How FranConnect is Helping to Make Franchise Expansion Goals a Reality

Brands who operate within the franchising industry all share a common goal: grow by adding more units and improving unit economics. It seems simple, but there’s an endless list of factors that play a role in determining whether or not a brand and its franchisees are successful. In talking with Keith Gerson of FranConnect and their customers, we learned that smart brands tap into the power of technology and the efficiencies that software solutions offer to make their expansion goals a reality.

“One of the most common things I hear from franchisors is that their systems don’t communicate the critical information they need effectively enough. That’s where FranConnect comes in,” said Keith Gerson, president of FranConnect. “As the franchising community continues to open itself up to the data analytics movement, what is abundantly clear is that it’s not effective to simply extract data. They must be able to analyze the data based on your context so you can diagnose problems and quickly solve them to expand their businesses.”

With the introduction of a new business intelligence tool coming out this fall, the improvements in data visibility and reporting will be groundbreaking for the franchise community. As an example of what is possible, if a brand notices that its sales are down from where they were a year ago, FranConnect software diagnostic tools can provide the information needed to properly identify the source of the change. This allows brands to more confidently understand what impact their decisions have, and ultimately, will present what behaviors are most effective and should be repeated.

One brand that’s found success with FranConnect is Nestle Toll House Café. The brand first turned to FranConnect because it was looking for a place to house all of its internal and external communications. Shawnon Bellah, chief operating officer for Nestle Toll House Café, has been a champion for driving efficiencies and building value using their FranConnect solution.

“We see the tool as a way to collaborate within our organization and with our franchise partners. Through the platform, we’re able to support all of our cafes—from 100 locations to 1,000,” said Bellah. “I’ve worked with other tools, like the basic platforms Microsoft offers, and FranConnect is the way to go.”

But the reasons why brands should engage FranConnect don’t stop there. It’s the only software company in the market that’s exclusively dedicated to serving franchise businesses, meaning it offers a level of expertise in the industry that other companies are not able to provide.

A great example of how FranConnect helps a brand with franchisee engagement in addition to system wide coverage is TITLE Boxing Club. TITLE Boxing Clue was initially drawn to the fact that the tool is one single source for a variety of franchise management needs. And, as FranConnect evolved and added capabilities to its product, TITLE Boxing Club identified even more of the solution’s advantages.

“FranConnect is the first thing our franchisees look at every single day. It’s become our primary means of communication,” said Susan Boresow, President of TITLE Boxing Club. “It has created a heightened level of connectivity between our local business owners and enabled us to streamline programs like our e-learning efforts.”

FranConnect has a long history of helping franchise brands take their businesses to the next level. The brand’s proven franchise management software currently helps more than 650 brands and 110,000 franchisees run their day-to-day operations—and that number is growing.

“We know franchising better than anyone. FranConnect is familiar with all aspects of the industry—our clients come from emerging, mid-market and large established brands that operate in over 100 different industries,” Gerson said. “We learn from every one of our clients in order to ensure that best practices are available across our entire network. We are honored to serve our customers, and are committed to constantly improving our products and services to ensure we help our customers meet or exceed their business goals.”