After more than a year of remote work, operations teams found alternative ways to support their franchisees. Now, as we return to in-person visits, franchise ops teams are tasked with deciding what support changes are worth keeping and how they can continue to find new ways to increase value to their franchisee network.
The pandemic has been a game-changer for restaurants, forcing everyone, including quick-service operators, to rethink everything they do. Research highlighted in this QSR Magazine article showed that brands that kept their franchisees engaged, informed, and satisfied had the best chance to succeed.
In this webinar, hosted by FranConnect, a standout panel of Franchise Operations experts share data-driven insights and best practices gleaned from a lifetime of coaching franchisors on driving franchisee performance and satisfaction, ensuring franchisee compliance and creating engagement and alignment.
See the key findings and takeaways from FBR's 2021 franchisee satisfaction research into the food franchise sector based on surveys of over 10,220 franchise owners.
Franchise operations leaders are facing new and different challenges as we emerge from the pandemic. It's no surprise that labor issues top the list for many, but that's not the only one. FBR held a recent roundtable event where operations execs shared some of the things that keep them up at night - and what they're doing about them.
Creating an impactful social presence is very often tucked into the “nice to have” category, when in actuality, it should be a must for any franchise that wants to grow. Learn how to instantly improve your outcomes by implementing these three easy, innovative social media strategies.
How - and where - can you make the biggest impact on overall franchise performance? Our latest research identified the 5 key areas that have the most significant impact.
Franchisee satisfaction is a primary leading indicator of current system health and a predictor of future performance and long-term system growth. If the brand you’re investing in doesn’t provide you with recent, detailed, third-party research on their franchisees’ satisfaction, it could be a red flag.
These are the five key areas that separate the very best brands from the competition and lead to high franchisee satisfaction and performance.
Learn how The Learning Experience franchise system measures feedback from customers and how they were able to increase customer satisfaction dramatically during the pandemic despite the formidable challenges facing the education and child services sectors.
Getting franchisees to their "point of clarity" can turn around underperforming franchisees and drive greater system performance overall. Scott Greenberg, author of The Wealthy Franchisee, shares how to get franchisees into the right mindset to boost performance, increase satisfaction and grow your brand.
James Dwiggins, CEO of NextHome, talks with FBR about how their focus on caring and support enables them to maintain franchisee satisfaction amidst explosive growth, how their company culture guides strategic decisions, and the outlook for the real estate industry during COVID.
CASE STUDY: Learn how Two Men and a Truck uses a data-driven approach to providing top-notch franchisee support and, in turn, attracting high quality leads.
CASE STUDY: Learn how Any Lab Test Now implemented FBR's survey to increase response rates and, in turn, used the data to improve communication and franchisee engagement.
Download key takeaways from the session, Enforcing Compliance with System Standards While Maintaining Franchise Relations, at the IFA's Emerging Franchisors Virtual Conference.
Learn how Streamline Brands uses FBR’s survey to build trust, drive strategic planning, and attract investors in this Q&A with co-founder and COO Paul Gerrard.
Franchisees typically tend to disengage somewhere around five years into the business. Follow these 10 tips to keep your franchisees satisfied and engaged long term, and drive growth for your system.
All franchise buyers do varying degrees of due diligence before investing in a brand. The difference is that today more and more prospective franchisees are looking at franchisee satisfaction data in addition to financial benefits, lifestyle, and the training and support they’ll receive. See what current franchisees have to say about franchisee satisfaction as a key factor in choosing a franchise.
Virtual onboarding and training may be here to stay post-COVID. Here's a look at the 4 major challenges that poses for franchisors and recommendations for overcoming them.
Michelle Rowan, president & COO of Franchise Business Review, is part of this year’s planning task force and the emcee for the Operations program at the IFA's Marketing, Operations & Development (MOD) Virtual Conference. She talked recently about the highlights of the event and what franchisors will take away.
When you survey your franchisees, it's critical to share it with your entire executive team if you want to truly cultivate a data-driven mindset in your organization. The insights we collect on our surveys can help every team in your organization identify priorities, track their progress and meet their goals. Find out how each of your teams can benefit from having FBR walk them through your data together.
Over the past 15 years we've worked with more than 1,100 franchisors who understand the value of franchisee surveys, but we’ve also encountered many who buy into myths and misconceptions that simply don’t hold water. Here, we separate fact from fiction.
