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Fostering Good Communication With Franchisees

In a relationship, whether personal or professional, communication is the most important key. Regular, both-way communication helps to clear doubts and worries. The franchisor/franchisee relationship is not immune to this. In fact, clear communication is the best tool to maintain a healthy relationship between the two. But the question arises how often should a franchisor talk to the franchisee. If the communication is frequent, then the franchisee might feel suffocated with such constant monitoring. If it is very rare, the franchisee might think that the parent company is not concerned about its issues and lose interest in operating the business. Hence, it is very important to strike the right balance.

A franchisee is after all an independent business owner, and so the franchisor should not try to keep an eye on the daily running of the business by asking for too frequent updates. It will hamper the functional process of the franchisee, if he has to spend a good amount of time daily in making reports. Therefore, a monthly report of sales is sufficient. Similarly, a representative from the franchisor should visit the franchisee on a regular basis, even if they are corresponding well. Nothing can replace face-to-face conversation and also the franchisor can see whether the franchisee is maintaining the standard or not. Next step of communication is training. Besides the initial training the franchisee receives, it is for his betterment that the franchisor should constantly update him with the latest trends and innovations in the market.

If the franchisor is launching a new product/service, he should first show it to his franchisees before introducing it in the market. Time and money are spent in traveling for such meetings; hence, they should be conducted when absolutely necessary. The internet has helped in getting over with this problem through the introduction of webinars and other online facilities. The franchisors should use them effectively to reach the franchisees. In conclusion, it can be said that franchisors should be in touch with franchisees regularly; and along with that, give him enough space to grow. Whenever the franchisor communicates with a franchisee, there should be some personal touches such as addressing them by their first names. It will definitely help in creating a strong bond between them.

brandEXPANSION’s development team can help set up appropriate levels of contact with franchisees. Contact us for more information.