Comfort Keepers Senior Care Franchise: An Objective and Subjective Success

by Patricia Schaefer

When it comes to the objective, quantifiable measures and rankings of a franchise operation, Comfort Keepers senior care franchise has scored well. It has ranked as one of the top three franchises in the senior care category of Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 for the past four years. In 2006 alone, Comfort Keepers enjoyed other favorable rankings in Entrepreneur Magazine categories: Top 101 Homebased Franchises (#20), Top Low-Cost Franchises (#23), America's Top Global Franchises (#84), Fastest-Growing Franchises (#93), and Franchise 500 rank (#100).

Franchisee satisfaction, a more subjective element of franchise assessment, was recently surveyed by Franchise Business Review, a national franchise market research firm. Comfort Keepers was appointed as one of their Top 50 Franchisor award winners and won Best in Category in the Senior Care franchise category.

According to Franchise Business Review president Eric Stites, "Franchisee satisfaction is one of the most important factors for any prospective franchisee to consider before buying a franchise. Our franchisee satisfaction survey is one of the largest studies ever done on franchisee satisfaction and the results speak volumes about the companies that made our Franchise 50 list."

Overall, Comfort Keepers franchisees gave their franchise system four stars with 84 percent stating a high level of respect for the company, and 90 percent agreeing that Comfort Keepers encourages honesty and a high standard of ethics. Additionally, 88 percent of owners said that the company's ongoing support was good to excellent, and 91 percent were happy with the quality of service offerings.

Founded in 1998 by a registered home health care nurse and her husband, the Comfort Keepers franchise system has grown to over 500 locations in 45 states, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Comfort Keepers offers companionship and other non-medical services primarily for seniors. A portion of their services include: meal preparation, light housekeeping, errand services, clothes shopping, recreational activities, organizing incoming mail, a 24-hour emergency response system, and periodic review with family.

Franchise Trade recently interviewed Comfort Keepers representatives Mary Bowman (Vice President, Marketing & Communications) and Jeff Bevis (Vice President, Franchise Development). Both say Comfort Keepers prides itself on putting caregivers first in everything they do. "It makes sense because your caregivers are your 'living brand,'" said Bowman, "The quality of the care provided is how consumers will formulate their opinions of your brand. It's about the emotional connection between a Comfort Keeper and their client."

Bowman attributes Comfort Keepers' success to "an understanding of the market and the recognition that different target markets will have distinctly different needs; i.e., an adult child who is looking for the emotional payout of a loved one receiving good, quality, loving care -- versus a large employer who is looking for a solution to a business case involving absenteeism, tardiness, lost productivity, and anxious employees because they are caring for a senior loved one and working a full time job as well. Senior care touches virtually everyone either directly or indirectly; it's our ability to see how others are affected that allows Comfort Keepers to be a solution."

On www.comfortkeepers.com, bullet points are marked by the symbol of a heart. In the franchising opportunity web pages, one heart bullet states, "This is a business of caring. There is nothing more rewarding you can do in your life than be able to positively touch people's lives. You can find businesses that are personally rewarding and you can find businesses that are financially rewarding, but it is not every day you can be in a business that can be both!"

Vice President Bevis described some of what Comfort Keepers offers prospective franchisees: "A total package of support services to help them build their franchise business including proprietary web-based scheduling/invoicing software, field support provided directly in the owners' offices, state/regional and national meetings, ongoing training modules, ability to do Personal Care to expand service offerings and client base, 7-volume set of Operating Manuals with processes to manage every aspect of the business, marketing and branding materials, and volume purchasing programs."

About Comfort Keepers Franchisee Satisfaction Award, Bevis said, "This is a significant vote of confidence from our owners. We have developed a franchise model that works well in this industry. Comfort Keepers owners provide services that allow older adults to live happy, fulfilling lives in the comfort of their own homes. We are a solution to a growing cultural concern surrounding quality care for seniors. There are not too many industries that hold the potential for business success and the intrinsic reward of providing care for seniors."

Copyright 2006, Attard Communications, Inc.