If you’re planning on opening up multiple franchise locations or you’re only running one, you’ll find that all franchises will need to operate in a similar fashion. This includes the type of software that’s being used for daily operations. But why is this? Why do franchise locations need the same software in order to manage the franchise? Here are three reasons why franchise locations need the same software and why it’s important that you adhere to the systems put in place throughout the franchise organization.
1. It Guarantees That Customers Receive the Same Care and Support in All Locations
Imagine you’re a customer visiting a local fast-food chain relatively frequently. You’re accustomed to the way they do things, but you decide to visit a different one because you’re out of town one day. You go in, only to discover that the way they do things is vastly different than what you’re accustomed to.
This would not only be frustrating but quite a bit of a shock as well. Franchises use the same software and operate in a similar manner because it’s easier on the customer. If you were to implement your own software solutions and systems, it could easily result in problems that may negatively impact the customer experience. If there’s standard software that’s used in every franchise location, customers know exactly what to expect and get the same support no matter which franchise they visit.
2. It Makes Things Far Easier for Your Employees
As an employee, the key benefit of working with a franchise is that you can easily transfer somewhere else if you need to move. They already know what to expect when they go to that new location, and their prior experience will be relevant.
But what if every franchise location used a different software for operations? In this scenario, every employee would need to be trained to know how to do the work in each franchise. This would be confusing and lead to unnecessary training costs. All franchise locations need the same software so that employees know how to navigate the environment.
3. It Will Be Easier to Help You If You Run Into Any Issues
The main purpose of purchasing a franchise rather than starting your own business from scratch is to have everything already laid out and done for you so that you can start generating income right away. Because there are systems in place, you will have the support you need should you run into any software issues. If you were to install your own software, your franchise resources would be of no help to you. You’d have to rely on external tech support every time you run into a problem, which can become a hassle if you frequently run into software issues.
Franchises work because they rely on the same systems to operate. If franchises could be run however the owner wanted to run them, it would defeat the purpose of a franchise location. Consider the above and make sure that you don’t install any of your own software that could throw things out of whack.