Lisa Law, National Franchise Manager for Snap-on Tools, has been a part of the Kettering-based support team for 16 years. In that time, she’s witnessed and personally overseen multiple innovative changes and updates to the brand’s systems, operations and support mechanisms. Here, she talks us through why this is crucial if a franchisor is going to stand the test of time and, like Snap-on, reach significant milestones in their sector.
When you think of ‘big’ UK brands, who or what comes to mind? Some of the larger supermarket brands perhaps, like Tesco or Sainsbury’s, Barclays bank or maybe Cadbury? All of these brands have a combined age of 778. Maintaining a presence when the foundations of your brand spans not just decades, but centuries, takes a great deal of creativity, customer awareness and innovation.
At Snap-on, we’ve maintained our global presence by doing just that; instilling a sense of creativity in everything we do, always committing to understanding our customers – both their needs and motivations – and constantly implementing or upgrading systems and processes. You only have to visit the ‘About us’ page on the Snap-on website to see just how steeped in history and heritage our brand is.
Our approach to ensuring our brand truly does stand the test of time is multi-faceted. At the core of our business, we have our customers and our franchisees – the cornerstones of our brand. Therefore, it would make sense that all components of our operational processes are built and designed with both groups in mind.
In terms of the Snap-on customer experience, we’re committed to upholding our reputation as the world’s number one professional tool brand. First and foremost, we provide an impeccable and exacting quality of service that our loyal customers have come to expect of us. The minute they step foot on one of our franchisee or company-owned vans, they’re given the time to discuss their needs, whether that’s investing in new products, having existing tools repaired or simply asking questions.
To maintain our position, we also bring new products to the market on a regular basis – 73 in 2019 alone – providing solutions to engineers in the auto, marine, and aviation industries. Both our standard, core tool ranges and our cutting-edge diagnostic solutions are must-haves for the modern technician, but Snap-on really is much more than that. After 100 years in business, the prestige of our brand name is a badge worn with pride by all who use them. To maintain this reputation, the customer service we provide must always be the best.
If our customers are the beating heart of our brand, then our franchisees are the backbone. To keep our network engaged and committed, we put a great deal of emphasis on ensuring they see us a responsible, supportive and motivational franchisor. We refine our model by regularly updating and improving the services, materials and marketing tools made available to our franchisees, at no additional cost to them. We go above and beyond to instil a sense of community within our network and equip them with a whole host of support from our UK-based team of specialists. The guidance we provide to our franchisees is industry-leading – so much so that, last year, we were voted the UK’s number one franchise*.
As an ethical and credible franchisor, we make the necessary changes to our systems that will protect our franchisees’ investment in us for the long-term. We are of the mindset that to sit still is to move backwards. By constantly revisiting, testing and refreshing these processes, we’re ensuring that our brand continues to stand the test of time, even after 100 years in business.
*Elite Franchise Top 100 2020