Franchisee satisfaction is a primary indicator of long-term system growth and success in measuring the health of any franchise system, but if you're wondering what the ROI of franchisee satisfaction surveys is, read on for 8 ways you'll get a return on your investment of time and money - and drive franchise system growth.
Like other businesses across the country and the world, franchises have had to get creative in how they deliver their products and services - from implementing curbside pick-up to going entirely digital to completely changing priorities - basically overnight. We asked them to share their Smart Ideas for getting it done and here's what they told us.
Franchisors frequently implement new programs with the intention of adding value for all (or most) of their franchisees, but oftentimes, it’s hard to create programs that impact the more experienced, high-achiever franchisees in your system who have already figured out how to be successful. Franchise peer groups, however, can inspire and motivate all franchisees, including those already successful and mature franchisees, and give them the tools to take their businesses to an even higher level.
Within days of COVID-19 becoming a health and economic crisis, numerous organizations and companies made resources available to provide assistance and forums to connect us and guide us through this. To make them easier to access, we’ve compiled a list of the COVID-19 franchise resources we’ve come across. The list is not exhaustive and we are updating as more resources become available.
Learn three steps you can take to build in transparency to keep existing franchisees satisfied and engaged, and attract new franchisees to your brand.
Social media expert Karen Spaeder of Rallio shares four proactive strategies for recruiting franchise employees using social media to fill open positions more quickly with the best job candidates.
Franchisee validation is a clear and measurable indicator of operational soundness; however, the typical franchisee lifecycle shows that a new franchisee’s satisfaction usually declines after a few years – which can negatively affect validation and franchise sales. Learn unique approaches franchisors are taking to mitigate or break the franchisee lifecycle and turn those programs (and their franchisees) into a development tool.
Operations and development don’t always go hand in hand. In practice, however, these two functions need to be closely aligned to create a positive and profitable culture. This session brings together brand leaders from both sides of the house to share strategies and best practices for aligning their teams.
Leaders from five of the most experienced operations companies in franchising share the biggest operations pitfalls franchisors encounter - and what you can do about it to accelerate franchise growth.
Where are food franchises headed? We take a look at the data and trends affecting the success of the food franchise sector and how it compares to other sectors. Here are the food franchise stats you need to know.
Franchise Update's Leadership and Development Conference is a must-attend event. In case you missed it, FBR president Michelle Rowan shares the four major takeaways from the event on how to create a culture of growth in your organization.
What are the biggest challenges facing franchise operations teams? FBR's president Michelle Rowan joined over 175 operations leaders and had a unique opportunity to facilitate two days of discussion around where their focus is and the best practices they're using to overcome obstacles.
Want to learn how some of the most successful companies in franchising achieving top performance? Watch these free franchise crash courses for practical tips and real-life examples you can easily implement in your own system.
Franchise companies only achieve sustainable success and growth when their franchisees are satisfied with their performance. And the most satisfied franchisees feel that their franchisor is invested in their personal success. If you want to build a system where everyone wins, you need an action plan. That means understanding what you’re doing well and where you can improve. Start by downloading this free franchise report card to rate your system.
Learn how to get franchisees on board with your social media strategy - and increase satisfaction and support - using these tips from social media guru, Karen Spaeder of Rallio.
One of the biggest challenges of the franchisee lifecycle is keeping tenured franchisees engaged. Join us at the IFA's Franchise Operations Conference this fall to learn how successful franchisors are using franchisee satisfaction data to make continuous improvements to their training and support to break franchisees out of their performance plateaus.
There is no metric that better predicts success or foreshadows issues within a system than the sentiment of its franchise owners. Measuring and managing franchisee satisfaction is the best way to build a system in which everyone wins.
Do your franchisees feel supported during compliance checks? Most franchisors will say “no”. But it doesn't have to be that way! FranchiseBlast has collected 357 franchise audit questions from top franchisors to help you "audit your audit" and elevate the compliance check from an exercise in “catching” franchisees doing something wrong, to “coaching” them to make the business be its best.
FBR sat down with Any Lab Test Now to talk about how they have seized a unique position in the healthcare consumerism sector and their approach to innovation in franchising, particularly when it comes to franchisee support.
