Communicating with franchisees is the key to a brand’s success. Communication within a network takes place on two levels: the franchisor, who wants to promote the brand at a national level, and the franchisee, at a local level. For the franchise to run smoothly overall, a few communication practices should be followed.
Why is communication important in a franchise network?
Communication within a franchise network is crucial. Without effective communication, the franchise network cannot grow. Internal communication within a franchised network reflects the importance of transparency and fluidity between the different stakeholders. Performance and work organization rely on strong exchanges between franchisees and franchisors, with a direct impact on the brand’s image.
In short, communication within a franchise network translates into several operations and actions:
- Transmission of know-how and the concept
- Franchisee support and network management
- Implementation of sales and promotional operations
- Communication of operating reports and performance data
- Sharing news, as well as ideas and experiences
- Optimization of communication through the implementation of a centralized system
What are the best practices to implement?
1. Do not skimp on communication with franchisees
The news shared with franchisees must be clear and organized by theme. You should adapt the frequency of these messages according to your network’s current events. Ideally, you should send your franchisees at least two articles per month. To keep them informed of these updates, don’t hesitate to notify them by email or any other messaging platform you use.
2. Teach best practices within the network
to facilitate communication between franchiseesforums are an excellent solution, as is the intranet. It is important to closely monitor discussions and moderate them to avoid a poor user experience for your franchisees and the different stakeholders in your network. Also, make sure to properly classify the moderation actions to be taken, and above all, do not neglect any of them.
3. Know all the stakeholders in the network well
To keep track of all the stakeholders in your franchise, set up a directory. This tool ensures cohesion among everyone and allows you to communicate quickly with all parties. Your collaborators will also have more clarity about whom to contact depending on their needs or questions. Combined with an interactive chat (or any other instant messaging tool), you can create a strong dynamic among franchisees, as well as the immediacy that forums cannot provide.
4. Gather a large number of responses
Through surveys, you can easily get an idea of what is happening in the field. By using open survey formats, franchisees can anonymously send you requests, such as changes to be made in certain processes.
What tools and practices can you put in place to effectively communicate with and animate your franchise network?
Animating your franchise network will enable you to achieve better cohesion within it, with everyone kept up to date on the latest news. To help you, certain communication tools will be very useful.
1. Organization of events
Bringing your franchisees together regularly at quarterly or annual meetings is a great way to energize your franchise network. During these meetings, your franchisees can get to know each other, share ideas, and discuss topics already established by the network. For greater convenience, you can also schedule these meetings virtually.
2. Creation of information documents and training sessions
Documentation is the first tool a franchisee will receive when joining the network. You must therefore take particular care in writing it so that it becomes a true resource for your franchisee. Through these documents, you can, for example, provide information to help your franchisees improve in various areas such as communication, marketing, or team management..
3. Production of a regular newsletter
To ensure your network stays informed about all the latest news, don’t hesitate to create your own newsletter. Quick to produce thanks to the various tools available online, the newsletter will provide you with excellent communication with each of your franchisees.
Little tip: To highlight each stakeholder in the network, don’t hesitate to interview them one by one.
4. Building a site reserved for internal use
Although it is more difficult to set up, the internal site, or “intranet”, is nevertheless a very useful tool for communication within your network. Thanks to this tool, your franchisees will be informed of the latest news and will be able to access all the documents your brand makes available to them: contracts, legal terms, as well as training. The internal site will also allow you to showcase the performance of each franchise through a personalized dashboard.
What are the advantages of good communication between franchisors and franchisees?
By establishing good communication between franchisor and franchisees, you will gain several major advantages.
Above all, by communicating clearly with your franchisees about your expectations, you will ensure the success of your franchise. Avoid problems and misunderstandings by maintaining good communication on a daily basis.
As with any business, clear and respectful communication between the different stakeholders will lead to better overall operations for your brand. By being aware of each other’s expectations and requests, franchisees and franchisors will feel much more at ease (and therefore more productive!) in their work.
To learn more about communication between franchisors and franchisees, request a demo or try Cerca for free. :
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