Great technology can be a real game-changer in business. And, it’s one of the many reasons that owning a franchise these days can be a great thing.
The Franchise Advantage
A franchise business, by its very nature, offers a serious competitive advantage. The franchise business model itself is very powerful. It’s a model that can be pretty hard to compete with if you’re the owner of an independent business. Add great technology to an already powerful business model and voila! You have one very special business.
“Modern technology has become a total phenomenon for civilization, the defining force of a new social order in which efficiency is no longer an option but a necessity imposed on all human activity.” - Jacques Ellul
Important: Technology, when used correctly, offers several ways for small businesses-like franchise businesses, to be super-efficient and seriously productive. But, technology doesn’t replace good, old-fashioned human interaction.
When you become a franchise owner, you become the face of the franchise business…the face of your business. Your customers/clients need to (and want to) see your smiling face. Make sure you don’t hide behind the technology that’s included with your franchise business. People buy from people.
5 Types of Technology Used In Franchising
1. Apps
One way for franchisees to keep their customers engaged and coming back is the use of downloadable Apps.
One such App, the Front Flip, offers customers a chance to win prizes-instantly. In addition, franchisees can set up the App to automatically send out offers to their customers which increases the chances of a repeat visit and more revenue.
2. CRM’s
Franchisees…to be successful these days, need to capture customer/client information like email addresses and phone numbers, add them to a database, and get them into their marketing funnel.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools are readily offered by franchisors; it’s up to franchisees to utilize them for maximum benefit-and maximum revenue.
3. Online Ordering Systems
If you’re thinking about buying a food franchise, the latest online ordering technology will benefit you tremendously.
For example, you’ll make a lot of office workers very happy if you can provide an easy way for them to order your wonderful menu offerings online. The less time spent at your take-out counter the better in their eyes, as they’ll have that much more time to eat.
The dominant player in the online ordering space, ONOSYS, was started in my own backyard-Cleveland, Ohio, by three Case Western Reserve University students.
4. Intranet
For things like new franchisee training, new product/service announcements, and new marketing initiatives, just to name a few, nothing beats having a private network within an organization. An intranet is just that; a private “company-use only” platform that can be highly-customized to serve the needs of the franchisor and the franchisees.
If set-up correctly, and promoted by the franchisor the right way, an intranet system can become the number one place for franchisees, young and old, to go for information.
5. Payroll System
Today’s payroll systems can be set-up in the cloud, and they provide a terrific way for franchisees to conduct their weekly, monthly, and/or yearly payroll duties.
As an added bonus, most of the payroll software found today stays up to date on the ever-changing rules and regulations dictated by state and local governments.
Managing payroll can be very time-consuming for franchise owners who really need to be doing revenue-generating activities instead of back-office duties.
In summation, most of the technology available these days to franchisees is superb (and, in a lot of cases, included with a franchise business). For the most part, it does what it’s supposed to do and more.
When you’re doing your franchise research, make sure you find out all you can about the franchisors’ technology, and how it benefits franchisees and the system.
Having great technology available to you as a franchisee is one more powerful reason to look into owning a franchise business this year.
The Franchise King®, Joel Libava, is a franchise ownership advisor. He’s the author of Become a Franchise Owner! (Wiley Publishing) and owns and operates Franchise Business University. Joel contributes a blog post to Franchise Direct monthly.