As a franchising executive, a former franchise owner, and a committed evangelist for business training, my combined experiences have made me one of the most passionate believers in training that you’re ever likely to meet.
Why? Simply put, training teaches people the skills they need to do their jobs better.
We all know that’s true. But training plays a unique role in creating successful franchises, and in turn successful franchisees, for these reasons:
- When a franchise has excellent training, it shows through the customer experience in its locations, attracting far more potential franchise owners.
- When a company invests in its training model, its franchisees realize that the franchise as a whole is committed to their success. As a result, they believe more in the franchise and the brand and become committed lifelong owners.
- When a franchise trains its franchisees superbly, sales, customer loyalty, customer support, and other sought-after benefits occur almost organically. Repeat business and profits are driven by training-led improvements, both for the system and for its well-equipped franchisees.
As you can see, franchising and training enjoy a natural synergy. After all, systems thinking is foundational to both. And good franchise brands don’t think of training as an expense: they consider it an investment in their own success, and the success of their location owners.
A well-rounded franchisee training program should include and address the following:
Skilled training leadership. A dedicated and skilled training manager is crucial. This person oversees the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of the training initiatives. This person should be an expert—either a training consulting company or an executive with genuine training expertise.
Engagement. Franchisees should have a critical role in defining their training needs and goals. This information can be gathered in meetings with a system’s franchise council (made up of franchisees) or through ongoing conversations with franchise owners.
A learning management system (LMS). This is a digital platform that interfaces between franchisees and the training programs offered to them. It should present a clear organization of courses into different subject areas (sales, customer service, franchise systems, product service, etc.) to help franchisees find the training they need. It should also have a tracking function that shows when franchisees started a training program and whether they completed it. The LMS can also automate the delivery of email communications to encourage franchisees to continue applying what they learned in training.
Clear goals and metrics. Set clear, measurable goals for training programs and track progress against these metrics to evaluate effectiveness.
Distributed training. It’s most efficient to deliver training that learners can access on their mobile devices or computers. Sometimes in-person learning can be a good choice too, but to streamline, track, and economize training, distributed remote training is becoming the state-of-the-art choice for many franchises.
Experiential learning. Work simulations and in-person experiences teach training that is “sticky,” or memorable, and assure long-lasting knowledge. Franchises are natural environments where learners can visit operating franchise locations and learn from real-world experiences. Yet excellent, relevant videos should be part of training as well.
Leadership support. Having leaders who advocate for and participate in the training program can significantly boost its success. Their involvement can encourage wider participation.
Modern and relevant content. The training materials should be up-to-date and relevant to the current business environment and employee roles.
Follow-up. Because training is not a “once and done” activity, franchisees should be encouraged to continue using what they have learned. Refresher training should also be provided at regular intervals.
Motivation. When franchisees are offered rewards for achieving notable results during training, it can help with adherence.
When on the lookout for your perfect franchise fit, make sure to ask what each system’s training offers. Go the extra mile and speak to current franchisees about their training experience, and use these insights to determine if it will live up to what you expect from a franchise investment—and what you deserve as a partner.
Evan Hackel
Advisor
The Learning Network
evan.hackel@learning.net