10 Key Features Every Franchisee Support Portal Should Have

Key takeaways

Franchisee support portals are table stakes for any growing franchise network. They centralize operational resources, standardize support requests, and empower franchisees to self-service answers to their questions. In this blog, we explore the 10 non-negotiable features that every franchise support portal should have, and compare 4 of the top software vendors.

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A significant number of franchisees want more support from their franchisor, particularly when it comes to tasks such as marketing.

Indeed, only 39% of franchisees believe they’re currently being given enough support by their franchisors. And 22% claim the biggest barrier to marketing success is the lack of communications and guidance from HQ.

While some franchisors may already have some form of “support” mechanism in place for franchisees, these systems are often manual and untrackable. Franchisees send requests via email or SMS, with no idea who they should be talking to, what information they should provide, or how long they’ll have to wait for a response.

For smaller networks, this may result in a sizable number of support requests landing on the franchisor’s shoulders. For larger networks, corporate teams may struggle to capture, assign, and track requests across departments, locations, and tools.

If these challenges sound all too familiar, now is the time to consider adopting a dedicated franchisee support portal.

What is a franchisee support portal?

A franchise support portal is a dedicated platform or application that provides centralized, remote franchisee support — helping business owners find or request the answers they need quickly.

Inside these tools, franchisees can; self-service operational resources and training; communicate with corporate; and submit and track support requests.

These platforms are often a core capability within franchise management software (FMS) solutions, such as Claromentis Franchise Hub and FranConnect.

10 fundamental franchise help desk features

When evaluating franchise help desk software — or capabilities within an FMS — look out for the following features:

1. Centralized knowledge, SOPs, and FAQs

When franchisees need support, their first instinct should be to review your operations manual and relevant SOPs. But these resources must be easy to find and trust.

A good franchisee support portal should bring together all of your operational knowledge. More importantly, it should reinforce this knowledge with stringent content governance mechanisms, such as automated version control, document ownership, and scheduled reviews. This ensures every piece of content is up-to-date and compliant with your current brand standards.

In addition to this, franchisees should have the ability to raise questions about each resource, should any of the content be unclear. After franchisors answer these questions, the portal should log the answers in an evergreen FAQ section, viewable to every franchisee in the network.

2. Brand asset libraries

Franchisees are hungry for marketing support, but not all of this support has to be completely bespoke.

Brand asset libraries enable your corporate teams to upload approved IP for marketing campaigns, in-store promotions, and customer communications, including:

• Logos
• Font packs
• Hex codes
• Social media templates
• Email templates
• Imagery
• Brand guidelines

With the right franchise software, you can even add region and brand specific assets, accessible only to the relevant franchisees.

By making these assets self-service, you streamline marketing support while simultaneously enabling franchisees to create their own campaigns in a fraction of the time.

3. Supplier directories

The right franchise software will allow you to build dedicated landing pages for supply chain and vendor management support.

For one of our clients, 101 Mobility, this is a simple page where franchisees can click on the relevant supplier and receive accurate contact details and support information. This saves franchisees the hassle of navigating to external websites or scrolling through email inboxes.

4. Training hub

Dedicated e-learning portals, where franchisors can build out and assign onboarding, compliance, and service training, encourage franchisees to refresh their operational knowledge and streamline staff upskilling. This is particularly helpful for industries with high employee turnover and seasonal hiring sprees, such as QSR and retail franchises.

Built-in certification and automated training records provide concrete proof of unit-by-unit training, which can be helpful when providing tailored support down the line.

5. AI search and assistants

Centralizing your resources isn’t much use unless your franchisees can find the specific information they need quickly.

Clear navigation, structured folders, and keyword-based search can certainly help with this. But to speed-up knowledge discovery and retention even further, consider choosing a franchise software that contains AI search and assistants.

These capabilities enable franchisees to surface SOPs, training, links, and information instantaneously. They can also be used to summarize lengthy documents and answer questions succinctly, helping to resolve problems faster.

6. Standardized support forms

Standardized forms are the foundation of any franchisee support portal, enabling franchisees to directly request help from your corporate teams.

Vendors may provide out-of-the-box support forms or, in some cases, allow you to build your own.

For example, using Claromentis Franchise Hub’s extensive e-form and workflow capabilities, you can create specific forms for specific purposes, as well as build a comprehensive ticketing system, with dynamic fields that can handle a myriad of requests.

7. Automated routing and ticket assignment

Once a franchisee fills in a form and hits submit, your portal should automatically route the request to the correct corporate department, assign the ticket, and kick off a customizable workflow. This ensures no support requests fall through the cracks.

8. Trackable statuses and notifications

Franchisees and corporate teams should be able to trace every ticket from submission to resolution. Statuses, service-level agreements (SLA), and notifications are essential for maintaining transparency and avoiding repeat requests.

9. In-system communications

Occasionally, franchisees will need direct, 1:1 support. They may have a question about a request that’s breached its SLA, or a brand asset that they’d prefer to download in a different file format.