Even before franchisees commit to buying into your system, they need to have an exit plan in place. This article explains what franchisees need to consider when transferring a franchise business and the steps they should take when building a succession plan.
Wouldn’t it be nice if your training sessions were available whenever you had the time to listen – maybe when you’re stuck in traffic or working on mundane tasks? Welcome to the age of podcasts. Learn how Office Pride Commercial Cleaning is using podcasts to help franchisees be more successful by providing training and support - when and where it fits their schedule.
While customer service is a mainstay within any business - and especially franchising - so is communications. And like customer service, excelling at communications is often nothing more than getting back to the basics. Learn six basic tips for ensuring effective franchisee communications that lead to stronger franchisee relationships.
We're surveying EVERYONE that works in the franchise industry to find out what they think of their job, team, and company. Share your experience with us and help us identify the best places to work in franchising!
We’ve pulled together this list of the top 5 must-have resources for emerging brands, full of the best practices we’ve collected over a decade from franchisors who are growing their brands strategically while maintaining a system of highly satisfied (and profitable) franchisees.
There’s so much to know and learn as a new franchisee – and so much ‘paper work’ coming down from HQ, that franchisees often get lost in a barrage of paper, rather than focusing on the big picture. That can lead to your franchisees unknowingly sabotaging your brand and their customer satisfaction. Nancy Friedman, President of Telephone Doctor Customer Service Training, outlines five common phrases that can sabotage a business and how to mitigate them.
We see so many brands that grow quickly but don’t have the operations support in place to sustain it. Join us in Tampa on September 12 for the IFA's Operations Seminar, where top ranking brands in franchisee satisfaction will share techniques and insight on how to achieve grow your brand strategically through operational best practices.
Franchise culture NEEDS to be an operational priority - starting with leadership, but really for everyone in your organization. The challenge is knowing where to start. Join FBR at the IFA Operations Seminar in Tampa this fall to learn the secrets of creating a winning culture from leading franchisors.
We often hear that the data we provide has helped our clients identify key issues among their franchisees, but it can sometimes be difficult to put an operational value on tracking franchisee attitudes. In this webinar, we speak with three franchisors about how moving the needle on satisfaction has also helped them grow their brand, both in same-store sales and new development.
A system with 500 franchisees handles communications very differently than one with 25, but regardless of size, franchisees demand that their voices be heard and respected -- and rightfully so. Still, finding the optimal strategy to solicit feedback, make decisions, and roll out changes while making sure everyone feels represented can be extremely difficult for any brand. Our panelists discuss how a brand of any size can create efficient, open communication channels to keep both franchisor and franchisees happy.
We've often discussed the importance of collecting and analyzing unit-level data to help franchisees improve their profitability and grow their bottom line. This time, we focus specifically on WHY it's important not just to collect the data, but to share it with the entire system. Our panelists discuss what they share, how they overcome franchisee pushback, and what benefits they've seen by making this data available system-wide.
If every franchise brand had a fully integrated, customized, easy to use, modular, cost-effective technology platform for their franchisees, operations would run very smoothly. Unfortunately, the perfect tech options seem too expensive for the brands that need them most and the questions involved with moving from one platform to another can quickly halt a much-needed upgrade. In this webinar, we speak with panelists who can clarify how to make the choice in platforms, when to make the investment, and the most seamless ways to roll out a new system.
Franchisees are motivated by the potential to realize their dreams. Unfortunately, it can become very easy to lose sight of the long-term goals while dealing with the short-term challenges within the business. Working with franchisees to put their vision in writing can help them to stick to it and track their own progress, and helps YOU to make sure their vision stays aligned with the brand's so that both parties are working toward common goals.
Perhaps no other franchising sector is as competitive and battle-tested as food. Every year, we release our annual report on the top food franchises based on franchisee satisfaction. The brands in this report have maintained double-digit growth and high franchisee satisfaction through some of the toughest years in franchising history. Franchisors from all types of sectors can learn a lot from what these brands do (and don’t do) to be successful.
More than ever, savvy franchise buyers are honing in on your FDD’s Item 19. After all, it’s the closest they can get to answering the burning question, “How much money can I expect to make?” FBR's President & COO Michelle Rowan shares three need-to-know tips to make your Item 19 accurate and engaging.
