Improved Unit-level Economics

Field visits have a direct impact on unit-level economics. The field consultant identifies elements requiring improvement which have a direct impact on the franchise's sales & profitability. As an example, a trained eye can quickly notice that impulse purchases could be relocated to improve sales.

Engage Franchisees

Furthermore, field consultants help engage franchisees. They understand the franchisee's goals (increased revenue, improved work/life balance, enhanced employee satisfaction, etc.) and align their interventions with the franchisee's interest. The franchisee is therefore more likely to open up to the field consultant and they'll work hand-in-hand to not only improve an individual location but also find improvements which could be rolled out system-wide. Engaged franchisees are the key to success in any franchise system.

Ensure Compliance

On a more direct level, field audits help improve compliance to the franchisor's established business procedures. Without continuous monitoring, certain best practices may end up being neglected, which negatively impacts performance but also the franchisor's brand. For example, a franchisee could be using unapproved suppliers offering lower quality products. Improved compliance is definitely a core benefit of performing field audits but franchisors must remember that continuous improvement is a collaborative task, not the imposition of top-down directives.

Reduce Overhead

Finally, using software tools such as the FranchiseBlast Franchisee Field Audits App to drive continuous franchisee improvement is an easy way to reduce overhead. Simpler systems (paper based, Excel based, etc.) often imply lots of data entry, no scheduling capabilities, no communication capabilities and especially no tracking of follow-up tasks. The latter element is the key to continuous improvement: identifying problems without defining actionable tasks to resolve is a pointless exercise.