What is the Operations Summit?

Taking place on Sunday, February 9 from 8:30 am – 10:30 am during IFA’s Annual Convention, this Summit will address ways to achieve operational success for your franchise brand. You will learn from leading experts, and your peers, about what is working in franchise operations and what isn’t. Your time will be spent in small groups having interactive discussions. If you are a franchise operations professional, you won’t want to miss this popular summit.

Part 1:
Onboarding and Training (including Ops Manuals)

1-2-3 GO! A successful franchise launch makes a large, and lasting, impact on the franchisee and franchise system. It’s a delicate balance among tools, training and budgets. In this session, attendees will hear briefly from seasoned professionals and their programs, then break into small groups to craft onboarding plans for the food, personal service, retail and home service sectors. Come prepared to share, work and learn. Your franchisees will thank you for it.

Moderator: Mary Ann O’Connell, CFE, President, FranWise®
Speakers: Yvonne Mercer, CFE, VP, Business Services, Great Clips, Inc.; Marianne Murphy, CFE, VP, Brand Experience, Floor Coverings International; Amy Perkins, CFE, Senior Business Consultant, Ben & Jerry’s

Part 2:
What Makes for a Good Franchise System? SUPPORT!

Research from Franchise Business Review shows that nearly 1 in 5 new franchisees rate training and support “poor” or “average.” That’s 20% of new franchisees who are unimpressed right out of the gate. What’s more, overall satisfaction tends to dip when franchisees hit the 2-5 year mark. So how can you provide the support your franchisees need to stay engaged and profitable? In this hands-on session, you’ll have the opportunity to break out into groups to discuss specific challenges you’re facing and get real, and actionable, ideas for improving training and support in your system. Table topics include:

• Using Franchisees for Support (Peer Groups, Mentor Programs)

• Technology in Support (LMS, Videos, Web Conferencing, One on One Virtual Meetings)

• Corporate/Executive Support Initiatives (Call Centers, Communications, Feedback Methods)

• Financials (Benchmarks, KPI’s, Reporting that Helps Franchisees, Managing Cash Flow and Profitability)

• Support for Franchisees Based on Tenure

• In-Person Support (Field Staff Role, Visits, Support Staff to Franchisee Ratios)

• Scaling for Growth (Balancing Whether to Invest in Support Ahead of Growth or After)

• The Importance of Alignment of the Operations and Development Team

No pre-registration is required to attend the Summit, but space fills up face to be sure to arrive early. See the full programming and sign up today for IFA’s Annual Convention here.