God. Each decision that
is made, and each action that is taken needs to be
evaluated to see if you’re really being a servant of God,
if you’re walking with a humble heart, and if you’re
doing things that will bring glory to His name. If you’re
not then you ask yourself, ‘what do I need to do to stop
it’, or ‘what do I need to do to change it?’ Having that
core value, and having that goal of being a servant, and
working with a servant’s heart consistently, helps me to
evaluate my steps. If my steps aren’t being ordered by
God, I need to get in line with Him.”
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Any time you’re in a service business, which is
what ours is, you must have a service attitude. If
you don’t, then you’re in the wrong profession.
We are providing a service.
Vivian Harris
Persevering with a servant’s attitude is not only
necessary, but absolutely essential in conducting
business in a way that shows the customer that you care
about them, and their property. Furthermore, exhibiting
this quality can benefit the interaction between
employees, and their employers as well.
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Chapter 8
Accountability to Commitments
A few years ago, Office Pride was having a drop in
quality and some franchisees were putting themselves
before the customers. This was due to a lack of
accountability within the organization. Todd introduced
this last value for that very reason. “We’ve been
investing a lot of time and resources on teaching our
folks how to accept accountability and responsibility.
One of my greatest desires is for my boys to grow up
and to be responsible. It’s a much overused term, but
it’s under taught.”
It’s difficult to keep the balance between
harmony and accountability, but it must be done.
Todd Hopkins
Todd continues, “Responsibility is a big part of
accountability. We want to teach our staff and
franchisees to accept responsibility for their own
actions. If a customer cancels, we must ask ourselves if
it was because of our actions, for example did someone
not show up, or did we not do a good job. We need to
ask ourselves these questions, and then accept that
responsibility and learn from it. We need to put systems
and attitudes in place to make sure that these things
don’t repeat themselves. Todd adds, “It’s hard to grow a
business if you’ve got to constantly be looking over
your shoulder to see if the people on your team are
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doing what you’ve hired them to do. We understand that
for our franchisees to be successful, we need to teach
them how to build an organization full of accountable
people.”
Todd shares a biblical reference, “In Jesus’ day, the
farmer had an ox and had to focus on where he was
plowing. If he looked backward he would sometimes
get off track and plow up the good crop. We need to
look ahead, not backward. If we’re going to plow, let’s
plow the right way.”
Office Pride is helping people at all levels within the
brand to achieve their dreams. Corporately as a
franchisor they’re focused on helping franchisees
achieve their dream of owning and operating their own
business. Through that business, they’re able to achieve
personal goals and dreams such as buying a house,
putting their kids through college, and certainly
retirement. Taking that one step further, dream
achievement becomes a part of the culture when
franchisees help their employees achieve their dreams.
To apply a teaching from The Dream Manager by
Matthew Kelly, Office Pride franchisees understand that
while the employee’s dream isn’t necessarily to have a
part time cleaning job, they do have a dream. Working
at Office Pride is helping them achieve their dream. “To
be successful franchise owners, we must help our
employees connect the dots between their dreams and
working for us.” says Chris Middleton.
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Todd continues with a story that helps illustrate this
point. “I was interviewing an employee named Albert to
clean a bank. He worked in a factory his entire life. I
asked him why he was wanting a part time cleaning job.
He said that he wanted to make extra money so that he
could send it to his daughter who was enrolled in
college. She was a first-generation college student. He
had a dream to help her through college. This part time
cleaning job for Office Pride was helping him achieve
his dream. That realization provided great motivation
for Albert. Whenever I would stop by the bank and
check on him I would never ask him ‘How’s the job?’, I
would instead ask ‘How’s your daughter?’ It motivated
him further. He cleaned that same bank for thirteen
years, and his daughter went on to medical school.
Albert is only one of the many wonderful employees
who achieved their dreams because of that extra
money”.
Since Office Pride has added this last core value,
they’ve seen a huge increase in franchisee and customer
satisfaction. Todd concludes, “When we honor our
commitments, things go more smoothly. Business is a
whole lot easier when we don’t have to put out fires
tomorrow for failing to honor a commitment today.”
Dean and Nancy Riesterer say that they often make
commitments and then get busy in their daily grind and
are tempted to overlook or even forget to do the things
that they’ve committed themselves to do for their
customers and their employees. “We have to open
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ourselves up to be held accountable by our employees
and our customers to do the things we said we would
do. When we fail, we need to own up to it and make it
right.”
