PUROCLEAN
REVIEW
SERVPRO REVIEW
COMPANY INFORMATION
+
Company Name
PuroClean Restoration (PuroSystems, LLC)
+
Company Overview
PuroClean is a company that provides restoration services after fire and water damage.
+
Number of Locations
PuroClean has more than 280 offices throughout the United States and Canada.
SERVICES PROVIDED
The prime service offered by PuroClean is water and fire remediation service, particularly in the aftermath of an emergency situation. However, its offering of services is slightly broader than this, and it offers the following:
WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION
PuroClean’s water damage restoration is one of the most advanced on the market. Its operators determine the full extent of the water damage, using sensors such as hydrometers and moisture detectors to provide a thorough overview of what’s required.
For more information on post-damage costs, see our page on the average cost of water damage restoration.
PuroClean offers the following in the aftermath of water damage:
FIRE AND SMOKE DAMAGE RESTORATION
In much the same way as PuroClean offers a thorough service in the aftermath of water damage, so it does in the aftermath of fire and smoke damage, ensuring that it reaches places other companies may no, such as Air duct and vent cleaning as well as carpets and upholstery.
RECONSTRUCTION
In the aftermath of major damage, PuroClean is able to provide reconstruction and remediation services, identifying what can be salvaged, and then using in-house construction experts to help reconstruct areas of extensive damage.
Additional
Company Information
A large point of difference is PuroClean’s training center – the PuroClean Academy – in Florida. It’s generally regarded as one of the best training facilities in the industry. It includes high-tech classrooms as well as a model home that is actually flooded to allow for hands-on experience.
This allows franchisees and other staff to train to a much higher level than they may otherwise and provides a real point of difference for PuroClean operators.
PUROCLEAN
RATINGS AND REVIEWS
BBB RATING
BBB RATING: A+
The Better Business Bureau gave PuroClean an A+ rating.
PROS AND CONS OF USING PUROCLEAN
PuroClean’s services are focused on remediation, particularly in the aftermath of fire and water damage. While this gives it many competitors in what is quite a crowded industry, it does have key points of difference. Certainly, in PuroClean’s scope of operations – and the emergency callout option (which runs 24/7) – it has found a particular niche that it can exploit. Below is a list of pros and cons to help guide your decision if you have the option of using PuroClean.
PROs
PuroClean as an operation is larger than may be expected. Its branding and marketing do not always give the sense that it is a major national corporation; however, the scope of its operations gives a number of advantages to the customer.
- Training. The training, support, and coaching of its franchisees means that the customer gets a high level of service from someone who is trained to an expert level.
- Size. The size of the company means that it is able to offer a wide range of services - it’s unlikely that you have a problem PuroClean has not experienced before.
- Emergency service. The scope of the operations means that it can operate a 24/7 emergency service, meaning it responds quickly in the aftermath of emergencies like fire and flooding.
- Positive reviews. The online reviews from customers are extremely positive – more positive than other brands operating in a similar market.
CONs
Most of the cons when it comes to PuroClean center on its branding and marketing. For a company of PuroClean’s size, it is relatively unknown. This gives the following disadvantages:
- Lack of brand recognition. Admittedly, this is less of a problem for the consumer, although it does mean that it may be harder to recall PuroClean when you are in the midst of an emergency.
- Difficult to navigate online presence. Connected with the above point, the PuroClean website is a lot less slick than many of its competitors. This means that finding what you need can be tricky - particularly when the stress of an emergency hits.
OUR RATING
As perhaps suggested by the pros and cons above, the limitations of PuroClean’s service is internal, not external. For the customer, the operation is truly impressive. The extensive centralized training means that all of their franchisees are effectively industry experts. Moreover, its customer service and online reviews suggest a truly satisfied customer base.
Although the website and marketing may be slightly limiting, the growth and scope of PuroClean’s operations suggest that customer service has been more of a driver than just marketing. We rated them as the best emergency service water restoration company.
Truly PuroClean lives up to its twin branding of excellence and empathy and for that reason we rate PuroClean as ‘Excellent’ on our five-point scale.
