They Barely Had Enough Money to Set Up One Van. Now This Cleaning Company Is a Five-Star Operation With a Loyal Customer Base. Here's Their Secret to Growth. Bronco Pro Kleen made Entrepreneur magazine and Yelp's America's "Favorite Mom and Pop Shops" list. Hear from the company on how it maintains a high level of service for Denver locals that continuously earns them 5-star reviews.
By Emily Washcovick •
Key Takeaways
- Customer feedback can be incredibly helpful to the business. Taking the time out to respond—and respond quickly—is key to maintaining a high level of customer service.
- Building trust with customers requires maintaining communication throughout the buying or service process, including making sure prices are fair and customers don’t face unnecessary costs.
- Making sure your team feels taken care of translates into delivering a better quality of service to your customers. Integrate staff into your business’ goals and mission to help them build a sense of pride in their work.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Travis Minor and his brother took over their father's business, Bronco Pro Kleen, a little over a decade ago. At the time, they had enough money to set up just one van. Since then, they've expanded operations and become a staple for Denver locals, earning a spot on Entrepreneur magazine and Yelp's 2023 America's Favorite Mom and Pop Shops list. Reviewers praise Bronco Pro Kleen for their attentiveness to detail and honesty about their services, making customers feel like they can trust the team for repeat services.
"I didn't feel like I was being nickel and dimed," said Yelp reviewer and Bronco Pro Kleen customer Stacey L. "And I felt like because of that, I could really trust [the technician's] recommendations and this company in general to provide the service that they're promising, but not at the sake of having to come out more often than is needed. So really, that trust is built."
Providing excellent customer service is at the forefront of everything Bronco Pro Kleen does—from building the type of trust Stacey mentioned to their care for first-time customers.
"We really believe in recurring business and making customers for life. That's kind of our target. Anytime we get into a customer's house for the first time, we kind of see it as an audition for future business, almost like a job interview," Travis said.
"We like to get feedback and kind of walk the house with them. We want to know what their expectations are, and we want to be able to get them as much information as possible of what we can and cannot do. We want to make sure that we deliver on their expectations before we ever bring our equipment into the home."
Bronco Pro Kleen's incredible customer service is also a testament to the dedication of their team of professionals. Travis and his brother work hard to make sure their technicians feel cared for and that the team really does trust one another to do the right thing, something Travis believes shows in the team's love for their customers.
"We've been lucky enough to have some amazing people work with us over the years. That is one challenge: keeping experienced technicians—people that we could trust, that are going to be on time, that love the company and our customers as much as us, and that show up to work every day," Travis said. "Once we get them, we just really try to take care of them and keep them around."
Great employees who care about the quality and integrity of the work are ultimately what contributes to such a cohesive team dynamic at Bronco Pro Kleen—and what helps them receive so many positive Yelp reviews like Stacey's.
Related: She Was Down to Her Last $5. Now She Runs a Multi-Million Dollar Cupcake Business.
In her review, Stacey said she felt comfortable using Bronco Pro Kleen for the first time given their stellar Yelp reviews and commitment to a quick response time. Her experience ultimately echoed the experience that many other reviewers highlighted on Bronco Pro Kleen's Yelp Page.
" I think they're doing a great job overall, in addition to actually providing a good service," Stacey said.
As a business owner, Travis is incredibly grateful for reviewers like Stacey.
"We really value the reviews that we get on Yelp. Yelp is a platform that people trust so there's a lot of traffic that comes for home services businesses from Yelp for that reason," Travis said. "Over time, we've been able to build up our reviews. But for us, word of mouth is very big. We just want to give the customers the best experience possible so that they continue to use our services [and] recommend us to friends, neighbors, and family. And if we are able to get a review out of it, that's just the cherry on top."
In addition to its highly professional cleaning capabilities, Bronco Pro Kleen's success was made possible by:
- Putting customer feedback at the forefront. As a small business, let your customers know you're listening and paying attention to their feedback.
- Being honest with customers and building trust. Invite customers in and give them a behind-the-scenes look at your process to make their experience memorable, rather than just trying to sell the product.
- Creating trust among staff. Treat staff like valued members of the business to make them excited to come into work every day. That care will translate into their work for customers.
Listen to the episode below to hear directly from Travis and Stacey and subscribe to Behind the Review for more from new business owners and reviewers every Thursday.
Available on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and Soundcloud.