Looking at franchisee satisfaction data spanning a recent 18-month period, franchisees of Emerging brands showed a more positive sentiment in several key areas compared to all franchise owners Franchise Business Review surveyed.
Franchise Business Review's data shows that brands with high franchisee satisfaction drastically outperform brands with low satisfaction on every key performance metric. This graphic illustrates the gap between brands in the top quartile of satisfaction and brands in the bottom quartile in annual unit growth, royalty revenue, franchisee turnover, and franchisee income.
Using the data Franchise Business Review has collected from over 1,100 franchise brands, we've identified four warning signs that indicate that your franchisees are unhappy or disengaged - which means your system is at risk. FBR's Michael Kupfer talks about what you need to watch out for.
Nobody likes to waste money, but time and again, we see franchisors making simple mistakes that are costing them. In under three minutes, FBR's President & COO Michelle Rowan shares three ways you could be losing money - without even knowing it. Watch now to find out if your system is at risk and learn how to fix it.
FBR’s CEO, Eric Stites, recently talked with Crunch’s CEO and Founding Partner, Ben Midgeley, about fanchisee-franchisor relationships, being “unamazonable”, and creating a culture of listening.
Nike made a mistake that cost them billions when they lost their endorsement contract with Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry to Under Armour. Don't make the same mistake Nike did when it comes to your franchisees.
Franchisee satisfaction can have a direct impact on your bottom line - but it doesn’t have to cost you a lot. FBR's President and COO, Michelle Rowan, shares five easy tips that don't require a budget to help you boost the growth of your franchise system.
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park Camp Resorts was named one of Franchise Business Review’s top 200 franchises of 2018. We recently sat down to chat with Jim Westover, VP of Operations, to talk about the franchise’s growth over the past 50 years and how their focus on brand differentiation and franchisee education has been a critical factor in becoming a top choice for franchise buyers.
Dave Mattson, CEO of Sandler Training, explains why Sandler surveys with Franchise Business Review, and shares his thoughts on why franchisees find it valuable as well as how Sandler uses their feedback to make continuous improvements and grow the brand.
Business intelligence is all about using data to make informed decisions for your organization. It applies data analysis to glean actionable insights, identify risks and opportunities, and guide strategic plans. If you’re not collecting franchisee satisfaction data, you’re missing a critical piece of business intelligence. And that means you’re putting your entire system at risk.
It's no secret that franchise owners' performance plateaus over the years. So how do you keep them engaged? FBR's CEO, Eric Stites, shares the most common challenges facing franchisors and tips for re-engaging senior franchisees in this short 5-minute video.
Want to learn how to start building better relationships with your franchisees? In under five minutes, FBR President Michelle Rowan shares two things you can do RIGHT NOW to build trust and start winning over your franchisees.
Successful franchisors make growing their franchise brand look easy, but it rarely is. How do they do it? For a little inspiration, read advice shared by franchisors at leading brands.
The energy behind small, but growing franchise brands is often fueled by the passion, culture, and core values of its founders, staff, and franchisees. As a brand grows, those things tend to get diluted or take a back seat to other priorities. Pulse surveys can help you keep your franchise on track and keep franchisees and corporate staff from disengaging.
Learn how the Golden Corral franchise system more than doubled its franchisee satisfaction survey participation - and lived up to its commitment to giving its operators a voice - by partnering with Franchise Business Review.
Franchise executives from leading brands share how they have successfully incorporated video into their communications with franchisees to boost participation in their annual franchisee satisfaction surveys.
Franchise Business Review asked the franchise industry to nominate the women leading the way in franchising through exceptional leadership, knowledge, and creativity. This special report highlights some of the nominations we received, along with franchisee satisfaction data around women franchisees, resources, and advice from franchisors on building a more profitable system.
When was the last time you did a communications audit? Probably too long ago. Strategic communication is a critical component in your organization's ability to reach and exceed business objectives. And just as you would with other key areas of your organization like operations, marketing, and finance, communication must be reviewed, directed, adjusted, and monitored to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Whether the thought of analyzing data fills you with dread, or you just don’t know where to start, this 30-minute webinar will help even the most data-phobic franchisor understand how to use your data to drive your strategic efforts and start outperforming your competitors.
