How Budget Blinds Franchisees Are Succeeding With Virtual Consultations

When COVID-19 hit and homeowners, who were forced to stay inside during lockdowns, wanted to upgrade their home offices and spaces, Budget Blinds did not hesitate to adapt to a pandemic-safe consultation strategy. The 1,300-territory window-covering franchise quickly developed virtual consultations, allowing customers to experience all the benefits of an in-person consultation without opening up their home to guests.

Budget Blinds of Halifax, Nova Scotia franchisee Tracey Keenan is one example of the brand’s virtual consultation success. She closed $160,000 in virtual sales and grew her business 30% over last year. Budget Blinds franchise owners Sonie Skogerson of Paramus and Westwood, NJ and Russell Gurney of Victoria, BC experienced similar growth through virtual consultations. By pivoting with the brand and facing the challenges of the pandemic head-on, they were able to not only survive in 2020 but thrive.

According to Skogerson and Gurney, the goal for the brand’s virtual consultations is the same as its in-person consultations: to determine the client’s specific needs and then meet those needs.

Skogerson tells her clients all they need for a virtual consultation is “FaceTime or Zoom, measuring tape and 10 minutes of their time.”

For Skogerson, the streamlined process functions similarly to in-person consultations — via FaceTime or Zoom, clients walk the Budget Blinds consultant through their home and show them which windows they want to decorate. Then, the client and consultant discuss design options, budget and measurements, and the consultant follows up with photos of the client’s options as well as a price quote.

“Having the visuals makes the decision easier for clients,” Skogerson said. “Even the clients are surprised at how easy it is.”

Virtual consultation process

Before offering virtual consultations, Gurney made it a point to advertise the option to customers in his Canadian location’s marketplace, clarifying his team’s method so customers would know exactly what to expect. For customers who are interested, Gurney’s team sends them a document and video with instructions on how to measure their windows. Then, the customer shows the consultants their windows via a virtual consultation, and if the customer is comfortable with their choices, Gurney’s team schedules an in-house consultation with safety protocols in place.

To Gurney, virtual consultations offered an opportunity to expand his team’s skill sets as well as meet his customer’s needs. “The cup is half full, not half empty,” he said. “It was an opportunity to provide additional tools to our style consultants that will be beneficial now and in the future.”

When working from home became more widespread due to COVID-19, more and more people started focusing on the design of their home offices. And Budget Blinds was prepared to meet that growing need.

That’s why Gurney immediately implemented virtual consultations at his Victoria location. “We embraced virtual consultations because the pandemic was shutting the industry down, but there were still needs to be met,” he said. “We wanted to remain relevant in the marketplace, though our competitors closed doors because they didn’t have the resources to put together how virtual consultations could take place.”

Skogerson also recognized the rise in-home service needs. “The home business is so busy right now; there’s a total frenzy going on,” she said. “People want things done, and it was very easy for us to pivot and learn how to do virtual consultations.”

Skogerson attributes her team’s success to their determination to make virtual consultations as efficient as possible. She emphasized, “We try and work smarter, not harder. Virtual consultations are one way to do that. I do 10 to 12 virtual consultations a day, whereas when it’s in person, I can only do 3 to 4 a day. Now, 20% of our consultations are virtual.”

Gurney believes his team has seen success with virtual consultations because of their belief in change and progress. “We embrace things, whether it’s a new product line that becomes available or other industry things,” he said. “We decided if this is what’s coming to us next, let’s be successful at it. Our mentality as a company is that we will move forward with any changes that are being recommended to us.”

And thanks to that forward-thinking mentality, Gurney’s location saw $450,000 in sales in virtual consultations in a nine-week period.

Franchisee support and growth

Budget Blinds franchisees are not just a part of a business — they are a part of a family. The brand is always looking for new opportunities to help its franchisees grow.

“Virtual consultations are just one way we innovated as a brand to support our franchisees during one of the most challenging climates,” said Heather Cates, chief marketing officer for Home Franchise Concepts, Budget Blinds’ parent company. “We are dedicated to the growth of our franchisees.”

With so many people having grown accustomed to COVID-19 protocols, both Skogerson and Gurney believe virtual consultations will remain a part of the Budget Blinds strategy.

“People have learned to adapt, and it’s expected now that companies offer a virtual consultation,” Skogerson said. “You can wait three weeks for someone to come out to your house, or I can put you in for a virtual appointment next week. I don’t see it going away anytime soon.”

Gurney believes customers will dictate whether or not virtual consultations are here to stay. “Many consumers are quite comfortable today with changing their buying patterns. So if that pattern changes, home improvement will likely change too,” he said.

For Budget Blinds franchisees who are still hesitating to incorporate virtual consultations, Gurney challenges them to think twice.

“If you’re not doing it, how come? If you give yourself a good answer, give me a phone call. My team had to evolve, and it wasn’t easy. Now, we can share this interview, and the team will look at it and say ‘Hey, we did the right thing. Look at the recognition we get to enjoy.’”