Chris Middleton believes that Office Pride keeps
‘Accountability to Commitments’ central to the
company by having the best training system in the
industry. “We have a minimum of three days working
side by side with employees and then a follow-up,
which takes a few weeks, to make sure they aren’t
missing anything. After that, we space it out to every
two or three days for about a month until we are
confident that they can handle it on their own. After
that, we check on them periodically.”
They have inspectors in their client’s buildings to
ensure that everything is working well and that there are
no problematic areas. They
want to make sure that their People that have
customers are satisfied and integrity and
character tend to
kept happy.
achieve the things
“If
we’re
teaching that they want for
employees to have this their life, they
value, then it filters into operate on a
their everyday life, not just different platform
than the people who
their work life.” says Chris.
constantly cut
We asked Chris how corners.
having accountability to Chris Middleton
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commitments affects his employees, his customers, and
even his relationship with God. “When it comes to
employees, it has a great effect because if I tell them
that I’m going to give them the tools that they need to
do their job, I will try to make sure that I do that. I don’t
manage employees as much as my supervisors do, but
this comes more so from me teaching my supervisors so
that they can teach the employees. I try to teach them
that if you’re always ten minutes late, then it’s a
character problem. If you have to leave the house ten
minutes earlier and get a fire under you in order to make
it to work on time, then that’s what you need to do. If
you know that there’s going to be a traffic jam, you
need to account for that, for example. I’ve been
teaching my supervisors the importance of doing what
they say they will do.”
“The same thing goes for our customers. We have a
pretty good track record for being diligent about
following up on customer complaints. My supervisors
know that it’s not okay just to tell the employees when
something was missed, but instead to follow up so that
the customer doesn't come in and see the same problem
due to a lack of communication between my supervisor
and employees. It’s all about teaching my supervisors
that maintaining accountability to commitments
increases our customer satisfaction.”
Passion is evident as Chris wraps up, “Lastly, when it
comes to my relationship with God, I’m wholly
accountable to only one being in the entire universe.
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That’s God. Everything has to be taken into account.
One day, I will stand in front of Him and give an
account of what I did with my life. I don’t own this
business. I don’t even own my house. God can take
those things away from me anytime he desires. If I’m
not going to be a good steward of the little things that
He’s given me, then He will not give me bigger things
to take care of. Being diligent with the resources I’ve
been given is important. I need to be diligent and
financially responsible so that I can make sure the
business prospers and that we’re helping people. God
will take it away and give it to someone else if I don’t
manage it properly.”
Jim Crouch, who joined Office Pride in June of 2014,
says that he’s grateful that he’s been put in a position to
where he is accountable to Todd and to Olon Hyde,
National Training and Support Manager, by meeting
with them periodically at peer group meetings once a
month. “That accountability makes me realize the
importance of this value in my own franchise, and the
importance of making those who report to me more
accountable as well.”
Jim is currently grooming one person to be more
accountable and to accepting more responsibility from
him, but the importance cannot be devalued.
“Accountability is always a struggle,” Jim shares. “It
makes you do things that you may not normally do. If
you know that you have to explain to someone why you
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didn’t do something, then you will more than likely do
it. It’s good to have someone to answer to other than
yourself. I tend to accept my own excuses. That sort of
thing just doesn’t fly with someone else.”
If you have dreams but no one to be accountable to,
you’re going to accept more excuses from yourself, and
you will believe that you’re capable of less than you
actually are. In Jim’s words, “It’s human nature to
lower the bar for your dreams to what you think you can
reach by yourself, whereas if you have someone to
whom you are accountable, they sometimes believe in
you more than you believe in yourself, and they can
bring more out of you than you sometimes know you
have. It makes you strive for more.”
Office Pride does a good job coaching franchisees and
establishing realistic expectations by comparing
business ownership to a roller coaster. Michael Otto,
while an Associate Professor of Psychology at Harvard
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Medical School said, “You have to be able to tame your
anxiety enough to learn to enjoy the ride.”
Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster. There are highs and
there are lows. That is part of what makes business fun.
When most people get off of a roller coaster they want
to get right back on.
Finally, Jim tells us that the accountability in each of
the relationships in his life, including his relationship
with God, is interrelated. “If you have people
accountable to you, and you are accountable to someone
else, everyone is always answering to someone. The
ultimate accountability is yours to God. If you take that
accountability as an individual that you have to God and
apply it to your organization and to your personal life
with your family, then everyone will benefit because
it’s a win-win situation.” Since the inception and
implementation of this core value it has been central to
Office Pride’s approach to maintaining a healthy
balance in business.
