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ideas and inspiration which will help the future progression of the company or its products. Overall, the responsibility of improving the


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franchise system and investing in research, development and innovation, rests with the franchisor. However, they cannot work in isolation. Although franchisors may, to an extent, be at the coalface themselves through their own company-owned operations, few have the geographical spread of such operations that would enable them to access the market as a whole.


any franchisors hold get-togethers and company organised events for their franchisees, and they can often be useful in generating


franchisees new products, services and changes to the system. Managing director of Minster Cleaning


Services, Mike Parker, attributes much of the company’s growth and success to the co-ordinated approach of the business and co- operation between franchisor, franchisees and employees at both national and local levels. He says: “In our larger branches there can be


as many as 200 employees, so good leadership is essential to establish an excellent team spirit; nationally, franchisees exchange ideas and information both formally through regular meetings and conferences and informally by telephone and email. If ever a problem arises, there is always someone else who has had the same experience and has come up with a solution.” Nigel Toplis, managing director of The ZipYard,


Franchise


conferences can be a very important tool in managing a franchised network and, if well planned, can benefit all concerned


Any research and development policy of a


franchisor, therefore, usually includes an element of franchisee involvement. Having developed new products, services or methods of operating an aspect of the business, the franchisor then has the very important task of selling it to its franchised network. Common sense dictates that greater


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cooperation, and therefore success, will be forthcoming if franchisees are persuaded to buy into the change. To do so means getting franchisees together under one roof on either a regional or national basis, depending upon the size and nature of the franchise. Conferences, meetings or get-togethers serve


a useful purpose as a platform to help keep franchisees in the loop. Some are designed to be morale-boosting sessions in order to enthuse franchisees into increasing their turnovers or to facilitate bonding amongst franchisees and the franchisors’ staff; some are a means by which franchisors explain their future policies and intentions. Others are a platform for the franchisor to introduce and sell to their


Recognition Express and ComputerXplorers, says that company get-togethers are an integral part of the franchise support structure. He says: “We would expect to hold at least


two sets of regional meetings every year and a new owners meeting once a year. Additionally we will hold ad-hoc meetings of small groups of franchise owners as circumstances allow or in order to discuss specific projects. “The meetings serve to do a number of things;


they allow us to impart knowledge to franchise owners about upcoming opportunities, and new products and services. They enable us to remind franchise owners of the things they should be doing over the next six-to-12 months. They also give franchise owners the opportunity to feedback to each other, and ourselves, their take on the market, their opportunities, issues they are facing, etc – and encourage group activity to source solutions.” These events also provide an arena for


franchisors to promote intra-group competition with awards and other forms of recognition. For instance, awards for franchisees with greatest improvement in performance over the previous year, those who have achieved the greatest turnover, landed the biggest contract, etc. Franchise Brands Worldwide, incorporating


ChipsAway and Ovenclean, hold national and regional meetings, as well as liaison group meetings, focusing on four key areas of the business. Made up of volunteer franchisees and franchisor departments, these groups act as a forum for new/existing procedures and activities for the network. According to Tim Harris, chief executive at Franchise Brands Worldwide, these liaison groups are, “a hugely beneficial way to soundboard ideas both from the network and from us, the franchisor.” Their conference


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