In these instances, in-system comms tools are non-negotiable. Direct messaging, discussion rooms, and application-specific comment sections allow franchisees to reach out to HQ without having to leave the portal and resort to unreliable channels such as email or WhatsApp.

Additional communications tools, such as news and blog channels, can also be a valuable asset for sharing top-down support. For example, you may want to shout about the latest e-learning training available in your LMS, or an updated Instagram template.

10. Location-based performance tracking

Monitoring training completions, page views, sales, compliance, and operational productivity insights across every location will help you identify gaps in your support resources. If Franchisee A fails the same training 4 times back-to-back or asks repeated questions about the same SOP, your corporate teams can then reevaluate and update the materials so they’re easier to understand.

Select FMS vendors will provide dedicated locations-based dashboards that help you consolidate and decipher this data.

Which franchise software vendors include help desk capabilities?

You could adopt a generic support software and bolt it onto your existing franchise intranet or management solution. However, in our experience, we’ve found that the more tools franchisors have in their arsenal, the more complex operations become and the harder it is to offer effective support.

If the answer to a franchisee’s question lives in a separate knowledge base or document folder, you’re only adding additional steps to the support experience.

Unfortunately, not every franchise management software provides a built-in help desk (or capabilities that allow you to build one). So we’ve created a list of the top vendors that do:

• Claromentis Franchise Hub
• FranchiseMS
• FranchiseSoft
• FranConnect

In the following section of this article, we’ll compare these platforms and help you find the right fit for your network’s needs.

A comparison of the top 4 franchisee support portal platforms

Before we dive into the specifics, here’s a quick table of the vendors’ support-specific functionality.

We will use this as a benchmark for our more in-depth comparisons. However, please note that each platform offers a wider range of applications, integrations, and functionality on top of this.

For the purposes of this blog, we will place more emphasis on the capabilities that improve franchisee support.

1. Claromentis Franchise Hub

At a glance

Claromentis Franchise Hub is a robust, AI-powered franchise management software solution that handles the end-to-end franchise management cycle, from capturing and converting leads to onboarding new units and developing existing franchisees. Its vast application suite helps franchisors consolidate their tech stack and unify their operational knowledge, communications, training, processes, and data. In doing so, it increases the efficiency and consistency of day to day operations.

Support-specific features

Claromentis Franchise Hub contains a panoply of powerful applications, designed to streamline franchisee enablement and support. These include:

• An up-to-date knowledge base with FAQs
• An AI-powered policy manager for SOPs and corporate policies
• A customizable franchise intranet with news, blogs, and announcements
• Topic-based discussion rooms
• A SCORM-compliant learning management system with integrated quizzes, automated training records, and course validity dates
• A Franchise Expansion Manager application, that includes a dedicated marketing support ticketing system
• A comprehensive e-forms and workflow platform that empowers franchisors to build completely customized support workflows, processes automations, and apps
• AI search and assistants

Customers also have the option to connect the site-wide AI assistant to our own support portal, Discover. In doing so, franchisees can get quick, Claromentis-provided answers to any technical questions they may have about Claromentis Franchise Hub.

Pros

• Completely configurable. Claromentis Franchise Hub offers limitless customization options across its application suite, permissions system, and design tools. In regards to building an effective franchisee support portal, franchisors have the ability to design completely custom e-forms, workflows, and automations, as well as e-learning courses, on-brand pages, personalized news channels, and more.
• Packed full of AI capabilities. Claromenits Franchise Hub contains secure AI search and assistants that ingest your content exclusively and respect your user permissions settings, no matter how granular. Soon, customers will also be able to build and train their own in-system AI agents.
• On-premises deployments available. Unlike most FMS vendors — both inside and outside of this list — Claromentis supports self-hosted and on-premises deployments. This may cinch the deal for any highly regulated or security conscious franchisors.

Cons

• E-form and workflow capabilities take time to learn. Claromentis Franchise Hub’s no-code business process automation platform, InfoCapture, requires training and practice. New administrators may find it difficult to build their own support e-forms and ticketing systems. We always recommend taking our in-depth e-learning courses to ease the process. Alternatively, you can request InfoCapture consultation and development services from our in-house development team.
• Permissions can be complicated. Claromentis Franchise Hub’s permission system is extensive, with granular options for every user, application, page, piece of content etc. Some users find it difficult to configure at first.

2. FranchiseMS

At a glance

FranchiseMS is a franchise management software that contains 14 out-of-the-box modules. It focuses heavily on data and analytics, with built-in royalty management calculations that are based on real-time operational data.

Support-specific features

On top of applications for storing operations manuals, delivering training, and communicating with franchisees, FranchiseMS contains a dedicated “support & cases” platform, where franchisees can submit problems and raise support requests. If the question has a straightforward answer, the system routes the user to the Operations Manual. More complex queries are sent to head office, who can then respond to the case via integrated comment threads.

