As the franchise management system for home service brands for over 12 years, we've encountered a wide range of tech challenges.

We've seen tech overload, where there are too many solutions with significant overlap, leading to paying for multiple tools that address the same problem. On the other end of the spectrum, there's a complete lack of automation, with reliance on spreadsheets and sticky notes. Both extremes can be detrimental to a brand, and many of us have experienced the pitfalls of each. Each new tool introduces more friction into the brand’s process.

The goal is to meet somewhere in the middle by finding a user-friendly solution that streamlines operations while enhancing the client experience, ultimately leading to an increase in revenue and overall brand growth.

However, before you come knocking on ServiceMinder’s door or any other tech solution you must take a holistic approach. AKA don’t start shopping until you’ve identified the challenges and the cause of those specific challenges.

And don’t worry – we know what you’re thinking, “Gosh does that sound painful and time-consuming,” but as always, your favorite strategic partners are here for the rescue. We’ve curated a tool kit with 4 simple steps to ensure your tech is optimizing your brand’s potential.

Identify Hurdles

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem…or 59,248 problems. No brand is perfect, no zee is perfect, so it's important to identify these problems and then prioritize.

Before you start wasting time signing up for a bunch of demos; ask yourself, is it a client-facing issue, a daily workflow hurdle, or maybe even both?

In other words, is it impacting the client experience? Such as poor reviews about lack of communication between a service agent and client. Or is it about Zees refusing to use the correct branded colors in their marketing?

Regardless of the problem, it's crucial to identify and thoroughly understand it early on before it escalates. By examining all the issues holistically, you can determine who is affected and the severity of each problem. This approach allows you to prioritize effectively and seek solutions that address multiple challenges simultaneously. Think “big picture”!

If you have multiple zees with 1-star reviews and a decrease in new bookings, that might be a pretty high priority, but that doesn’t mean it’s one isolated hurdle.

Explore Solutions

We all know that there are endless options of vendors within the franchise space and beyond. Whether it’s a CRM, digital marketing firm, or data warehousing, it’s super important that they understand the franchise industry and align with your brand’s culture.

They could be an award-winning top-notch solution, but if they don’t understand your business model and the fundamentals of franchising, you may be doing a disservice to your brand.

The same goes for culture. Looking for a new supplier vendor is just as important as hiring a full-time employee. Culture is crucial. One of our favorite quotes at ServiceMinder is “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”.

At ServiceMinder, we aim to serve as strategic partners above all else. Our comprehensive onboarding process and hands-on approach enable us to provide tailored solutions and foster your brand's growth. As your needs evolve, we remain committed to supporting your ongoing development.

We know it can be hard to truly align on culture during the sales process, but it’s the perfect time to inquire about training process, cadence meetings, and annual meeting attendance.

All those factors matter when it comes to a long-term solution for your brand.

Without aligning on culture and franchise knowledge, you may find yourself spending a lot of time explaining and less time producing results. Remember, suppliers are there to help eliminate issues, not create more miscommunication and friction.

Implement New Tools

To get our new product off the ground smoothly, we need to nail down the best practices for training and launching as a team. Two words to remember during this phase: patience and persistence.

We suggest putting together a solid roll-out and training plan that covers all the bases. It’s also important to set clear timelines and expectations for the official launch date to keep everyone on track.

Your franchisees might resist this change, which is why it's important to provide resources such as training videos, FAQs, or even direct training. This is where patience comes in: be prepared for Zees to resist this change. Rome wasn’t built in a day and the same goes for streamlining operations. That’s why we so carefully identified those operational issues in phase 1!

Plus, tracking training milestones can ensure everyone is up to speed and using the product to its fullest potential. It goes without saying but this is where our little friend persistence comes in handy. This way, we'll be all set for a successful launch.

Utilize Tools

First off, let's celebrate that you’ve found the correct solution for your brand—woohoo! Now, let's keep the momentum going.

We discussed tracking training milestones but now, for the meat and potatoes, setting clear goals to evaluate the solution. It’s essential to track the ROI so you have data to analyze in a few months to determine if the solution is effectively addressing the initial issue.

Remember when we emphasized the importance of aligning on future cadence check-ins, culture, and other key aspects? Now is the time to hold the vendor accountable. They should schedule routine check-ins, provide training, and attend your brand’s annual meeting to address any issues arising from the change.

Ready to Streamline Your Operations?

Not sure if your tech stack is hurting or helping your brand? Glad we got you thinking, but brainstorming is no fun alone! Book a free 1:1 demo here we’re happy to geek out with you.