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What’s New At Concept Building Solutions

04 April 2014

We met with Andy Walmsley, Group Operations Director at Concept Building Solutions, to see what’s new at Concept and why they have recently increased the price of their franchise.

Concept Building Solutions is a franchise Network of over 160 territories each specialising in insurance claims management and building repair work.  Their Network acts on behalf of policyholders when they have a property claim to ensure that they receive a fair settlement and a high quality repair to their property.  They work on behalf of both domestic and commercial policyholders and source work from a variety of places ranging from direct advertising on the web to referral schemes with trade networks and contractual arrangements with insurance brokers, property agents and loss assessors.

Concept Building Solutions have been trading since 2001 and began franchising in 2003 following the operation of an extensive pilot scheme.  They have since gone on to become the largest Network of insurance claims managers and building repair specialists in the UK.  Their mission statement is:

‘To best serve policyholders in their time of need through exemplary customer service and high quality workmanship’.

How long have you been with Concept Building Solutions?

I joined Concept in 2001 when we were piloting the franchise and really enjoy being part of a growing and continually evolving company that puts customer service as a top priority

Why did you choose to franchise the business in the first place?

From the outset we noticed an unprecedented demand for our service and the simplest way to meet this requirement was to adopt a franchise model.  By creating a franchise network it allowed sustainable growth, utilising local knowledge, to best serve policyholders in their time of need through exemplary customer service and high quality workmanship.  We now have a national offering and can help our customers virtually anywhere in the UK.

Why have you chosen to increase the price of the franchise?

Believe it or not this was a fairly straightforward decision to make.  Over the years we have refined the franchise model and developed certain aspects to ensure that, as well as offering a first rate service to policyholders, we were confident that our franchisees have an incredibly strong business model that can provide a significant return on their investment.  Early on we identified that the training and support elements provided by the franchisor were key to our franchisees success.  Over the last 12 months we have developed a Launch Establishment Action Plan (LEAP), in tandem with a business coaching organisation, with part funding from local government.  The majority of the price increase can be attributed to the LEAP programme which means our new franchisees get off to a flying start through an initial 200 day development programme.  We have also decided to update the initial ‘start up’ package new franchisees receive to ensure we are providing a complete turnkey business model to allow franchisees to begin trading and earning as quickly as possible.

Do you think the franchise still offers value for money?

Without doubt.  If you compare Concept to our competitors in the market you will note that we are still significantly lower in price for the purchase of the franchise and the ongoing management fees.  As previously mentioned, in addition to the comprehensive training and support we provide we have also included a start up package to ensure those first few weeks of trading are more about generating income than sorting out the little things like stationery and computers etc.

So what does the package include?

The full list is included in the prospectus but the principle is that our franchisees are ready to ‘fly’ from day one.  Some of the items included are a tablet, configured with all relevant software, a toolkit bag including laser measurers, damp meters, tools and even a set of telescopic ladders, branded work wear, stationery etc – everything you will need to hit the ground running.

If your franchise is so good why do you continue to be so much cheaper than your competitors?

As a franchisor we are committed to securing a sustainable income whilst offering the best possible service to our customers.  To do this we are look to recruit franchisees for the long term and as we assist them in creating a successful business we reap the benefits.  Many franchisors look to generate the majority of their income from franchise sales but we are looking for a longer term more sustainable approach that benefits both sides in the partnership.

Concept Building Solutions is currently recruiting for new franchisees across the UK to help service the increasing demand for its project management skills. 


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