More than 1,000 franchisees have been surveyed in the new Franchise Satisfaction Benchmark scheme of Smith & Henderson, the franchisee recruitment specialist, and over 30 franchisors entered its first Best Franchise Opportunities Awards.
The scheme is the first to enable franchisors to advertise in their franchisee recruitment campaigns the opinions of their franchisees of their services as surveyed by an independent source.
The scheme has also been developed to encourage franchisors to adopt best franchise business practices.
“What makes us unique is that our findings are based purely on franchisee feedback,” says Steven Frost, a partner at Smith & Henderson.
Participating franchisors have ranged from the smaller firms through to the big brands such as O2, the mobile phone network and retailer.
Puddle Ducks, the franchise that provides swimming classes for babies and children, is among those who have received positive results. Tracy Townend, joint founder of the firm, said: “When we started franchising several years ago, we knew that one thing that would set us apart was the support we provide our franchisees.
“Until you do research like this you can only gauge your success by what franchisees tell you and gut feeling, but, of course, it is always so much more reliable when it comes from a third party.
“The survey provided exactly that insight and the results were some of the best that we have seen. We hoped for results like this, but it is such a wonderful feeling to have it confirmed.
“Furthermore, we have gained valuable insight into the way we do things, and consequently have had some exciting ideas for the future, such as a franchisee leadership academy.
In today’s challenging economic environment, being at the top of your game has never been more important to attract more business. Armed with these results, we feel hugely energised and optimistic for the future,” said Townend.
Award winners
Puddle Ducks won best overall franchise in the Best Franchise Opportunities Awards run by Smith & Henderson.
The other winners were TaxAssist Accountants (best training and support), Home Instead Senior Care (best franchise system), Jasper’s Online (best growing franchisor with 8-14 franchisees), and Puddle Ducks (most recommended franchise).
At the awards, seminars were presented by Smith & Henderson, the Franchising Training Centre, O2, the Alternative Board, Puddle Ducks, Home Instead Senior Care and Coconut Creatives.