The Franchise Relationships Institute (FRI) has just announced a new series of virtual forums designed to provide targeted support for different roles within franchisor teams.
And there’s recognition for the particular demands of the support office staff, handling franchise issues on a daily basis.
FRI’s research has revealed that, while all members of a franchisor team directly or indirectly support franchisees, there are three ways this plays out.
FRI’s founder, Greg Nathan, says “While senior executives need to be thinking about support from a strategic leadership perspective, and field managers need to be delivering pro-active operational support in a franchisee’s business, support office staff are often providing reactive support to franchisee enquiries.
“Franchisors need to be servicing franchisees effectively at all levels, so all three types of support are critical to franchisee satisfaction.”
So FRI is launching distinct virtual forums that match these needs.
The new online forums include:
- a C-Level Leadership Forum for CEOs and divisional heads
- a Field Manager Forum for franchisors who support franchisees in the field
- a Culture of Franchising Forum for support office staff.
The virtual forums have been developed from FRI’s successful face-to-face programs, however they are very different from traditional webinars or online training courses, Nathan says.
“We have put enormous thought and planning into our processes to ensure the virtual experience is as good as, or better, than our face-to-face events. For instance we include a lot of facilitated small group discussion and sharing that promotes collaboration between brands.”
Attendees can expect the best aspects of the face-to-face programs delivered with the benefits of a virtual learning process.
Graham Weihmiller, CEO and chairman of BNI, one of the largest franchise networks in the world, is one of the high level global mentors who have provided input for this series.
More information on the three Franchisor Forums can be found at www.franchiserelationships.com