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Chapter 9
Conclusion
A culture is not meant to be created alone. In fact, if it
were, it would not be a culture worth creating. Now that
you have heard from numerous Office Pride franchisees
and employees, I hope you will be inspired and
motivated to be all God created you to be in the
marketplace. At Office Pride, our core values are our
strength. Our main goal is to Honor God, to be good
stewards with what we have been given, and to
someday hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster ride. There will be
ups and downs. We hope that through our example, you
can better withstand the valleys, and embrace the
mountaintops. If you are interested in beginning a
journey as a franchise owner, and this book has inspired
you, please give us a call so that we can encourage you
in your first steps.
If you are a customer of ours or any other company, we
hope that you have gained a better understanding of all
that goes on in the background, that you may or may not
have been aware of, and how it differs from our
competitors. We hope that you see that we always aim
to do what is right with a focus on the long term
benefits for everyone involved, especially when the
opportunity presents itself to do wrong, and benefit
from it. We want you to understand that we always wish
to do what is right, with or without you present, and
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hope that this gives you peace of mind as we commit
our time, and focus to you.
We understand the importance of increasing brand
value. Everything that we do has an impact on our
brand. Franchisees, employees, and vendors, we thank
you for doing all that you can to increase our value in
the marketplace, and simply ask that you maintain that
goal as a daily practice. Customers, we thank you for
spreading our name to your friends and business
associates as we continue to do our best for you, as you
see the benefits of utilizing our services.
Demonstrating honesty, integrity, and a hard work ethic
are of utmost importance in all that we do at Office
Pride. While reading this culture book, you learned that
as human beings, it’s not always easy to be honest,
especially when circumstances have dire consequences
attached. You also learned that having integrity,
especially when an individual finds him or herself
alone, can be difficult. Lastly, you learned that
demonstrating a hard work ethic can sometimes wear
down and plateau as a job becomes more comfortable
for an employee, or even a supervisor. Despite these
revelations, we hope that you’ve learned that Office
Pride has set up checks and balances against these
pitfalls, and is proud to tell you that they work.
These checks and balances that we’ve set in place work
to their full extent because our desire is to commit to
total customer satisfaction. Why? Because of you, the
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customer. We have a desire to provide a service to you
and increase your quality of life as often as you’ll give
us the privilege. It gives us great joy to put a smile on
your face, and equally, to help you resolve any issues
that you may have with our services. The only thing we
ask is that you always come to us with your feedback,
even if it is negative. That way, we can live up to our
customer satisfaction commitment and take care of your
needs.
Going the extra mile is what differentiates us from
many of our competitors who, in contrast, often do only
what's required of them to get the job done, and then
leave. Through extensive training, regular inspections
and constant encouraging, our franchisees do their best
to make sure their cleaners are always on the lookout
for something extra they can do to make our signature
Office Pride service memorable.
Lastly, having an accountability to commitments gives
everyone involved the tools they need to get the job
done and a peace of mind about the final outcome.
Franchises and customers, we’re able to better serve
you, and ensure that we make an impact on your life.
When everyone is answering to someone, you can be
certain that Office Pride will take pride in delivering the
best service possible.
We hope that through this culture book, you have
gained an understanding of what we do, and how we
approach the marketplace in a way that is attempting to
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define a new structure--a structure that strives to take
the good business practices of corporate America and
toss out its bad. A structure that strives to maintain a
foundation of core values put in place with the sole
intent of benefiting the customers, the employees, and
the franchise owners by committing to growth, and
transformation. We operate around a desire to honor
God, and serve others. May we always demonstrate an
attitude of gratitude and heart of thankfulness? All of us
certainly have much to be thankful for.
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CONTRIBUTORS
Kevin McAdoo
Chris Middleton
Jim Oates
Laura Oates
Dean Riesterer
Nancy Riesterer
Chelana Snell
Doug Snell
David Stein
Writers
Michael Perrigo
Eli Gonzalez
Corporate Team
Todd Hopkins
Amy Boll
Jeff Burridge
Mary Anne Cribb
Olon Hyde
Gene White
Children of Franchise
Owners
Caleb Jones
Noah Jones
Franchise Owners &
Area Developers
Chris Bursch
Rebecca Bursch
Gary Chandler
Jim Crouch
John Dearman
Scott Gipson
Vivian Harris
Julie Hirschauer
Troy Hopkins
Mike Jackson
Todd Jones
Valerie Jones
Jennifer Lie
Rodney Lie
Julie McAdoo
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