Why EZ CERT’s Longest-Tenured Client Sport Clips Still Relies on the Compliance Tracking and Management Solution

Sometimes, it’s nice for brand to not to have to manage everything in-house. It’s even nicer when ‘everything’ includes outsourcing a process as nuanced as insurance compliance tracking and management for a franchise system—to a trusted provider, at that.

This peace of mind is something hair care franchise Sport Clips* knows all too well thanks to the brand’s longstanding partnership with EZ CERT. With EZ CERT’s proactive compliance tracking and management services, Sport Clips has been able to keep close tabs on its franchise system’s compliance with FDD-required insurance coverages, ensuring protection from possible claims.

“EZ CERT’s commitment to helping our franchisees acquire and maintain the appropriate insurance coverage has freed up manpower that we could place elsewhere, which has helped us drive efficiencies within our administration department,” said Becky Geyer, Director of Compliance and Administration for Sport Clips.

Because Sport Clips franchisees are required to carry several different types of small business insurance for their own protection as well as for the overall protection of the Sport Clips brand, the franchise was in need of a means of assurance that franchisees were keeping protections up-to-date and remaining fully compliant with the Sport Clips FDD. Handling compliance internally would have been a complicated and time-consuming pursuit, so the brand began exploring the options available to outsource the process.

“[EZ CERT affiliate and independent insurance agency] Program Insurance Group had already established themselves as experts in the insurance field within our network,” Geyer explained. “They already knew our business and were well aware of our franchise system’s insurance needs, so the transition into additional support areas was seamless. EZ CERT’s professionalism, relationship-building skills and proactive communication have contributed to a long-term partnership that remains to this day.”

EZ CERT’s impact on Sport Clips has been a substantial one. Geyer noted that insurance compliance percentages have soared since the partnership began, which has lowered premiums and minimized store-level risk systemwide. Sport Clips has benefitted from EZ CERT’s own growth, too, as the company has evolved over the years. The most noticeable improvement in the brand’s time with EZ CERT, according to the Sport Clips team?

“The creation of EZ CERT's new tracking system, along with a fully focused account rep dedicated to the Sport Clips franchise system, are two major contributions the company has made to grow our partnership,” Geyer said.

With a system of over 1,800 locations across North America, monitoring Sport Clips’ insurance compliance at the unit-level is no small feat. But through expertise in the insurance industry and strong relationships within the franchising community, EZ CERT has been able to deliver results that play an important role in maintaining the strength of the Sport Clips franchise system.

“In partnership with EZ CERT, our franchisees continue to be positioned with the tools that allow for small business success,” Geyer concluded. “With their help, our team is able to concentrate on what we do best—supporting store profitability and the execution of a championship haircut experience.”