The
top 10 ways to support franchisees
Franchisees want to be their own boss while minimising the risks by buying into your brand. Your industry expertise will help steer them to success, but never underestimate the level of support required by even the savviest franchisee.
Here are 10 concrete ways you can support franchisees:
- Establish operational processes and
proceduresThis is crucial in sectors such as care, which is very heavily regulated, but is important for all businesses and especially some popular franchises like food, retail or pet grooming.
When franchisees are armed with trusted procedures, they can run their businesses with confidence. This may even be a key motivation for opting for a franchise over going it alone.
It will also help your brand appear trustworthy, creating a positive cycle where credibility and franchisee confidence help attract new franchisees.
- Communication platforms
Franchisees want to feel they are part of something larger. Good communication is vital for this sense of connection, but also for the running of your franchise.
Why not build a company intranet, which provides a forum where franchisees can share their experiences and support each other? It’s also easy to share company news or upcoming changes, helping imbue the sense of a unified brand. An FAQs section and online helpdesk will help you efficiently deal with any queries.
- Regional support managers
Having regional support managers means each franchisee is directly supported through phone calls, emails and visits. They should feel listened to and build an in-person working relationship. It’s also great for the franchisor as you benefit from an awareness of how the business journey is unfolding.
- Regular meetings
Meetings and conferences are key to building positive relationships and face-to-face contact will continue to be important for franchisees as we gradually emerge from lockdown.
For franchisees, it’s important to meet with the people they are corresponding with. After all, they have made a significant investment.
Regular meetings mean areas for improvement are quickly addressed and franchisees can raise any issues before they become a problem.
And remember – no matter how long a franchisee has owned their business, ongoing support is crucial.
- Training programmes
Because franchising offers a golden opportunity to join a new sector, training programmes should be central to every franchise. Even franchisees from a management background will need to learn the basics.
Training programmes teach your franchisee how to do their job, as well as the best practice they should encourage in their staff.
You can include training at every level of the franchisee experience. Consider offering:
- Pre-training, perhaps assigned reading
- Classroom training, to give them the best start possible
- On-site training in their business pre-launch
- Ongoing training, which could be delivered in a variety of ways, from online to at conferences.
- Positive company culture
Did you know, globally, only 15 per cent of employees say they feel engaged in their job?
- Low management fees
Setting the right management fee means settling on a figure that’s fair to franchisor and franchisee. If your management fees are higher than your competitors, you’ll attract fewer new franchises and sow discontent among existing ones.
On average, management fees are around seven or eight per cent. They start at nil and rise to 20 per cent.
- Marketing and advertising support
Marketing and advertising support don’t just increase franchisee revenue, for a franchisor they offer the chance to retain some control over how the brand is portrayed.
Developing national, regional and local marketing, advertising and PR campaigns at a head office level gives all franchisees equal access to promotion. Other easy ways of providing marketing support include creating advertising assets or developing easy-to-follow guides.
- Technical support
Did you know, another reason that franchisees opt for the safety of a franchisor over the gamble of going it alone is the level of technical support that can be expected from a reputable franchisor?
Accounting is a common headache for new franchisees. Set up systems that make accounting easier to manage, freeing up their time to focus on the running of their business.
- One-to-one
expert adviceYou should be prepared to handle any problem and give someone all they need to go from a novice in a sector to the owner of a flourishing business.
This is another reason it’s key to hire motivated regional support managers with sector experience. They should be an expert in the field, as well as a reassuring ‘people person’, a mentor as well as a manager.
Combine these 10 points in the infrastructure of your franchise and you’ll quickly be known as a safe pair of hands. Franchisees should feel they’ve made a wise decision choosing you and, likewise, shouldn’t you be confident that your offering puts them on the road to success?
