Don’t Set and Forget: Tips to Avoid Common Errors in Running Your Franchise System

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Just because you have established a model that works does not mean the path to success will be clear.

By Rick Coffey

Building a business into a franchise is a major accomplishment. It means people like your product, appreciate your business, and want whatever you are selling. It means your brand stands out and its value extends beyond one market. However, the journey is far from over. Running a franchise is not a “set-it-and-forget-it” proposition. Franchisors need formulas and systems in place that make the business easy-to-replicate, but there are still plenty of opportunities for errors to seep in. 

Success in any business is by no means guaranteed. But there are ways to address some common mistakes. Here are four of those mistakes and tips on how to avoid them.

Cutting Corners

While in many cases the cost of opening a franchise can be less than opening the original location, this does not mean you can cut corners. Each new franchise has to attract customers, whether they are customers who already know (and like) your business, or customers who have never heard of your system before. The old adage of “you only get one chance to make a first impression” rings true here. If customers walk in to find cheap furniture and fixtures, a shortened menu of services, or a skeleton staff, that will affect the way they perceive your business.

There is nothing wrong with looking for opportunities to trim the fat in order to maintain or increase profits, however this can be taken too far. Reducing costs can’t come at the expense of the customer experience. Focus instead on optimizing efficiency, and look for creative ways to save time and money. 

Bad Housekeeping

Another common mistake is to let housekeeping slide. A franchisor can’t always be present at every location to ensure that standards of cleanliness, sanitation and organization are maintained. However, the second these standards are relaxed, customers will start walking out the door, and in many cases, they will apply their experience at one location to the franchise as a whole.  

As a pet care business, Barkefellers, knew from day one just how important high standards of housekeeping are. Animals are messy, and maintaining cleanliness requires constant vigilance, as well as having clear protocols in place. Chances are that a new franchisee will not intuitively know how often to wash pet blankets or clean rubber floor play surfaces. When training franchisees, we dedicate significant time to the importance of good housekeeping and lay out clearly what is expected. We make sure that every franchisee and employee has a good grasp of the tools and receives the training needed to keep the level of sanitation where it needs to be, and an accountability system helps prevent those standards from slipping. 

Poor Customer Service

High customer service standards are also essential. “The customer is always right” is dogma (pun intended) in the pet care business, with the responsibility of caring for people’s beloved companions. When people drop off their dogs or cats, they vest in us a huge amount of trust. Pet owners need to know that their pets are going to be happy and safe. This requires listening to customers, who know their pets better than we do, while showing that we care about their concerns and respect their wishes. 

The emotional component to pet care makes customer service even more important, but it matters across all franchise sectors. Poor customer service leads to billions lost each year in the U.S. alone. These experiences can include feeling unappreciated, interacting with rude or unhelpful staff, a lack of staff knowledge or difficulty getting questions answered.

Whatever the case, customer service will make or break your business. As with housekeeping, the franchisor sets the example and the expectations. Emphasize the importance of customer service to all franchisees and employees. Train them on how to effectively deal with customers and have systems in place for dealing with customer concerns. Prepare new hires for customer service issues they are likely to face and how to handle them. Recognize (and reward) those franchisees and employees who demonstrate superior customer service skills. 

Low Morale

Maintaining morale within a company is vital. Customers know when employees are unhappy. They can feel it in the air, and this will compromise the way they view your business. For example, if employees are unhappy working at Barkefellers — if they are moping around, frowning, or unmotivated — then there is a greater chance the pets are not happy either. Happy people treat pets with enthusiasm and care, and the last thing pet owners want is to leave their dogs with someone who seems apathetic, annoyed, or blue. Higher morale says to customers that employees care about their jobs, are committed to maintaining standards, and that the business as a whole is trustworthy. 

As the franchisor, it is your responsibility to create a company culture that cultivates strong morale. Make sure all employees feel that they are members of the team and that their job is important to the overall business. Make them feel valued and reward them for good work. 

You can also keep up morale by throwing social events that promote friendships outside the business such as barbecues, baseball game trips, and bowling parties. Camaraderie is a key ingredient to happiness at work, and the mere opportunity for friendships increases employee job satisfaction and organizational effectiveness.

Franchising presents a valuable opportunity for an entrepreneur to scale his business and for franchisees to run their own businesses without all the risk and work involved in starting from scratch. However, just because you have established a model that works does not mean the path to success will be clear. Each individual franchise location is unique. Success requires living up to the standards that helped build the original location into a profitable, sustainable enterprise. Fortunately, with the right systems and training in place, you can avoid these mistakes and enjoy watching your business grow.

Rick Coffey is president and founder of Barkefellers. Find him at fransocial.franchise.org

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