Keeping our nationwide franchise network safe and compliant is a top priority – and vehicle audits play a key role in making that happen. These six-monthly checks are a mandatory part of the franchise agreement, helping ensure teams are safe and vehicles meet all regulations.
Franchise Compliance Executive Olivia McArthur recently stepped up to manage vehicle audits entirely on her own. The last round marked her first time running them solo, setting the schedule, organising everything in the system, and making tough calls whenever compliance issues come up.
Audits happen twice a year in October/November and April/May, and each round takes Olivia about five weeks to complete. But she has the support of CrestClean’s Training and Health and Safety Co-ordinator Jacqui Buchanan to help her get through all 720 franchise teams. Because Jacqui is frequently on the road for training, she’ll join Olivia whenever their schedules overlap. To make the most of those trips, the pair now plan audits around Jacqui’s training sessions so they can team up as often as possible.
Auckland is the busiest stop on the audit schedule, with 260 teams to get through in just four days. To keep things running smoothly—and avoid adding to Auckland’s notorious traffic—audits are booked through an online system. Franchisees receive their schedule four weeks in advance, along with a booking link to lock in their time slot.
Each vehicle is allocated around 15 minutes for an audit, though larger franchises—some with 10 or more employees and multiple vehicles—take longer. During an audit, Olivia and Jacqui check employee contracts, IDs, and vehicle insurance to ensure everything is in order. If a document is missing, franchisees have until the end of the day to provide it. For bigger fixes, they have 10 working days to get this sorted. From chemicals to testing and tagging, the audits focus on keeping franchisees safe and compliant.
With a digital checklist on their phones, Olivia and Jacqui can work efficiently while making sure nothing is overlooked.
“We want to make sure they’re covered if anything happens and that their equipment is safe.”
Jacqui’s training background brings valuable communication skills to the process, helping franchisees feel confident and prepared for audits. Her ability to clearly explain why audits are so important makes the experience less daunting and more of a learning opportunity. Olivia is grateful to have Jacqui’s training expertise onboard!
“We see this as more of a coaching, learning experience. We want franchisees to understand why we do it,” says Jacqui.
“We’ve learned a lot from Jacqui,” Olivia adds.
Keeping CrestClean’s nationwide franchise network safe and compliant is no small task, but Olivia and Jacqui make it happen twice a year. These audits are about protecting our people, ensuring equipment is safe, and giving franchisees peace of mind. Best of all, they’re an opportunity to connect. Meeting teams face-to-face is one of Olivia and Jacqui’s favourite parts of the job, and it shows that compliance comes with a friendly smile, not a scary face!
