The franchise operations manual is the most important document you will ever make. It outlines every detail of your business model, from your standards and operating procedures to roles and responsibilities, training, financial obligations, and more.
With so much information crammed into one document, it’ll come as no surprise that most manuals are hundreds of pages long.
This is both a blessing and a curse.
On the one hand, the more detailed your manual, the better. Detail leaves less room for assumptions or errors. On the other hand, the longer your document, the less accessible it becomes. Especially if you only offer paper-based copies.
In this article, we’ll explain why printed manuals are holding your franchise back and explore the benefits of digitization.
Why paper-based manuals don’t work (and why digitization is the answer)
We’re not suggesting that print is completely obsolete. It’s always helpful to provide a physical manual for your franchisees to refer to.
However, it’s important to acknowledge the limitations of paper, especially in today’s technology-forward world.
Consider the following:
- Attention spans are decreasing. 49% of people believe their attention span is worse than it used to be. And half of us readily admit that we can’t stop checking our smartphones when we should be focusing on other things. Bearing this in mind, it’s not unreasonable to assume that your franchisees and their teams will struggle to read your 300 page manual cover-to-cover.
- Frontline and remote employees need access. Unexpected crises can hit at any time, and employees won’t always have the answer memorized. Imagine a supplier telephones a restaurant to say they can’t make a shipment that morning. The manager may not have the operations manual to hand, and therefore won’t know which suppliers to turn to — or how to handle the situation.
- There’s no CTRL + F. The chances are, established franchisees will only refer to your operations manual when they have a very specific question. The trouble is, paper-based documents are difficult to skim through. Without an easy way to locate information, you may face operational delays or non-compliance.
- Updates take a lot of work. Nothing stays the same forever. As your business model evolves, so too must your operations manual. But making changes to the document and distributing physical copies takes time.
- It’s impossible to guarantee acceptance. With paper-based operations manuals, there’s no way of knowing how much your franchisees have read or understood. That means there’s always the possibility of non-compliance lurking around the corner.
All in all, relying on paper alone can be detrimental to your operations, reputation, and franchisee relationships.
This is why digitization is key.
But it’s important to get it right. You need to do more than just type up your document and share it as a PDF. To make the manual as accessible and engaging as possible, you should store it in a franchise management software (FMS); a centralized hub for all your franchise documents, communications, processes, and training programs.
Here’s why.
5 benefits of housing your franchise operations manual in an FMS
1. It’s accessible at any time
A franchise management system is accessible any time, anywhere, from either a browser or a mobile app. This means your franchisees and their teams can read your operations manual — and any other supporting documents — without having to locate the physical file. This reduces bottlenecks and boosts operational compliance.
2. It’s easy to update
Most FMS solutions provide convenient and secure document management features. This means you can check out your operations manual (or a single chapter, depending on how you store the document), make your edits, and get the new edition live as soon as possible.
Automated version control ensures that everyone in your network has access to the right copy, rather than an outdated predecessor.
3. Franchisees can find and understand information faster
There’s no need to dog-ear pages or underline passages with a highlighter. Franchise management solutions provide intelligent searching capabilities, meaning your franchisees can find what they’re looking for with a simple query.
Some FMS solutions also provide intelligent AI functionality. Take Claromentis as an example.
If you store your operations manual in our policy management application, your franchisees will benefit from a built-in AI chatbot. This assistant ingests information from each document, generates relevant questions, and provides helpful summaries and answers. This not only speeds up information retrieval, but can enhance understanding and compliance.
4. You can support franchisees with additional resources and training
Franchise management software platforms don’t just house your operations manual. They’re a hub for all your communications, procedures, training, FDDs, brand assets, contact details, processes, and data.
That means you can enhance the effectiveness of your operations manual with supporting resources.
For example:
- Build e-learning pathways to help your franchisees navigate the operations manual, and turn chapters and procedures into bitesize refresher courses.
- Create step-by-step knowledge base articles that simplify your procedures.
- Remind franchisees of new processes, services, or updates via news articles, unmissable announcements, and automated notifications.
- Create collaborative forums that allow franchisees to discuss operational requirements and ask any questions.
- Test operational knowledge with quizzes.
5. You can track acceptance and compliance
As we mentioned earlier, there’s no surefire way to prove acceptance and compliance with paper copies.
A franchise management system solves this problem by allowing you to track user activity via audit logs. You can also explicitly ask for users to comply with your manual via compulsory acceptance checkboxes.
Transform your franchise operations for the better
Your franchisees have invested time and money into your business. Which means they’re as keen to see it succeed as you are.
To help them help you, you must make your operations manual easy to access and understand. And this means moving on from paper.
With a comprehensive franchise management software in your toolkit, you can digitize your operations manual and ensure everyone in your network meets your standards from day 1. In turn, boosting compliance, efficiency, and consistency.
Eager to find out more?
Book a personalized demo of our franchise management software — including a tour of our integrated intranet, automation, and e-learning platforms — here. We’d love to show you just how powerful our software can be.
