Bloomin’ Blinds Franchise Improves Training Through FBR Survey Results
Bloomin’ Blinds franchise improved three key training and operations areas in their system using their FBR survey data.
As franchise systems scale, typically there comes a phase of growth where operational systems, training, and professional development become a bigger part of the company—and getting franchisee feedback can make this step a lot easier.
Getting franchisee feedback can tell corporate leadership teams where to start and what initiatives will make the biggest impact on an owner’s experience in the system.
The brands that use Franchisee Satisfaction surveys can also leverage their data strategically to support annual goal-setting and business development planning.
Using the FBR online platform, brands can filter data to get deeper insights into the specific areas of their system that are performing well or that need improvement. A brand that has done this exceptionally well is the Bloomin’ Blinds franchise.
Meet The Brand: Bloomin’ Blinds
Bloomin’ Blinds is a family-owned window coverings franchise that sells, installs, and even repairs blinds and window coverings across the USA.
Kris Stuart, Co-Founder & COO of Bloomin Blinds, says that they first engaged with Franchise Business Review because they were entering their ‘maturing’ phase as a franchise brand and the systems they wanted to be like were on the FBR Top Franchise Award lists.
“Frankly, we had FOMO,” laughs Stuart.
“We were trying to find a third party who could honestly tell us how we were doing and after working with the FBR team, we realized quickly that the value we received far exceeded our expectations. There is nary a better value proposition in franchising than the FBR franchisee satisfaction surveys.”
The Challenge: Use Data in Annual Business Planning
When it came to launching the FBR surveys to the Bloomin’ Blinds franchisees, Stuart explained that the process, including franchise owner communication, was very smooth.
“The franchisees we bring on know that we want them to be honest so the surveys were pretty easy to share with them,” says Stuart.
The Bloomin’ Blinds team has done a great job setting the standard for honest feedback and communication with their franchise owners and the big reason for this is the way the leadership team responds to franchisee feedback.
“We really like how our results allow our owners to say ‘This is great, but…’ and then share how it could be better in this way or that,” says Stuart.
Stuart explains that the suggestions after that dot dot dot make the next steps for their company clear and help a ton with annual planning. The leadership team can see, based on real data, how they can make the biggest impact for their owners in the coming year.
“When we show our owners that we got their feedback and then show how we made changes to improve – it closes the loop. That’s huge,” says Stuart.
How Bloomin’ Blinds Improved Franchisee Training
Bloomin’ Blinds typically ranks high in their soft skills areas (honesty & integrity for example) in their annual franchisee satisfaction surveys. But they have typically scored lower in the areas related to professionalism and standardization.
“Based on our results we’ve started to professionalize some of our support and business systems,” explains Stuart.
A big step toward this goal was bringing on a CFO role to do more training on the financial side of the business. This is a huge accomplishment for leveling up their training and support for franchise owners in the coming year.
Another project that was brought up based on the data from their franchisee feedback survey results was the launch of proprietary software to improve the efficiency of their internal operations.
“The FBR tools give us confidence without letting us fall into arrogance. It’s not arrogance because you got there through failure,” says Stuart.
As a side note – Bloomin’ Blinds also has an incredible, 3,800 square foot training facility that is truly a sight to see! There are windows all around the space with different covering styles and methods that new owners are trained on for installation and repairs — just another example of their culture and dedication to owner success.
See the Results
Bloomin’ Blinds’ commitment to improvement, transparency, and taking action on feedback from their franchise owners has created some incredible results.
- Highest-ever survey participation in 2024.
- Hired a new role to support financial and business training.
- 84% of franchisees said they enjoy being part of the organization.
- Launched new internal software in response to survey data.
- Updated internal team culture practices.
- Put new hiring practices in place to align with company culture.
- Finalists for the Franchising at Work Employee Engagement awards in both 2023 and 2024.
We’re blown away by the results and growth of Bloomin’ Blinds. They care deeply about franchising the right way and creating true support for their owners. We look forward to seeing how they will continue to do great work this coming year. Download the case study.
Interested in getting results like these for your own system? Franchise Business Review helps franchise brands at all phases of growth to understand your franchisee satisfaction and identify areas to improve. Contact us to get started!
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