The Importance of Franchise Training and Support

One of the main reasons that franchisees look to become part of a franchise system rather than setting up a new business on their own is the franchise training and support they receive. This training in the franchisor’s business systems gives them extensive knowledge of the niche they are in and how to run a successful business in it, built on the foundations of the years of combined experience of the franchise.

However, creating an effective franchise training and development system is not as straightforward as just telling franchisees what you know. It must be presented in an easily learnable manner so that franchisees gain a lot from the time they commit. From a franchisee’s point of view, a franchisor who delivers great service training and franchise support services can be worth the franchise fee alone, but it’s important to be able to identify and find that.

Here we’ll take a look at everything you need to know about how franchise training programs work, the importance of them and the benefits they deliver to both franchisee and franchisor.

What Does a Franchise Training Program Look Like?

A franchise training program sets out to achieve a number of goals to set the franchisee up for continuous success. These goals revolve around the following:

developing their skills related to the franchise
developing their general business skills (e.g., customer, staff and financial management)
training them in the use of specific equipment
impressing upon them the brand values of the franchise

There are also two different ways that training is delivered in order to meet those objectives, namely:

Initial training programs

This is usually a set program delivered over a few days at the franchisor’s headquarters. Franchisees will take in day-to-day training and educational activities but will also meet key members of the franchise company, see how the head office runs and connect with fellow new franchisees. However, the franchisor might also run its initial training as an on-site program, which means that specialized trainers will go to the new franchise location to work with the franchisee and their staff in the pre-opening and opening stages.

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Ongoing training

Here, the franchise training is also delivered at regular intervals, such as on a 6-monthly or yearly basis. As technologies and business systems change and improve, franchisees need to be constantly updated on how they integrate with their business which is provided through ongoing franchise training. This continuous program also ensures that franchisees are maintaining best practices and not slipping out of good habits.

Features of a Strong Franchise Training Program

Within these programs, franchisees will learn about a range of skills and techniques that will help them execute the franchise business plan and run an effective operation. What type of skills and how the training is delivered will vary from industry to industry, but there are certainly some basics that will be included in most franchise training. These skills include:

General business admin (how to ensure your paperwork such as tax filings, insurance, licenses and employee contracts are in order)
Operation procedures (how the franchise performs its business, such as operating key equipment, providing a service or using specific processes)
Skills-based training (this is generally a hands-on training module that focuses on improving a franchisee’s competency with certain tasks)
Customer service (how to deal with all types of customers and the various situations you may be in with them)
Hiring and managing employees (how to get the most out of your business’s human resources)
Marketing (how to lift the profile of your business among potential customers and bring in more sales)
Inventory management (how to manage stock and ensure effective and timely communication with suppliers)

Throughout all of these modules will be a constant reiteration of the franchisor’s ethos, as in its specific focuses and way of operating. A franchise is not just like any other independent business or major chain. Franchisees need to be aware of and follow the specific operating procedures and mindset of the business. For franchisees, it makes it a lot easier when they’re not swimming against the current and instead embracing the knowledge and training that the franchise is imparting, as that’s also what their systems are based around.

Benefits of Initial and Continuous Franchise Training

The different types of franchise training, either the initial introductory training to give franchisees the basics they need or the ongoing refreshing of skills and knowledge, deliver a number of benefits for franchisees (which in turn puts the franchise system in a better position). These include:

Skill Foundations

Franchisees buy into a system so that they can make use of the accumulated knowledge and expertise of the system. While that can’t all be taken in over a 5-day initial franchise training course, they can certainly get a great foundational level of skills that will set them ahead of their competitors on a local level.

Replicating the Ideal Franchise

For franchisors, one of their biggest issues is ensuring the standards they expect are kept up across all the franchise operations, all of which bear their name and so affect the business. Through effective franchise training programs, the franchisor can really get across how important certain elements are and let franchisees know what’s expected while also giving them the tools to be able to meet those expectations.

Helping Franchisees Achieve Their Potential

A person may have a great capacity to become highly skilled at something, but unless they are introduced to it, shown how to do it and given support and feedback, they may never realize that potential. Franchise training is like taking those raw materials the person has and forming them into the best business operator they can be.

Added Value to the Franchise System

The better a franchisee is able to do their job and run their business, the better they represent the franchise out in the world. So, not only will franchise training help to ensure franchisees run a successful operation and have no problem meeting any financial commitments, but the service delivered, and hence the brand value of the franchise system overall, is improved.

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Conclusion

Franchise training is one of the most important elements of the whole franchise system. It is through training, either the initial stage or continuous training, that the franchisee gets to understand how the franchise operates, how to use specific equipment or systems, and how to maintain the franchisor’s business philosophy. The benefits go both ways, with the franchisee receiving great value in terms of knowledge and skills and the franchisor being able to equip their franchisees with all the tools they need to succeed for themselves and the system.

If you’re interested in joining one of America’s most successful franchise systems in terms of renewal rates, where you’ll receive full training in our patented systems and always-there support from head office, why not consider Screenmobile? To find out more about how we help our franchisees be the best they can be, you can read about us here or talk to our team.