WIRED FRANCHISES

NORTH KANSAS CITY, MO. (Monday, June 01, 1998) - In addition to using the technology to increase efficiency and boost business, franchise companies are using the Internet to offer new or improved services and to communicate internally and with suppliers.

If your business or home has a flood or a fire, for example, one place to turn for help is www.steamatic.com, the home page of Steamatic Total Cleaning & Restoration. By clicking the "Emergency Response" icon on the site, you will be given a centralized emergency phone number. Call that number, and the operator will dispatch personnel from the Steamatic franchise nearest you. They’ll usually be at your door within two hours, according to the Web page.

Bill Chastain, who owns a Steamatic franchise in North Kansas City, MO., was contacted at home one recent night at about 10. A woman in the area had a foot-deep flood in her basement-the result of a rupture in a washing-machine hose. The call had come into Steamatic through its Internet page and was relayed to Chastain by an employee on duty.

"We went over and extracted the water and started the drying process for the carpeting and walls," he says, noting that speedy response is important in cases of flooding.

"Generally, within three or four days we have the structure and carpet completely dried out, and we can reinstall the carpet," he says. "Usually it’s not necessary to do much to the building if it is dried out quickly, but sometimes it is necessary to repaint."

Emergency responses aren’t the only useful feature of Steamatic’s Web site. "We’re using the Internet to place orders for equipment and supplies and to exchange information back and forth among franchisees and with the franchisor," Chastain says.

"Of course, old habits die hard, and this is something of a challenge, because you’re used to picking up a phone and talking to somebody directly. But you have to change. Us old dogs have to learn to sit down and use the Internet to find our way around it."

Like many other franchisors, Steamatic is using its site for more than promoting the company to prospective franchisees. But how many other sites have a "links" icon that connects to such emergency-related sites as the Federal Emergency Management Agency?

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