Service Excellence at the heart of franchising
The long-term success of any business depends on service excellence but in franchising it is even more important to ensure that there is the same level of service at every single location. The reputation of the brand is dependent on delivering premium service at all times, maintain consistency, and measure and improve to ensure the very best customer experience.
In today’s world of technology and social media, news travels fast and a bad experience at one store can spread like wildfire and infect and affect all franchisees across the board. This domino effect can quite easily destroy an otherwise stellar reputation that a franchisor worked long and hard to build. Being pro-active rather than doing last-minute damage control after the fact, striving for brand consistency from the get-go and continually improving service standards will ensure that your brand remains relevant and customers keep coming back for more.
Innovative ways to keep staff and customers happy
After two years of simply trying to keep the doors of business open, now that we see a light at the end of the tunnel, finding ways to innovate should be top of mind. A franchisor put it this way: ‘Getting back after Covid-19 is like having to restart a race – we are all back to square one and now need to be the first off the starting blocks again.’
Finding what the gaps are in your business and what can motivate both your staff and give incentives to your customers should be your focus. With a strong customer and social media data base, get insights from customers and competitors, compile credible data that will differentiate you and then create your own promotional campaigns and competitions to lure your customers back in.
Before launching any new campaign, however, you need to make sure that your staff are on the same page and raring to go. The pandemic took its toll on staff morale, with many franchises letting people go or cutting back on staff. The economic uncertainty that still prevails must be confronted and staff need to be reassured that a new chapter is opening with unlimited opportunities for renewed growth. Ensuring that your current staff have been re-trained and motivated to deliver on your brand’s values and identity on a daily basis is crucial to your success going forward.
Sausage Saloon launches Top Dog campaign
One of FASA’s members that is first out the gates with a promotion for both staff and customers is Sausage Saloon that is running a service driven competition to improve service levels in all aspects of the food industry, giving their customer the service they deserve and pushing their staff members to even greater heights.
“By striving to raise the service bar throughout our franchise group and building on our commitment to learn, grown and continue to improve on a daily basis, this campaign aims to find our best staff member across all our stores” says Ralph Strange of Sausage Saloon. “This will also allow us at head office to create a talent pool that could potentially lead to filling positions internally or at store level.”
One staff member and a customer could win a massive R25 000.00. The customer will simply have to purchase a Manhattan Combo or a minimum spend of R50.00 to quality. The customer will be asked to rate the service of the staff member that served them and place their till slip into the competition box provided, to be in the mix.
On the 30th April, Sausage Saloon at Benmore Centre and 5FM radio station will be hosting a live broadcast to announce the winners.
“We truly believe, with the right backing from Head Office, Franchisees, the operations team and with the 5FM radio partner, and of course our very own staff members, this could be a campaign that will increase our service levels, not just for the duration of the campaign, but to be sustained long after the competition is over.”
To protect, lobby, promote and develop ethical franchising across all sectors in South Africa with specific focus on transformation.
