Puddle Ducks sets 10 year satisfaction record

Nationwide child and baby swim school franchise, Puddle Ducks, is the first UK franchise to have achieved a 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction rating for the 10th year running!

Having received resolutely glowing franchisee feedback for a decade, Puddle Ducks is thrilled to have set this new record within the franchise industry.  The company achieved an overall Franchise Satisfaction score of 94 percent!

The survey, conducted by independent consultancy WorkBuzz, asked Puddle Ducks franchisees across the UK, to review the support provided to them by their Head Office team. Key areas included are: training & support, the system, culture & relationships, leadership, value & rewards, and general satisfaction.

Puddle Ducks were praised for providing a fantastic franchise system, rated as 97% perfect by franchisees, as well as the ongoing support provided via the team at Head Office in Cranage, Cheshire.

Franchisees believed there was a strong peer support network, through which franchisees communicate and share best practice.  The quality of leadership within the network was highlighted, with franchisees confidently running profitable businesses while enjoying a healthy work/life balance. Franchisees were also overwhelmingly proud to be part of the Puddle Ducks brand.

Jo Stone, co-founder and managing director of Puddle Ducks commented: “We are ecstatic to have set this new Franchise Satisfaction record as a direct result of the overwhelming feedback received from our franchisees!

“Our team at Head Office works tirelessly to provide quality support and guidance to our network of franchisees and I believe our consistent 5 Star ratings clearly reflect this.  We fully supported our franchisees through the pandemic when our businesses ground to a halt due to the national shutdown of swimming pools.  Far from simply treading water, we utilised that time to fully assess and upgrade our franchise systems and technology, while also ensuring franchisees and their customers were regularly updated about our reopening plans. 

“Once pools reopened, our franchisees were able to dive straight back in, relaunching lessons and attracting new customers at a rate we had never witnessed before, we have seen an incredible 20% increase in customer numbers pre to post-pandemic. We are incredibly proud of the enthusiasm and commitment to the brand that our franchisees exhibit and believe this is a strong reflection of the symbiotic relationship we have crafted through the Puddle Ducks franchise model.”

Steven Frost, CEO and Founder of WorkBuzz, added: “We are delighted to recognize Puddle Ducks with the 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction award for an incredible 10th consecutive year.

“What makes Puddle Ducks’ 10-year achievement even more remarkable is that leisure was one of the top five industries worst impacted by the pandemic.  This is a franchise that was unable to deliver its core product – swimming lessons – for almost two years, and yet it held on to all its franchisees and supported each one through a successful return to the market.  Our confidential survey is a clear indicator that Puddle Ducks is a business that franchisees are delighted to be a part of, and we wish them all every success for the future.”