Deploying FSM Software to Enhance Franchise Productivity!

A franchise business model is a good way to expand the business to different geographies. The franchisee uses the franchisor’s brand name and business model and shares revenues.

Success depends on good coordination between the franchise and the franchisees. The franchisor has to support the franchisee and enforce the terms of the franchise agreement. Doing this requires a complete overview of the business.

Enter franchise management software. A good suite integrates different facets of the franchisor’s workflow. It makes the franchisor-franchisee collaboration smooth, seamless, and win-win for all parties. Configured right, it speeds up things, cuts costs, and drives efficiencies.

Read more: Accelerate Business Productivity with a Scheduling & Dispatching Software!

1. Effective Work Order Management

In a franchise business model, the franchisor establishes a seamless supply chain with the franchisee. The franchisor supplies goods or parts, services equipment, and supports the franchisee.

But often, the franchisor cannot offer support and service to their franchisees on time. Franchisors often get overwhelmed by scheduling tasks to cater to the requests made by franchisees. Scheduling with whiteboards or spreadsheets comes with a high incidence of errors.

Robust franchise management software enables seamless scheduling. ReachOut’s work order software is up to the task. The suite offers:

• Scheduling calendar that shows available agents, making scheduling easy. When franchisees make a service request, the scheduler identifies available agents. The software assigns the work order to the agent instantly. A skills database records the skills and experience of each field agent, enabling the scheduler to send qualified agents for the job. The field agents get reminder notifications. The franchisee receives an alert about the field agent assigned to the task and their ETA.
• Dynamic scheduling capabilities. Many-a-times, the situation changes after scheduling. For example, an emergency may develop in one center, requiring immediate attention. Dynamic scheduling capabilities allow schedulers to change open tasks or create new tasks. Managers may add multiple agents to a job, fix responsibilities for each team member, and change the schedule. They may reassign resources, reschedule appointments, cut the line, and do more. Prompt push notifications keep everyone in the loop.
• Real-time visibility into field operations. Managers may supervise work teams through a single, integrated platform. They track the works assigned to any agent and intervene to fix any lag. Tracking also becomes the basis of the performance management of agents. When an agent spends too much time with a franchisee, it could mean a problem with the franchisee.

2. Integrated Dispatching and Tracking Capabilities

The success of a franchise business model depends on efficient, low-cost operations. But often, the spread-out nature of franchise locations results in slack. Slack leads to inefficiencies, which cause franchisee discontent. When field agents take too long to reach a franchisee location, downstream appointments also get delayed. As a result, they serve a lesser number of franchisees a day, increasing operational costs.

ReachOut franchise management software offers an effective solution to improve agent productivity. The suite offers:

• Seamless integration with inventory suite to confirm the availability of spares before dispatching. This preempts a wasted trip and improves first-time fix rates for repairs.
• Optimized routes enable field agents to reach the franchisee location quickly. The suite integrates with maps and plots the best route to the destination. It considers traffic, road condition, and other relevant factors. As a result, field agents spend less time on the road and more time attending to franchisee support. This improves productivity manifold and also improves franchisee satisfaction levels.
• Real-time tracking. Managers, franchisees, and others get an ETA of the field agent for servicing, repairs, or other support. The suite links with the geolocation capabilities of the field agent’s smartphone, offering live status tracking.

Read more: 5 Ways ReachOut Enterprise Field Service Software Reduces Your Maintenance Costs

3. Robust Audits and Inspections

Audits and inspections are integral to a franchise business model. Regular inspection of franchise outlets ensures compliance with the franchise agreement. Inspections also unearth flaws and inefficiencies. The franchisor may intervene to set things right. ReachOut offers robust options to conduct audits and inspections. The suite offers:

• Custom forms: The AppExchange offers hundreds of readymade templates. These forms, curated by experts, cover all inspection scenarios. It complies with industry audit standards as well.
• Stylized forms: Franchisers have an option to digitize existing paper forms. They upload custom forms, and conduct the inspections as before. Field agents do not have to go through a learning curve. Using Stylus pencil mimics the pen and paper mode of data entry. Field agents may also upload images, video, and voice clips to these forms. All these unlock much greater potential than the offline mode of inspections.
• Custom reports: Dynamic reporting capabilities allow custom reports and automatic email in real-time. Zero-paperwork, combined with real-time feeds, increases the quality of reports.
• Analytical insights: Analysis of audit and inspection reports over time identifies variance from established means. Comparing historical audits and reports consolidate best practices. The internal best practices serve as a benchmark to identify discrepancies.

4. Seamless Workflows

Franchisee management software streamlines workflows. It allows the franchisors to manage many franchisees and scale up to add new franchisees. ReachOut offers:

• Integrated connectors and APIs: These tools pull information from different databases into an integrated dashboard. Field agents and others access such dashboards through their smartphones, from anywhere, and get work done easily. For instance, field agents may access CRM information. As a result, they get complete information about the franchisee before stepping inside their premises.
• Data analysis to identify discrepancies in operational volumes and figures: Analysis of such data reveals underlying issues with the franchisee. Such issues may not be visible in plain sight. The sales team could, for instance, track daily or weekly reports from the franchisees. They may identify any discrepancies and generate a new work order to set things right.
• Integrated Accounting: Seamless connectors enable the franchisor to sync the accounts of franchisees. Royalty payments take place smoothly, with no accounting hassles. The franchisor may identify franchisees having low volumes and probe the underlying causes.

The success of any franchise business model depends on the franchisor controlling all facets of operations. This is possible only with the right franchise management software. ReachOut is a powerful tool perfect for these tasks. The investment pays back in a short while through cost savings, improved productivity, and better speed. The tool is a source of competitive advantage. Connect with us today to know how ReachOut can be handy for your Franchise management, or Sign Up for free!