AI is taking the business world by storm, of that there is no doubt, but are franchising brands adopting it readily and if so, how does this ultimately benefit their franchisees? Pip Wilkins, CEO of the BFA (British Franchise Association) finds out.
Info: AI statistics
The Global AI market size [1]is projected to grow at 36.6% between 2024 and 2030. 65% of organisations report regular use of generative AI[2], up from 32% in 2022, and businesses have seen an average 37% reduction in costs [3]after integrating AI solutions in 2024.
AI in the franchising
So how, if at all, is the UK franchise sector, that brings in £19 billion to the UK economy, more than the UK film, high end TV and music industry combined[4], embracing this brave new frontier? Is welcoming it with open arms or keeping it at arm’s length?
British franchises and AI
Three BFA member franchise brands who are fully embracing AI, are Right at Home, recent winner of Franchisor of the Year at the BFA HSBC UK British Franchise Awards, Radfield Home Care and TAB (The Alternative Board).
The future of home care
Director of In-home and Clinical Care at Right at Home, Simon Osborne, described how the brand is harnessing the power of AI for the good of their clients, carers and franchisees: “We are proud to have introduced several ground-breaking initiatives in the last year, not least becoming the first homecare provider to upskill care givers in clinical care skills, and the first franchise to build its own intuitive, end to end operating software.”
AI remote monitoring for clients
The brand’s new software has opened up opportunities to integrate AI driven remote monitoring for their clients and they’ve partnered with Sentai, an AI voice activated hub, which is placed in a client’s home, that is then programmed to remotely monitor the client’s wellbeing, via remote sensors. It can also communicate with the client and their contacts in the event of any concerns, whilst also feeding real-time information and data back to a central system. A pilot project will see this technology tested with clients in 10 different franchises over the next 12 months.
‘Virtual Ward Technology’
Right at Home is also partnering with two companies to provide ‘Virtual Ward’ technology, implementing remote clinical monitoring, via a Fitbit, that monitor’s a client’s clinical signs and engages with the NHS’s ‘Hospital at Home/Virtual Ward’ initiatives.
Osborne said: “Our vision is a ‘triangular tech-enabled’ model, in which Virtual Ward technology in the home monitors a client’s clinical signs and feeds these into Sentai, which in turn feeds this and its own monitoring data in real time, into our RightCareHQ system.”
With this kind of cutting-edge technology, franchisees will naturally benefit from offering such market-leading services to their clients.
Virtual meeting recordings
Another domiciliary care provider who are early adopters of AI is Radfield Home Care.
Franchise development director Phil MacKechnie elaborates: “We have embraced AI across several areas of the business, with great results. For instance, we now use AI powered note capture software that records and transcribes meetings. This one simple tool has saved our admin teams and franchise owners a huge amount of time that they can instead devote to supporting the network or growing their own businesses.”
Translation tools
MacKechnie continued: “We also use it to help with our marketing and legal work. One tool we find very useful is the translation tool, that allows us to communicate with a diverse range of audiences ensuring accessibility and inclusivity in all our materials.”
Scheduling tools
MacKechnie and his team also deploy AI to help with care planning and rostering, essential in client facing operations and particularly when addressing the complex care needs of their clients. He said: “By leveraging AI, we can ensure each client receives personalised, consistent and efficient care which is good for the client, good for the franchisee and good for the entire network.”
Analysing health data
Moreover, MacKechnie says AI tools are allowing he and his team to analyse health data and identify trends, providing actionable insights that allow for early intervention and improved outcomes. Not only is this in the client’s best interest but is also saving the NHS millions of pounds in preventative cost saving, all helping Radfield Home Care’s clients to age well in the comfort of their own homes.
Content creation
Ed Reid from TAB (The Alternative Board) has employed AI software to ensure they are not only delivering the right message to potential clients, but also that it is well thought out and grammatically correct.
Reid said: “One of the things we focus on at TAB head office is helping our franchisees to achieve more with fewer resources and AI has been a key part of making that happen. Tools like ChatGPT, Grammarly and Google Gemini have transformed how we create content, explore fresh ideas and uncover new angles. It’s not about replacing a human, but about maximising what we can deliver as a small, dynamic team, so our franchisees get the support they need.’
He continued: “We use AI to plan long form blog posts, business guides, emails and social media content that our franchisees can then tailor for their own local business community. We’ve also worked to train ChatGPT to understand us, our tone and our audience to maintain authenticity.”
Regulations and safe use of AI
In the King’s Speech on July 17, 2024[5], the UK government announced plans to introduce new artificial intelligence (AI) regulations. The speech highlighted the government’s intention to establish legislation to ensure the safe development of AI models, focusing on the most powerful AI technologies.
Embrace with caution
Wilkins said: “AI is a powerful tool that brands can use to enhance and complement their businesses, but it should never replace the invaluable human touch. Whilst AI can streamline processes and assist with tasks, there are countless aspects of a business that only real people can bring to life such as creativity, empathy, and personal connections, which are irreplaceable in most franchise brands. Whilst we thoroughly applaud the early adopters and encourage the use of AI, we’d urge all members to do so in responsible and measured fashion.”
[1] https://explodingtopics.com/blog/ai-statistics
[2] https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai
[3] https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbestechcouncil/2024/02/21/anticipating-the-future-how-ai-will-impact-businesses-in-2024/
[4] https://www.socialfilms.co.uk/blog/uk-film-industry-statistics https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/official-bfi-2023-statistics
[5] https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2024-07-30/debates/C1541E2E-0AE3-486C-9077-42CBA1785164/AITechnologyRegulations
