As with all other businesses the franchise sector was hit hard in 2020. In the US the majority of franchise businesses operated under reduced employment due to limited capacity and revenue deterioration. With significant government assistance, FRANdata predicts that nearly all of the economic damage created by the COVID-19 pandemic could be erased in 2021. Specifically, franchising is projected to open more than 26,000 locations, add nearly 800,000 new jobs, and contribute $477 billion to the U.S. GDP.

As a franchise organization grows there are risks that the individual franchisees save and retain information in silos. The franchisor needs to make information accessible, accurate, and up-to-date. Without this, commercial, brand, and workforce risks begin to creep in. 

Let’s look at a few challenges for franchise businesses and show how an intranet can help overcome those pain points

Inconsistency in Brand Messages 

Franchises work in part due to the consistency of brand, design, and service. Franchisors expect customers to be able to walk into any outlet and have the same brand experience. Having different pricing, marketing materials, logos/pictures, brand slogans or promotions is embarrassing and potentially damaging, calling into question the consistency of the business. 

How an Intranet can help 

• Ensures a consistent message is delivered by all franchisees across the board
• Provide an avenue for franchisees to give feedback on the success of different marketing campaigns
• Quick and easy access to the most up to date operating manuals/procedures and  brand/marketing guidelines
• Take the pain out of distributing and managing advertising collateral

Poor Communication

A successful franchisor-franchisee relationship is built on discussions that derive from honest, two-way communications. Franchisors need to stay in touch with their franchisees to educate, inform and keep morale high. A lack of communication can take a serious toll on franchise owners, particularly on the finances. Without clear communication or feedback opportunities changes can trickle down from head office to the franchisees providing limited time to make necessary adjustments to sales and operations.

How an Intranet can help 

• Facilitate quick and easy two-way communication (bottom-up and top-down) 
• Push out news, announcements & information effortlessly, and in “real-time”
• Keep everyone up to date and on the same page, without communications getting lost in, and contributing to overflowing email inboxes.
• Communicate to franchisees through the one central system and establish the intranet as the “source of truth”
• Break down the barriers and make franchisors more accessible to franchisees; increase transparency and make sure franchisees feel as though they are being kept in the loop.

Lack of Community and Culture 

Workplace culture has a major impact on how you get your work done and how you feel every day, both on and off the job. A poor culture can induce stressful and negative employee experiences, which could eventually result in reduced and adverse business outcomes and low productivity. 

How an Intranet can help 

• Develop a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing, empowering franchisees to draw on each other’s experiences, opinions, ideas, and feedback
• Engage and motivate your franchise family. Get the conversation flowing using social networking functionality, this will help you build a community-based culture that encourages staff to ask questions and share feedback with their peers and partners.

Absence of Support for Franchisees 

A huge amount of effort and resources from the franchisor and franchisee will have been devoted to setting up the business. The last thing either party wants is for the business to struggle because of a lack of support. The franchisor’s top goal is to support their franchisees, making sure they happy, healthy, and secure in order to perform at a high level. If the franchisee gets that support from they are going to have no problem going the extra mile, enthusiastically cooperating with the strategy and growth ambitions.

How an Intranet can help 

• Provide an engaging online problem solving environment
• Set up a knowledge base to provide 24/7 support and mentoring for your franchisees
• Cut down the number of support calls from franchisees by providing them with the resources and information.
• Create and manage your franchise’s forms online, in one central location. Empower franchisees to quickly and easily execute processes through your intranet. Reduce the need for manual forms and processes, and ensure that completed forms reach the appropriate people in “real-time”. 
• Quick work for processes like requesting branded marketing materials, supplies, or products

With a comprehensive suite of tools and applications ready to go, out of the box, GreenOrbit will satisfy the needs of head office, support managers, regional managers, franchisees, and employees. Take control of your brand, and empower your franchise network to share knowledge and access the information they need, when they need it. 

Want to know more about how GreenOrbit can support your franchise organization? Contact a consultant for a personalized demo.

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