If you can commit to focusing on one area to work on each month and embedding it into your corporate culture, you may find that a step-by-step approach to change can end up making a big difference. This eBook lay out 12 best practices you can implement over the course of a year to increase satisfaction and improve productivity.
If you can commit to focusing on one area to work on each month and embedding it into your corporate culture, you may find that a step-by-step approach to change can end up making a big difference. This eBook lay out 12 best practices you can implement over the course of a year to increase satisfaction and improve productivity.
This 30-minute webinar will show you how to turn poor franchisee satisfaction into an opportunity to positively impact your bottom line and get franchisees excited about their future with the brand.
There is an art to properly running a Franchise Advisory Council. Download this whitepaper from Ingage Consulting to learn how you can maximize the effectiveness of your council.
Learn where the most common franchisee performance gaps exist and five tips for building a network of engaged, highly successful franchisees.
Hear franchise experts share best practices in using surveys.
Grow your brand the right way. Learn what top emerging brands are doing to grow their brands and cash in on franchisee satisfaction--and how you can, too.
Learn how Donatos partnered with Franchise Business Review to see how how they stacked up against their competitors and make a measurable impact on system performance.
Effective coaching is a crucial tool for boosting performance. If you want your franchise “team” to take their performance to the next level, these four tips can help you show them how to get there.
When planned and executed properly, these visits can be a valuable link between the corporate office and your franchisees. Learn 10 things your franchise field reps should be doing to make sure everyone involved--franchisees, field reps, and franchise leadership--are getting the most value from field visits.
Franchisors that lead their sectors proactively seek feedback from franchisees, customers, employees and/or candidates because they understand doing so positively impacts their bottom line. Read on to learn a few ways to leverage survey data that you may not have considered.
Listen in to this Boefly webinar to hear FBR President and COO Michelle Rowan and other franchise executives share best practices in franchise surveys.
Franchise brands with strong cultures have extremely high satisfaction and engagement among their franchisees. But cognitive culture is only half the story. Research cited by Harvard Business Review article points out that emotions are central to building the right culture.
We talk with franchise executives day in and day out about how to improve franchisee satisfaction, and the most common [...]
Newer, smaller franchise brands typically don’t have a ton of capital, so investment in powerful software platforms can be extremely difficult to finance. At the same time, steady, sustainable growth of the brand depends on franchisees being successful and validating well for interested candidates. So do you invest beyond your means to streamline unit-level and brand growth, or do you stick with inefficient systems until there’s enough capital to spend on better technology?
As a franchisor, it can be especially difficult to maintain the highest level of customer service at all your locations since your franchisees have a great deal of autonomy. Here are five key things you can do to protect your brand.
Depending on a particular brand’s needs, “free” can actually carry a much, much larger cost than one of the price-tagged alternatives.
As local business owners, your franchisees are often buried in the day-to-day details of running their businesses—hiring, payroll, sales, customer service—meaning they typically have time to pay attention to customer satisfaction. Make it easy for them by providing them with customer satisfaction data that relates specifically to their location.
http://vimeo.com/135080066 The data provided by Franchise Business Review gives franchisors a wealth of insights that help them grow [...]
In June 2015, over 100 franchisors learned how to run their brand more successfully via Franchise Business Review’s 2015 Ops Webinar Series. They benefitted from the insight of 15 respected franchise industry leaders who shared their experiences, expertise, and favorite resources during five online sessions. Throughout the series, one idea kept that regardless of the session topic was...
If McDonald’s current relationship with its franchisees is not enough for you to invest in understanding what the majority of your franchisees are happy with and what they are not pleased with, consider the many system-strengthening benefits satisfied franchisees deliver.
A few years ago, our company made a decision to conduct our own in-house Franchise Partner Survey. The rationale was [...]
Having a strong culture of transparency is critical for the long-term success of your franchisees and your system as a whole. Franchisees can easily get distracted as their business grows, which will ultimately stall their growth. Being 100 percent transparent as an organization will keep you and your franchisees laser-focused on things that really matter.
Franchise Business Review founder and CEO Eric Stites offers one simple idea to get franchisees engaged, productive, and profitable.
Register now for Franchise Business Review's 2015 Franchisee Satisfaction Awards, part of a national project that looks at franchisee satisfaction among the country’s most popular franchise brands.
