Demand for the services provided by Appliance Tagging Services (ATS) are on the rise, and the business is subsequently seeking new franchisees.
Sarah Allen, ATS’s general manager and co-founder speaks to Franchising about the business’s growing fire extinguisher testing arm, what’s expected of franchisees in terms of OH&S laws and the cost of an ATS franchise.
What types of safety services does ATS specialise in?
ATS franchisees provide electrical safety services including testing and tagging, exit and emergency lighting inspection and testing, safety switch testing and microwave leakage testing.
Some franchisees also provide fire extinguisher inspection and testing, which is a rapidly growing area of our business.
Who do you primarily lend your services to?
ATS’s clients include large national corporations, government agencies, the manufacturing sector, large retail chains and smaller single site operations.
Our reporting and management tools are world class and have been designed and developed around the requirements of these clients, giving them unprecedented access to their testing data and reports along with a detailed analysis of their testing history.
What are your thoughts surrounding the harmonisation of OH&S laws?
The intention of the harmonised OH&S laws was to reduce confusion and compliance costs for businesses operating across state and territory borders.
Unfortunately, this has not been the case as the area of electrical eafety remains terribly confusing for most organisations.
Victoria and Western Australia are yet to take on the harmonised laws, and while Queensland has adopted them, it has stated its Electrical Safety Act and Regulations will take precedence.
ATS provides guidance on the legislation applicable to our clients and our franchisees.
How do other government regulations affect the state of your business?
As ATS operates nationally, franchisees are required to comply with the regulations in the states in which they conduct business.
What sets ATS apart from others in the safety sector? Why should someone invest?
As the leaders in the electrical safety compliance sector, ATS’s proprietary systems and testing technology enable franchisees to provide the most comprehensive and efficient testing service in Australia.
The level of administrative and operational support ATS franchisees receive is also unmatched in the industry.
For potential franchisees we believe the ATS model offers significant advantages over our competitors in that the business provides:
- A significant level of national contract work servicing major networks;
- A highly user friendly online portal that can be used by both ATS franchisees and their clients;
- Numerous business development tools for franchisee use;
- Scheduling, invoicing and data management support;
- ATS franchise territories are over 10 times larger than many other test and tag franchise systems, which provides ATS franchisees with a huge scope for development;
- Franchisees receive one-on-one field sales support in their local area.
How do you see the sector in the future? How will you change the business up to remain relevant?
ATS’s service offerings and systems change as the requirements of our clients evolve and develop. For example, ATS has recently expanded its service offering to include fire extinguisher inspection and testing in response to repeated client requests for this service.
The business’s client base is expanding every day and ATS is subsequently seeking additional franchisees in all states of Australia to service this growing demand.
What kind of training and support do you provide franchisees?
Franchisees initially undergo a two week induction training program in Melbourne, and they receive ongoing technical training, ongoing technical support, local area sales support and training as well as access to the company’s latest technology developments.
In addition, the ATS support office provides franchisees with a complete administration solution – from scheduling and invoicing work through to debt collection and lead allocation, it eliminates the need for franchisees to complete hours of administration each day.
What qualities do you look for in a franchisee?
ATS seeks franchisees that have a passion for safety, a friendly and flexible nature, a commitment to exceptional customer service and a desire to grow a profitable and successful business.
How much does an ATS franchise cost?
- Application fee – $2,500 + GST
- Franchise fee – $26,500 + GST
- Training fee – $6,000 + GST
- Equipment – $10,000 + GST
- Start up stock – $2,000 + GST
- Total – $47,000 + GST
Franchisees will also need to purchase a suitable vehicle for business use, which typically costs between $18,000 and $35,000 + GST.
The franchisee’s vehicle choice needs to be approved by ATS prior to commencement and the vehicle should be black or white in colour.