Who is the Voice of Chem-Dry and What Do They Do?

Elected representatives from Chem-Dry’s regions across the United States offer input on everything from new product ideas to industry trends

When 3,500 franchises want to speak, it can get pretty loud. However, they all need to be heard, and that’s why every Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise owner is part of a region, and why each region has a representative on the Voice of Chem-Dry Advisory Council (VOC).

“These 10 people are elected by their fellow franchise owners, and they serve for a two-year term,” explains Doug Smith, Senior Vice President of Franchise Development. “We have regular conference calls with them to share information about what’s happening at the corporate level, and they take that information back to the owners in their region.”

At the same time, he adds, the VOC members are sounding boards and clearinghouses for concerns at the local and regional level, and they bring those issues to Chem-Dry’s leadership team.

Two-way communication reaps benefits

“The VOC setup is ideal for us, because it allows for an ongoing, and effective, exchange of ideas and information,” Doug says. “Every Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise owner is busy working his or her territory and serving customers. Many of them have jobs above and beyond their Chem-Dry operations, and they don’t have time to call us every time they think of something or want to make a suggestion. By staying in touch with their VOC representative, they are plugged into overall operations.”

From headquarters, the VOC is a terrific partner because those 10 people really get how the carpet cleaning franchise world works; they’ve been doing it successfully for quite some time. That means that each VOC representative understands the bigger picture and can explain how, and why, some decisions are made.

VOC builds leaders and creates team spirit

“They get how we work, and so they can be a huge partner to a new Chem-Dry carpet cleaning franchise owner,” Doug says. “A VOC member can answer questions that a new owner may have thought of after training, for example, or explain something that doesn’t make sense once that new owner is out in the field. They really are a bridge between the management and training teams in our corporate offices and to the franchise owners out in the field.”

As Chem-Dry continues to grow both in the United States and overseas, the VOC will continue to have a prominent place in operations.

“We’re in 50 countries, and at some point the VOC will need to expand beyond its U.S. model,” Doug says. “That’s good news for us, because if they can be as valuable for our overseas owners as they are here, then everyone will benefit greatly.”

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