There are many benefits to purchasing a franchise. You get the marketing power of an existing brand, typically with regional or national exposure. It’s easier to get started and, sometimes, with less start up costs. One of other benefits of purchasing a franchise, is being a part of a network/community of other like minded entrepreneurs. You have many other owners in the same business as you, who understands your exact business model. The difficulty is being able to openly communicate with them to learn and share.
A solution for this, is utilizing a social intranet to connect the network of franchisees. No matter where they are located across the world, an intranet like Noodle, can provide a one stop place to:
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- Speak one on one with another franchisee using the Instant Messenger, with video chat too!
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- Hold monthly franchisee meetings in our online conference room.
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- Share and retrieve marketing material and information from the Franchisor.
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- Access a knowledge base or training center learning management.
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- Use a discussion forum to brainstorm new ideas and problem solving.
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- Access and fill out online order forms for Franchise supplies, materials and equipment.
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- Log support issues using a workflow to go through the proper channels to ensure the franchiee’s issue is addressed in a timely and effective manner.
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- Respond to surveys to help improve the overall product, or for feedback on a particular subject.
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- Easily view related Industry News feeds to help keep everyone informed.
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- Using Noodle’s Expertise feature, find a fellow franchisee with an expertise in a particular area. (i.e. accounting, marketing, MS Office support, graphic design etc.)
These are just a few of the dozens of ways an intranet can motivate franchisees and help make them more successful in their business. A “member’s only” section of a public website just doesn’t have the ease of use, security and capabilities of a modern social intranet. With Noodle you can also build sections for different franchise territories and allow a personalized region page with specific permission for access. For example, this allows an even more centralized community for international territories who may have different rules, regulations, markets etc.
Noodle Intranet = Profitable Engagement
For the franchisor, investing in an affordable social intranet like Noodle, has a high ROI. It’s easy to set up without the need of all your IT resources. The cost can also be mixed into your franchise fees with very little increase per franchisee. Noodle client, Jim Creel, Director of Technology for quick-serve food chain, Taco John, was impressed with the ease of getting started. Creel explains that, “The team was able to get oriented with the Intranet immediately-within two days the system was fully integrated for its intended use”.
Establishing an intranet will help franchisees become more engaged. Engaged franchises are more involved, eager to learn more, and they are able to translate that to improved profits. Since your business is their business, they will want to log in regularly to see What’s New on the site. It’s the best and easiest way for them to make sure their business is up to date.
Using online forums and the chat capabilities can help prevent a franchisee from feeling alone and isolated. Building polls and surveys help give them a voice. A mobile friendly solution so that they can access files and information from anywhere. All these things will make franchise owners more confident and informed, and in result, more success.
A well planned and user friendly franchise intranet can be a valuable investment for any franchise. It’s not only important to help improve revenue and profit, but also to help new franchisees get started. A new franchisee is more likely to succeed and not need to terminate their contract early if they have easy access to support from other owners and the Corporate office. If you have a franchise network of more than 5 owners, then you should look into implementing a Franchise Intranet with Noodle!
Build your frachisee’s success in less than 10 minutes by signing up for a free 30-day trial of Noodle Intranet.