Pros

• Simple UX. FranchiseMS’s modular approach and clean design appear easy to use, though there aren’t any reviews to verify this.
• “Store” application. FranchiseMS provides a unique supply ordering software, which franchisors can populate with approved products and suppliers. This ensures franchisees have the materials they need to operate efficiently and compliantly.

Cons

• Very limited process customization. As far as we’re aware, franchisors do not have the ability to build their own forms, customize workflows, or set SLAs.
• No franchise intranet. As a result, the platform feels very clinical and generic. Franchisors are unable to build an on-brand hub, create pages of their own, or deliver engaging experiences.
• Basic communications. Franchisors can only share announcements. There are no news channels, blogs, or discussion rooms.
• Zero platform reviews. FranchiseMS appears to be a fresh FMS vendor. As of yet, there are no verified reviews or case studies of the platform. We’d recommend exercising caution if evaluating this vendor.

3. FranchiseSoft

At a glance

As far as franchise management software is concerned, FranchiseSoft provides a decent number of applications, including CRM, LMS, digital asset, and marketing capabilities.

Support-specific features

FranchiseSoft’s support and ticketing module contains a knowledge base library (with FAQ section) for storing step-by-step instructional videos, SOPs, and operations manuals, as well as an out-of-the-box ticketing system. The platform also provides LMS and asset management functionality.

Pros

• A dedicated learning center for prospects. Uniquely, FranchiseSoft contains an Applicant Learning Center for delivering resources and nurturing leads. It’s similar to Claromentis Franchise Hub’s Expansion Manager application, but with less flexibility and customization.
• Franchisor-logged tickets. Unlike some vendors, FranchiseSoft’s support portal allows franchisors to log tickets on a franchisee’s behalf.

Cons

• No AI capabilities. Though FranchiseSoft offers “smart search” functionality, it lacks intent-based AI search and intelligent assistants.
• Limited customization options. After scouring through FranchiseSoft’s website, we’ve concluded that there are little to no customization options available within the support module. Nor can franchisors build out their own e-forms, workflows, or automations.
• No franchise intranet or comms channels. Similar to FranchiseMS, FranchiseSoft doesn’t contain a personalizable intranet with news, blogs, and discussion rooms. This may make the platform unengaging for franchisees.
• Zero customer reviews. After checking multiple software review sites, we found no verified FranchiseSoft customer reviews. The vendor’s website does contain customer logos, however, which may be useful to reference when asking for case studies.

4. FranConnect

At a glance

FranConnect is a well-known name in the FMS world. As a company that’s grown via acquisition over the years, their platform contains a wealth of applications that help franchisors expand and develop their networks.

Support-specific features

FranConnect provides franchise intranet, LMS, knowledge base, and FAQ capabilities. In addition to this, their Support module allows franchisees to submit tickets to head office for remediation. The form allows file upload, priority setting, and franchise ID selection. However, there doesn’t seem to be any further customization options available.

Pros

• Comprehensive application suite. Compared with FranchiseMS and FranchiseSoft, FranConnect delivers a broad range of applications for franchisee support, development, and management.
• Intuitive. FranConnect users say the platform is simple to navigate, particularly in regards to finding and deciphering data.

Cons

• You cannot build your own support forms. While FranConnect may provide some customization options, these options are very limited. Unlike other platforms, such as Claromentis Franchise Hub, customers cannot build their own unique support forms or automated workflows.
• Inflexible notifications. According to some reviewers, there’s no way for franchisees to turn off notifications themselves. This may result in a poor user experience.
• Outdated UI. Some customers say the design is quite outdated, and many of the applications feel disjointed — this may be a result of FranConnect’s growth by acquisition.

Making your purchasing decision: why Claromentis Franchise Hub is the best franchisee support portal

As your franchise network grows, so too will your queue of support requests. If you’re not careful, these requests may become a time-consuming burden for your corporate teams and a point of contention for franchisees.

FMS solutions with dedicated franchisee support portal capabilities are essential for reducing these ad hoc requests, speeding up time-to-information, and standardizing your support processes.

But not all of these FMS solutions are built equally. Most require you to adapt to their regimented ticketing systems and e-form formats, whether they align with your specific needs or not.

Claromentis Franchise Hub is different.

Our FMS solution centralizes your knowledge, FAQs, training, and comms in one searchable, AI-powered hub hub. While the Franchise Expansion Manager application contains a customizable marketing request ticketing system, you’re free to use the fully configurable business process automation platform to build your own unique support workflows.

For example, our customer Leak Detective designed their own bespoke ticketing system within their Claromentis Franchise Hub. This system empowers franchisees to raise and track issues with ease.

“We're only early days, but we already know this is really going to help us as a franchise,” says Emma Gallacher, Franchise Manager at Leak Detective (Franchising). “We love how professional the site will look to onboarding franchisees, and how it will provide our franchisees with instant access to knowledge and support without them having to wait for us to give them an answer.”

Are you eager to provide the same level of support to your franchisees? Get in touch with one of our franchise experts, who will listen to your requirements, discuss pricing details, and show you a personalized demo of the Claromentis Franchise Hub solution.

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