As a franchisor, the starting point of a field audit campaign is to define the questionnaire. The most common questionnaires are global reviews which derive directly from your operations manual to ensure that franchisees follow the established procedures and conventions. In the context of a retail or quick service franchise, the flow of the audit typically begins by evaluating the storefront, followed by the front of the store and ending with the back of the store as this follows the natural flow of the auditor's visit.

Franchisors often have multiple questionnaires. In addition to the global one described above (which is typically performed quarterly or annually) most franchisors have quick evaluation questionnaires which focus on only a few key performance indicators. These are filled out every time someone visits the franchisee. Furthermore, some franchisors create questionnaires to ensure the successful roll-out of specific marketing campaigns.

It is to be noted that, although not related to a field visit per-se, "business reviews" or "self-assessments" questionnaires which focus on general business practices (ex: 'are you actively involved in social media' or 'do you participate in an annual fundraising campaign for a charity') can also be defined within the same tool as the field audits application. This is helpful when auditors approach field visits with a more holistic perspective of continuous franchise improvement.

While tools like the Franchisee Field Audits App powered by FranchiseBlast helps you perform field visits efficiently, it must always be remember that the best field audit programs have effective questionnaires. In other words, the questionnaire is reviewing the right things in order to improve performance. Domain knowledge is key to creating effective field audit questionnaires. It may be helpful to work with a franchise consultant who has experience in creating effective questionnaires for a number of other franchise systems. In the end, franchise consultants should be providing value to your franchisees, not stuck doing busywork.