Incoming franchise owners usually expect to receive a significant amount of initial training when they acquire or invest in a new business. Owners often attend days or even weeks of intensive training sessions at company headquarters, learning everything they need to know about day-to-day operations, meeting brand standards, managing staff and making customers happy.
However, successful franchise owners also know that their training shouldn’t stop once they open the doors at their new business. Instead, ongoing training is an essential element of successful franchise ownership, and an important consideration when choosing which franchise brand to invest in.
No matter what kind of franchise business you select, consistent and ongoing training will help you and your staff stay abreast of changing conditions, help you avoid potential problems and pitfalls, and set you up for the best chance of long-term success.
Here’s a look at some of the ways ongoing training can deliver important benefits to your franchise business.
It broadens your base of skills and qualifications
Virtually no new franchise owner starts out knowing every single thing they need to know about their brand or industry. However, it’s relatively easy to add to one’s skills through ongoing training. Ongoing training provides the growth that ultimately leaves franchisees better equipped to handle the challenges of the business. When assessing franchise networks to invest in, inquire about the level of training they offer, both before your location’s opening and ongoing. Look for franchisors that offer regular webinars, training sessions, and the sharing of best practices and learnings from across the network.
It helps you keep up on the latest trends and technologies
Change is an inevitability, and the world seldom stands still for too long. Whatever the latest and greatest is at the time you open your franchise, chances are that something new and different will come along. It could be a technological development, such as a new payment system, or possibly an evolving trend in buying habits or customer tastes and preferences. Choose a franchise partner who provides training that can help you stay up to date with what customers are looking for and ensures the technology at your disposal is never too far behind the times.
It’s a solid safeguard for brand consistency and quality
Franchise businesses are designed to deliver a consistent and reliable customer experience, regardless of location. When brand standards slip because of neglect or inattention, the results can be damaging not just for the specific location where they occur, but the overall franchise network. Ongoing training ensures all franchisees are reliably well informed when it comes to important matters such as maintaining brand standards and meeting the highest level of customer service expectations.
It boosts employee retention
Having a stable group of good employees is hugely important to any business. However, some businesses struggle to keep good people around, losing trusted staffers to jobs elsewhere. Employee retention lowers the costs associated with hiring new workers and bringing them up to speed on basic operations.
Investing in ongoing training opportunities for your staff puts them in the best position to succeed as individuals while also offering the potential for engagement and growth. Employees who get opportunities for personal development, and those who feel valued by their employer, tend to be more motivated to stay in their roles longer, reducing turnover.
Franchising with The UPS Store
The UPS Store is Canada’s largest network of print and copy centres. With robust, world-class training that includes virtual learning, in-store shadowing, The UPS Store University, and regular webinars, area meetings and conferences, franchisees feel confident and supported. Visit our FAQ page or fill out our online inquiry form to request more information about joining our network.