- Excellent
- Good
- Average
- Poor
- Very Poor
PUROCLEAN HISTORY
Compared with some of its competitors, PuroClean is relatively new on the scene, having been founded in 2007. Like many other businesses in the cleaning and restoration space, PuroClean operates as a franchise – hence the 280 branches throughout North America.
PuroClean was specifically founded to target the water and fire damage niche, and its international operations means that it has the centralized resources to offer 24-hour property emergency restoration services throughout the U.S. and Canada. This has been central to fueling its growth.
HOW PUROCLEAN OPERATES
BRANDING
Most of PuroClean’s branding is driven by its role as an emergency provider of care, combined with a sense of empathy in ensuring that their work is compassionate and ethical.
PuroClean’s tagline is ‘The paramedics of property damage,’ thereby placing themselves as a ‘first responder’ to fire and water damage. Much of their online presence centers on this, with social media posts covering natural disasters, preparedness advice, and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is clearly designed to reinforce the idea that PuroClean should be one of your first phone calls in case of an emergency.
In addition, PuroClean also positions itself as an ethical company. Its mission statement says: “When property damage occurs, PuroClean is driven to provide an unmatched service experience quickly, professionally, ethically and with compassion, resulting in peace of mind for all concerned.”
This makes sense given that PuroClean is more recently-founded than other cleaning companies, and therefore has adopted the ethical consensus of the business environment in which it was created. The late 1990s and early 2000s marked a rise in corporate social responsibility across industries, and PuroClean’s branding is very much in line with this.
BUSINESS MODEL
PuroClean operates as a franchise, which is typical of cleaning companies of this scale. Notably, unlike other companies, PuroClean trains its franchisees centrally in its ‘PuroClean Academy’ in Florida. There they offer full-scale replicas of homes that train franchisees on how to deal with flooding and other damage scenarios. This is unique amongst its competitors.
PuroClean also offers ongoing training to its franchisees after buying a franchise through regional in-person training. This means that a franchisee in Seattle, for example, would receive ongoing support from a PuroClean regional manager. This ongoing hand-holding is relatively unique within the industry and means that PuroClean exerts a great deal of centralized control, particularly when it comes to the delivery of a standardized product.
ULTIMATE SELLING POINT
Aside from the specialization in water and fire damage, the unique selling point is the combination of ‘urgency and sensitivity.’ As mentioned above, the corporate social responsibility element is unique within the industry. None of the other businesses in the cleanup/remediation/restoration industry focuses as much on the empathetic element of their role as does PuroClean. However, the key focus of their branding – and therefore the unique selling point – is the emergency service PuroClean provides.
To offer 24/7 call outs shows that PuroClean’s focus is on emergency care. Their website and marketing material talks less about ongoing cleaning services, and far more about their expertise in providing restoration at short notice. The size of the operation, and PuroClean’s training, is focused on fire and water damage, and this is very much what stands them apart from competitors. PuroClean does offer services such as mold remediation, although the emergency element of its service is what gives it its unique niche.
In order to become a PuroClean franchisee, you need a total of $220,000 in available capital. Start-up costs are $150,000, and then working capital needs are $80,000. Once you have demonstrated you have access to these funds, PuroClean provides extensive training, and you are able to gain professional industry-level qualifications before beginning work.
PuroClean has sought a market-leading position when it comes to fire and water remediation. The heavy focus on being regarded as an emergency service is smart branding and has driven its growth throughout North America.
In addition, the element of presenting an ethical and empathetic brand is a key point of difference – albeit a more subtle one. Both of these provide key points of difference when it comes to branding. For the customer, however, the key point of difference is the extent of the training that PuroClean franchisees receive.
PuroClean’s training and extensive operations have led to excellent customer feedback – far better than many competitors in the cleaning and remediation niche. PuroClean’s marketing is less ubiquitous than others in the industry, suggesting that word of mouth is a strong driver of new business. Overall, however, PuroClean’s service is what drives its success, and on that front, it is truly impressive.